We don’t recommend that homeowners navigate steep ladders and pitched roofs themselves. However, it’s best to have an experienced roofer do an inspection and handle the repairs. Sometimes you can find the leak’s source yourself if you have an unfinished attic and can locate the water trickle along a rafter or stud. Caught early, a small leak can be fairly inexpensive to fix if ignored, it may result in significant damage to your home. But often, the signal that your roof needs repair or replacement is nothing more than a seemingly innocent ceiling stain or drip. When a roof is destroyed by fire, windstorm, hail, or other severe weather, there’s no denying it needs to be fixed. (Check the DOE’s Energy Saver page for advice on buying cool-roof roofing products for both shallow-pitched and steeply pitched roofs, and check the Cool Roof Rating Council for cool-roof products.) But you also can shop for a "cool colored" roof: a darker roof that uses specialized pigments that reflect about 30 to 60 percent of sunlight. White roofs are best, reflecting from 60 to 90 percent of sunlight, according to the Department of Energy. Because a light-colored roof reflects more sunlight than a darker roof, it can reduce the energy and cost needed to cool your home by up to 15 percent. While this option isn’t new, it’s worth considering if you need a new roof and want to reduce your carbon footprint without buying costly solar. "Cool roofs" are an option for sustainability. But an earlier federal tax credit for traditional roofing with energy-efficient properties has expired. Homeowners who retrofit their roofs with solar panels or solar roofing tiles now can get a federal tax credit of 30 percent of the project cost-with no income restrictions or dollar ceiling on the project-thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. CertainTeed’s Solstice shingle looks more like a traditional shingle than GAF’s Timberline model, which includes perpendicular bars across the shingle array.įederal tax credits now apply only to solar roofs. Major roofing manufacturers GAF and CertainTeed have joined Tesla in introducing photovoltaic-aka solar-roofing shingles for homes. “Contractors aren’t complaining about the supply chain, but lead times for roof construction and replacement still may be extended due to a lack of qualified labor,” he says. Finding workers has been a challenge, explains Maciek Rupar, technical services director at the National Roofing Contractors Association, based in Rosemont, Ill. At the same time, historically high prices for roofing installations could continue to rise in the next year or so, largely due to continued high demand from consumers and a tight labor market. Stung by supply-chain issues of the past few years, manufacturers have cut back on new styles and colors, our sources tell us. Here are some other trends we see in roofing:įewer choices, higher installation costs. The inherent advantages of this type of roof-including resistance to leaks and wind uplift, not to mention durability against the elements-are likely to make metal roofing more popular in areas prone to violent storms, according to the Freedonia Group, a market research company. Metal roofs, for instance, are expected to grow in popularity. "However, there are small, niche segments emerging," she says.
#Are metal roofs better install
But no matter what type of roofing you seek, the following guide will help you find the right roofing product and hire the best contractor to install it.Īs they have for years, asphalt shingles remain the most common type of residential roofing purchased in the U.S., says Kelly Moomey, the market analyst who covers roofing for Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports tests asphalt shingles from brands including GAF, CertainTeed, and others for strength as well as resistance to wind, impact, and nail pull-throughs. Roofing materials take many forms, from metal to natural slate, but asphalt shingles are the most common residential roof covering in the U.S. The cost to reroof a home ranges from $5,725 to $12,401, with the national average at $9,052, according to estimates by HomeAdvisor, an online home services aggregator. A roof that can take the hits beautifully, year after year, is a worthwhile investment.Īnd it’s a potentially very expensive one. But your roof typically gets the worst of it. Any part of your home’s exterior can get assaulted by wind, rain, hail, bitter cold, intense heat, strong sunlight, and other weather insults.
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