above all, you need a roof

The last time you bought a roof, did you consider all options or did you just consider all colour options of traditional roofing? Of course we want an affordable roof as this tends to be a considerable expense for a homeowner. But as human nature would have it, we tend to only look at the "today" cost, not the "tomorrow" cost. Lets have a look at few facts.

Traditional roofing is made of pulp felt (paper-wood fiber), tar (petroleum), and rock from varying sources. The average house has 2500 kg of roofing material which will cost approximately $2000 plus installation and will last roughly 15 to 20 years before it will need to be removed and find a new home in a landfill. The only options we usually have with conventional roofing is colour, pattern, or in the last few years, whether it's main fibrous component is wood fiber or fiberglass.


Steel roofing is made of painted galvanized steel which has a life span of 100 years or more at which point it should either be repainted or can be nearly 100% recycled. Weight is generally lower than tar paper roofing but will the material is unlikely to end up in a landfill as it has a final value like a pop bottle, it has a "deposit" which ensures that it does not end up in the garbage.

Slate or tile roofing. 150 + years at which point it can be converted to another yard amendment such as gravel for your driveway or walkway.





Wood roof. Wood is low life cycle carbon (a good thing) , has unlimited recycle ability. I can be used as stove fuel, mulch, compost etc. Lifespan varies depending on region, wood type and affecting landscape (proximity of trees)


Green roof is a built up system of a waterproof membrane, anti-landslide strapping, growing medium (soil, peat moss etc.) plants. Lifespan is determined by the longevity of the membrane which is very long since it does not (or should not) be exposed to sunlight. It is somewhat more intensive in installation but has limited maintenance unless you need to remove weeds (get a life!) In Germany, it is estimated that 10% of roofs are green living roofs and growing (pardon the pun)
http://www.thegrowspot.com/know/f5/green-roofs-living-roofs-around-world-54142.html

Because of the slope we needed for our house (12:12), we could not easily have a living roof. We therefore opted for possibly the next best thing; a galvanized steel roof.

After seeing a few new options, I hope you open your eyes to the options before you open your wallet to the contractor, then again in 20 years! Get the picture?