Residential roof shingles are roof coverings or rather materials that are comprised of small overlapping pieces of the roof protection materials which are arranged in a cascade pattern so as to prevent weather effects from damaging the roof. Apart from the protection, a good shingle’s roof is a crucial architectural consideration in any building. There are several types of residential roof shingles in the market today and therefore choosing the type of roof shingles which best suit your needs could be quite confusing.
Historically roofs were made from wooden pieces which were laid in overlapping patterns for protection against rain, snow and other weather agents. With the changing times, the wooden pieces got replaced with the modern roof grits which consists of several synthetic materials which in this case offers greater protection while at the same time giving a more economical roofing option. The shingles elements are a basically flat rectangular shape that are laid in rows which begin from the bottom edge and goes upwards the roof. The row of shingles above covers the shingles below them.
Residential roof shingles come in several different designs and materials too for instance wood, asbestos, slate, ceramic, asphalt or composite. Following the intended use and description can help you choose the best residential roof for your home.
Types of Residential roof shingles
1) Wooden Shingles
These types of shingles were used in the past on many buildings but their use decreased gradually over time due to increased need of fire protection. The wooden shingles however are nowadays only used when repairing an old roof. The average cost of installing asphalt roofing shingles is about $4-$7 a square foot.
2) Slate, Clay and Cement Shingles
These types of shingles are long lasting, they are designed to last about 50 to 100 years however they are the most expensive residential roof shingles in the market. Also, these type are often hard to install therefore they require frequent maintenance. They also weigh more than all the other shingles therefore it requires that the whole house be constructed with stronger pillars if these shingles need to be installed. The average cost of installing asphalt roofing shingles is about $9-$10 per square foot.
3) Organic asphalt or Fiberglass Shingles
The asphalt shingles are popular these days as residential roofing materials. Organic asphalt shingles usually consist of base mat which is made from rags, paper pulp and wood which is saturated then coated with asphalt. Fiberglass-asphalt on the other hand comprise of base mat which is made from glass-fiber, also, this gets coated with asphalt. The fiberglass types of shingles also have better fire rating as compared to the organic asphalt shingles.
These types of shingles always offer 20 to 30 years warranty. With proper ventilation, a heavier shingle can last longer thus offering a long warranty period. Fiber glasses however are often preferred in the warm climate regions since they tend to crack in regions with severe cold conditions. The average cost of installing asphalt roofing shingles is about $80 – $100 that is per square, asphalt.
The choice of shingles basically depends on durability, aesthetics, cost and availability. Regardless of the type of shingle you go for, they are all sold in “squares” and each square shingle covers only 100 square feet (10′ x 10′) area. They also come in different shapes and colors. however your choice may be dependent on the type of shingles in the neighborhood or local building guidelines.
Another type of roofing material is residential metal roofing.