Info provided by Watertight Worthing Roofing:
Best Roofing Materials for Longevity and Durability
Just like anything else in this world, your roof also has its own expiration date. When the time comes that you need to replace it, you have to consider a lot of things first before you settle for one. Some of these factors are longevity, durability, energy efficiency, and cost.
Whether you are repairing your roof or have decided to replace your roof entirely, it doesn’t matter if you will be the one to purchase your roof or you decide to work with a roofing company, it is important to make yourself familiar with the best roofing materials for longevity and durability.
Slate Roofing
Slate roofing is often considered as the roofing material with the longest lifespan ranging from 50 to 150 years. Slate comes in two different types – soft slate and hard slate. Hard slate could last for over a century and some even last for up to 200 years. This is the reason why property owners appreciate the strength and durability of slate roofing.
Metal Roofing
There is no denying that metal roofing is among the most durable you can choose. When high quality metal materials are used, the lifespan of metal roofing can easily lasts for more than 50 years and could even reach up to 70 years. The incredibly resilient and strong core material is one of the main reasons why metal roofing can last for a long time.
Spanish Tile or Clay Roofing
One more popular roofing material known for its longevity is Spanish tile or clay roofing. It was named so because these roofs were often used among early Spanish missionaries hundreds of years ago in South America, Latin America, and California. The usual life span of this roofing material easily goes beyond 50 years.
Wood Shake Shingles
Wood shake shingles is a specific type of thick wooden roofing tile. There are people who love their aesthetically pleasing appearance. Wood shingles on average last anywhere from 25 to 35 years.
Traditional Wood Shingles
The traditional wood shingles may not last as long as the wood shake singles. It is a thinner and smaller type of wooden shingle. They are usually cheaper than wood shake shingles but don’t last as long. However, you can pretty much expect it since wood is a type of organic material.
Composite Shingles
Another popular roofing material is composite shingle. These roofs have varied lifespan although the good baseline estimate is 15 to 25 years. Composite shingle is basically the combination of different materials including recycled paper and fiberglass that are then formed together to create a roofing tile.
Asphalt Roofing
The last, but not the least, of the best roofing materials when it comes to durability and longevity, is the asphalt roof. Just like other types of roofing materials, asphalt roofing also has its own set of pros and cons. Asphalt roofing is cost effective and easy to install. However, it doesn’t last as long as the roofing materials above with asphalt roofing lasting for only 5 to 18 years. It means that while asphalt roof is cheaper upfront, it may cost property owners more down the road.
Finding The Best Roofing Contractor In Your Area
It is never cheap to repair and upgrade the roof of your home. This is the reason why you need to look for and choose the best roofing contractors in your area that can give you value for money.
Below are some tips to help you choose the right roofing contractor for your next roofing project.
Work Only with Specialists
Before anything else, make sure you look for roofing contractors specialising in the kind of roofing work you need and have in mind. For example, if you are a business owner, look for an experienced commercial roofing contractor. If you plan to install a tiled roof, search for a company that specialises in tiled roofs. Be sure that you also look into the credentials of the roofing contractor before you make your final decision.
Don’t Let the Price Sway You
It is only understandable that you will want to get the best value for money from your chosen roofing contractor. However, the cheapest quote alone should never be the only determining factor. What matters the most here is the quality of materials used and the overall workmanship. Remember that cheap and shoddy roofing materials will be nothing but a false economy in the near future.
Go Local
Most of the time, make sure you choose a roofing contractor local to your place. This will give you the assurance that if you ever need further assistance, they will always be there to lend you a helping hand. Never choose those contractors that just knock on your door out of the blue because chances are they are only passing through and might vanish to think air after you hand in the payment.
Check Online Reviews
It doesn’t matter if you got some recommendations or not because it will always be a good thing to browse through online reviews. Even if your close friend might have had a positive experience with a particular roofing contractor, you will first need to check if this is really the norm and not just an exception.
The ideal thing you can do here is choose a roofing contractor with at least 4 stars and has many Google reviews. While there is no need to worry about seeing a handful of negative reviews, you need to read them carefully and identify where the issue lies. If all of them complained about one problem that happens to be a deal breaker, it is best to look elsewhere.
Quality of Service
Quality roofing contractors in the UK will be more than happy to give you a quote and consultation for free and they will never charge you for it. A good roofing contractor will also discuss with you the available options you have and won’t pressure you to make a decision right away. Also, if the roofing contractor turns up right on time, returns and answers your calls and does exactly as what they claim to do, it is already a positive sign of trustworthiness and reliability.
Keep these pointers in mind to choose the best roofing contractors in the UK that you can work with.
Do Roofers Use Scaffolding?
