The Best Roofing Material for Building a Home

By Trevor Underwood, DECRA Metal Roofing. 

An increasingly popular roofing material may be the right answer for you. 

Today, the housing market is as inaccessible as it’s ever been. It is unlikely that all your needs and wants will be accounted for if you want your investment to fit your budget. Most of us need to make some sacrifices to successfully find a home. 

Many homeowners are taking this matter into their own hands. Be like one of them — build your own house. Every aspect of its design and construction is up to you. You may even be able to have some of your must-haves, which might not be possible with a pre-existing home. 

DECRA Metal Roofing works hand-in-hand with contractors, architects and builders to give homeowners a roof they want and need. While it may seem like a minor detail, your roof matters. It’s the first line of defense against the elements, so you want to choose something that will stand the test of time without sacrificing strength or style. 

In the past, asphalt was the most popular (and cheapest) roofing material in the United States, but it's been losing market share to modern metal roofing. Today, metal is the second most popular roofing material on the market – and for good reason. Metal roofs have a lifespan that is two to three times longer than traditional roofing materials like asphalt (which have an estimated life expectancy of roughly 12 to 20 years). 

This makes it easy to understand why more and more homeowners are choosing DECRA Metal Roofing to protect their custom homes–but there are more reasons, too. Keep reading below for more information. 

Achieve your desired style with metal roofing 

California and Florida are two states where the traditional clay tile roof is a mandatory design element for enhancing Mediterranean-style homes. Rustic wood shakes are popular among Northeastern states, like Boston and New York, where colonial-style themes are common. 

Unfortunately, clay tile cracks easily and is vulnerable to hail and storm debris impact. Clay tiles also absorb up to 15% of their weight in water and have such poor wind uplift characteristics, so they usually aren't warrantied against wind damage at all. These deficiencies rule them out as a viable option for roofs in challenging seasonal climates. 

Wood shakes undoubtedly provide a distinctive beauty, but grey after brief exposure to the elements. Cupping, splitting and loosening around the fasteners make wood shakes prone to wind uplift. Even top-of-the-line cedar is vulnerable to bacteria and fungus, making it one of the most high-maintenance roofing options. 

Knowing the importance of these styles among homeowners across the country, DECRA developed a product that can replicate the look of any traditional roofing material without the shortcomings of clay tile or deficiencies of wood shakes. 

Our products combine the strength of multi-layered steel with acrylic bonded granular stone coatings to ensure industrial durability and architectural beauty. 

So if clay tiles are a common design element on neighboring roofs, DECRA Villa Tile and DECRA Tile can provide the essential beauty of the Mediterranean or Spanish tile without the shortcomings of clay. Or if wood shakes are prone throughout the area you reside, DECRA Shake XD and DECRA Shake can achieve the desired aesthetics without the need for ongoing roof maintenance. Upon request, review and approval, we can even create custom colors to ensure your roof matches the style of the home. 

We know how much time and money is invested in building a custom home, so whether you’re looking for Mediterranean-style tile, classic wood shakes or thick-cut shingles, there is a DECRA roof to match your style. 

Strength against the elements with metal roofing 

Did you know metal roofs are one of the most impact-resistant options available? Outside of longevity, durability is another major selling point when building a custom home to ensure protection against the elements. 

Homeowners love the fact that DECRA has the highest possible UL2218 Class 4 hail impact rating. Our roofs are warrantied for hailstones up to 2.5 inches in diameter and wind up 120 miles per hour. We use a unique interlocking system to secure our panels in place with corrosion-resistant screws to provide one of the highest wind uplift ratings on the market–so much so that DECRA products comply with the high-velocity hurricane zone requirements of Miami-Dade, Florida. 

Outside of hail and wind, DECRA products carry the highest Class A Fire rating. But just because our roofs can withstand the heat doesn’t mean they can’t weather the cold. DECRA products are non-porous, making them an ideal roofing solution for cold weather climates because they resist expansion caused by freeze and thaw cycles, unlike traditional roofing materials. 

Enjoy the short- and long-term benefits of metal roofing 

The long-term value of a DECRA metal roof is accompanied by immediate benefits like insurance discounts. In states like Texas, for example, a metal roof can lower your homeowner’s insurance by up to 35% – but there’s more. 

A metal roof can reduce cooling costs by up to 25% since heat is reflected from the sun, unlike asphalt shinglesthat absorb the energy and transmit heat into the home. 

And over time, homeowners with metal roofing are typically able to recoup an extremely high rate of the roof’s cost, 85.9% according to national averages, with homes in the Eastern states recouping up to 95.5%. 

DECRA Metal Roofing for strength and style 

Engineered to bridge the gap between industrial durability and architectural beauty, DECRA Metal Roofing products can meet the design requirements of any style. 

To see what a DECRA Metal Roof will look like on your custom home, upload an image to our Roof Designer to find the perfect profile and color.  

Have a question? AskARoofer.  

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.  

Original article source: DECRA