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Question: I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the most fascinating question, but it’s been on my mind more than you’d think, so here goes! A little while ago I was talking to my friend about his father’s business. I guess there was some issue his dad had with the roof on a big warehouse-type building, and costs spiraled way out of control. My friend was going on about this and I was totally shocked that a roof could cause so much trouble (or cost so much money). I know they have to put it up so that it doesn’t fall down, but besides that, what’s the big deal? Commercial roofs are just flat, usually, right? They don’t even have shingles, and even if they did, shingles are just for decoration, right? Otherwise, I assume commercial buildings would have them. Yeah, I’m asking about roofing, but please: experts, answer me!
Answer: Hey, don’t sell your question short! Roofing can be a fascinating subject–especially to the roofing professionals and experts that we consulted when answering your question.
What’s so interesting about roofs? Well, for starters, home constructors say, roofs are not quite so simple as you make them out to be. Sure, roofs are supposed to protect the interior of a building from the elements. Some materials work better for this purpose than others. Shingles, a staple of residential roofs in the northeast, make roof damage easy to repair by making small patching jobs. They’re also aesthetically pleasing. In other climates, roofs may be made out of terracotta and clay. And it’s not just about materials, but about design, too: peaked roofs are a must in areas with snow, for instance, because they make sure the snow slides off instead of building up until it’s heavy enough to break through the roof.
And keeping the weather out is not all that roofs are tasked with doing. A roof also has work to do in maintaining the environment inside a structure. Think about heat, for instance: we all know that hot air rises, so it’s the roof’s job to keep some of that heat from rising right on our of your structure and costing you big bucks in heating bills. Attic insulation and ventilation are a big part of this, but the roof itself also plays a role.
Different types of structures require different types of roofs, the roofers at Everlast Roofing told us: agricultural metal roofing wouldn’t work (or look good) on your home, and shingles wouldn’t work (or be cost-effective) on a farm building that needs a metal roof.
And roof work can be expensive even when tricky materials issues don’t come into play. After all, it’s not simple to get up onto a roof to do work, and, in some regions, roof work can’t be done at all times of year.
In short, if you’ll forgive the pun: there’s a whole lot going over our heads!
“Don’t just raise the bar…raise the roof.” — A.D. Posey