Scaffolding is one of the most common features of most roofing jobs and you can see it right away when roofing is installed or repaired in a home or building. But, if you want to save some money for your roof work, you are probably wondering if the job needs scaffolding.
The benefits of not using scaffolding are usually obvious. For starters, this can cut down the costs and the time required finishing the project. But, scaffolding actually provides an additional layer of safety, especially for roofers.
What is the Purpose of Scaffolding?
Scaffolding is not only a needless eyesore on residential or commercial properties. In fact, this is far from it. This offers roofers with temporary and safe access to the roof. This structure also supports materials to allow the roofers to do their job from the top of the scaffold to save them from the need to go up and down throughout the day with every bit and piece of material required.
Even though this might not seem convenient for you because of its cost and appearance, scaffolding actually offers huge benefits for roofers since it makes roof work easier, faster, and safer.
Is Scaffolding Necessary?
Just like how you imagined, the answer as to whether scaffolding is necessary or not is a clear and big yes. There is only one time and instance when roofers don’t really need scaffolding for the job and that is when it is safe to access the roof from inside the house or building, such as with stairs leading up to the flat roof or low pitched roof.
There are even some cases when it is not really suitable to use scaffolding. On particularly hard to reach and awkward buildings or areas with several storeys, it might be a better and wiser option to use a powered access platform. Normally reaching a height of up to 90 feet, this is a faster and cheaper choice for emergency jobs and when access is tricky and difficult.
How Much Does Scaffolding Cost?
Scaffolding cost will depend on the size of the specific building where it is being used on. The price starts at about £400 on small terraced houses where scaffolding is often necessary at the back and front. But, the cost can go up to £2,000 for bigger detached houses where it is necessary to erect scaffolding around the sides.
What is important to keep in mind is that this price will be worth every penny. Scaffolding, for starters, is important to safely carry out the roof work. This also ensures that the roofers will be able to do the job properly with no need to cut corners.
The primary advantage of scaffolding is that it lets the roofers do their work efficiently and quickly. If the roofer tries replacing a roof without using scaffolding, this will take much longer with pretty shoddy results. This means a big additional cost for the additional time and even more costs to finish the job. Scaffolding may also be needed to repair or clean your guttering, depending on the height of your property.
With all of these in mind, it means that scaffolding is more often than not a necessary tool for roofers to carry out their projects efficiently and safely.
Should Roofing Be Done in the Winter UK?
It is difficult and tricky to do roofing work during winter in the UK due to lower temperatures and the different risks involved. There are many forms of problems that can happen if you have your roofing job done during winter months.
This is why the best and most recommended thing that you should do is to wait until the weather gets warmer to have non-urgent work done. Once the colder season has past, definitely call on a roofing service to make sure your roof is in tip-top condition.
If you are wondering if roofing work should be done in the winter, the following are some of the difficulties that you might run into and how you will be able to avoid them to ensure a safe and secure roofing work.
Condensation
Condensation takes place when something cold gets hit by warm air. This can happen with your roof if the warm air in the house hits the cold roof deck. You can easily resolve this issue with the installation of a vapour retarder at your ceiling as this will help prevent warm air from reaching the roof space. It is also important to make sure that your home has enough ventilation since this condensation could turn into mould or damp.
Ice
Ice is one of the major problems that can occur if you will choose to have your roofing work done during winter. The tiles must be flushed to the roof rafters to ensure that they are all water tight. If you are planning to replace your roof and water turns frozen in between the rafters and tiles, you might soon end up with leaks and water seeping through.
Professional roofers will often use salt or heat guns to help avoid this issue from happening. This is why unless your roof needs emergency repair or replacement, it will be a better and wiser choice to wait until the spring months come.
Can You Do Roofing Work in Dry and Cold Weather?
Although your roof may not be affected at all by ice during those times of a dry spell in winter, a few things could still go wrong if you will have your roof replaced during colder months.
Remember that different types of roofs also use different materials. It also means that each and every one of them will have varied requirements when it comes to temperature. This means that while the weather may be dry, you may still encounter some issues such as underlay that turned brittle, frozen adhesives, and cracked roofing felt.
Your roof is no doubt one of the most important parts of your home. This offers protection not only for you and your whole family but also to all of your personal belongings.
This is why when there is something wrong with your roof, it is only normal that you want to get it fixed the soonest time possible no matter what the season might be.
So, is it worth it to do roofing done in the winter? Well, the truth is probably not. However, if you really need to carry out an emergency work amidst cold weather, it is important to make sure that you take all the necessary precautions to keep things safe for both your roofers and your roof. Please note that repairs on pitched roofs in the winter can be a little more complicated than other roof types such as flat roofs.