Which Roof Type – Metal or Shingles?

Which will it be – a metal or shingle roof? There are many good reasons for choosing either. There are also a couple of situations to take into consideration: Are you replacing an existing roof, or are you building a new home and need to make a design decision?

Which Roof Type? The new Home builders Dilemma

Both the metal and shingle roof come in a variety of colours and styles, and either one is a good choice. While both are suited to almost any style of architecture, Australian trends have swung towards metal, not away from shingles, but away from tiles. Asphalt shingles are not all that popular in Australia yet, but new homeowners and renovators replacing home roofs are seeing some distinct benefits. When you are considering colorbond v roof shingles, they are both reasonably cost effective. If you make an investment of a few thousand dollars you need to calculate how much that will cost you per year over 25, 30 and up to 50 years. Don’t forget the green footprint which both shingles and steel offer considering the amount of recyclable material used in their manufacture. Other than those overall similarities, that’s about where they end.

The Importance of Roofing Material for Street Appeal

The external beauty, or aesthetics, of your home is both a personal and emotional one. A person will rarely do something to their home’s exterior if they think it will detract from the beauty of their home. How can the right roof enhance the kerb appeal of your home?

If you consider the roof as a design element, you will understand how it can contribute to the overall look of your home.

Homeowners, generally, would not consider doing something to their homes that will make them look as much like their neighbours’ homes as possible. Somehow, they never think how a roof can add character and individuality to their home. Take a walk down your neighbourhood street and you will see that about 60% of the home’s visible appearance is the roof. In that way the roof is a design element of your home, not simply a necessity.

The right roof colour can also pull all the other design elements of your house together, thus adding to its street appeal.

This is something you need to keep foremost in mind when you are thinking about choosing a new roof. Whether you opt for a metal or shingle roof, you can move away from traditional colours for your roofing materials and enhance your home’s exterior with colours that can add depth of detail and finishes.

The Lives of a Roof

Did you know your roof has two lives? There is its functional life and its aesthetic life. Most roofing materials might look nice for a few years, but they become streaked, stained and tired looking for the majority of their life, albeit they are still doing the job for which they were installed – protecting your home. An asphalt shingle roof will add immediate beauty to your home and it will stay that way for years to come.

Why Metal has Become a Popular Roofing Material.

This material is very versatile and can be installed in a range of colours and styles. Zincalume Colorbond is durable, fire resistant and as a metal roof, it is one of the best roofing materials available.

Durability is one of the main reasons homeowners choose this material. This metal is rust resistant because of the treatment, and it’s durable enough to withstand the harshest of weather.

As a roofing material it is also very versatile and comes in different profiles and sizes. You can have your metal roof painted in bold colours as well which gives impact to the look of the building. Zincalume metal roofing material is one of the most popular choices.

As well as being durable it is also lightweight. These factors make it easy to install. A zincalume roof has a very long lifespan as well as being competitively priced. Add to that its low maintenance cost and it’s no wonder that it has been very popular for new homes being built.

Get the ‘Hamptons Look’ With Roof Shingles

If you want something different to what everybody else is using, then the recommendation is for GAF roof shingles. While they are nowhere near as common in Australia as they are in North America, there is no doubting the better aesthetics they achieve in a home.

As mentioned earlier, the roof on a home is a standout feature. What is the first thing a person notices when they are looking at a home as a potential buyer? The gourmet kitchen or the fantastic features of the master bedroom? No, it’s how the house looks from the street. Do you want your home to hang out the welcome mat, or just have people drive by? When selling your home, it’s kerb appeal that…well…appeals most.

It’s not necessarily about the sale of the home, it’s how you want your home to look when you are living there. Sure, you can have the metal roof, just like nearly everybody else in the neighbourhood. Sure, you can opt for the concrete or terracotta tiles, just like everybody has who doesn’t have a metal roof! What do you think your home would be like if it had that ‘Hamptons look’? (By the way, the ‘Hamptons look’ is that casual, beach style living, but classy, sophisticated and classical.) That means installing an asphalt shingle roof, that complies with the roof shingles building regulations to give it that architectural design look about it.

Home Value

The common laws of attraction state that a prospective buyer of your home will pay a higher price for that home if it looks more beautiful than the other surrounding neighbourhood homes.

If you are interested in using GAF Asphalt shingles with design and colour options to enhance your home’s street appeal, contact All American Roofing to help you. They are always keen to help improve the neighbourhood.