Environmentally Friendly Roofing Options

[Dan Mages]

Good morning,

Allison and I have finally found a house and are extremely close to closing on it. The sellers have been very wonderful to work with and been very proactive and accomidating about the inspection issues.

The home inspector found the roof to be in tough shape, which was confirmed by a local roofing contractor. We are now looking at options to replace the roof. I want to use environmentally friendly products whenever possible with this new house. Are there any options for environmentally friendly roofing materials? Standing seam metal roofing is being considered for the low slope above the screen porch, but not for the rest of the house.

Thanks!!

Dan

[Jim Becker]

The metal is a good choice where you can use it and afford to use it. I originally specified it for our entire home as part of our addition project, but the cost was prohibitive...about $6 sq ft higher than the 50 year architectural asphalt shingles we went with. We ended up using the metal over the porches, however, for a very nice contrast. Slate would be nice, but the cost factor is magnitudes higher than metal! The home previously had cedar shakes, but they are a high-maintenance option.

You might see about "manufactured slate" made from recycled tires. Otherwise, one of the 50 year asphalt products may still be a good choice, despite being made from oil, due to the longevity it has when installed properly.

[Gordon Harner]

You will probably get as many different opinions as responses on your question. Life cycle issues, energy consumption to manufacture, reclylability emissions emitted during manufacture etc. are all issues. Other than wood products all roofing materials are recyleable. Asphalt and tile/concrete and metal are recyclable. The lighter weight products save on the material needed to structure the building. The color of the material impacts the heating cooling load. I have been interested in building green since the 70s the problem is there is little agreement on what green is. A search for green building materials on the Dept. of Energy site or the National Home Builders Assoc. may give you some insight. A local roofing contractor that is environmentally concerned may have some ideas too. This is not much help. Just my thoughts. I'd probably go asphalt shingles.

[Dan Mages]

You will probably get as many different opinions as responses on your question. Life cycle issues, energy consumption to manufacture, reclylability emissions emitted during manufacture etc. are all issues. Other than wood products all roofing materials are recyleable. Asphalt and tile/concrete and metal are recyclable. The lighter weight products save on the material needed to structure the building. The color of the material impacts the heating cooling load. I have been interested in building green since the 70s the problem is there is little agreement on what green is. A search for green building materials on the Dept. of Energy site or the National Home Builders Assoc. may give you some insight. A local roofing contractor that is environmentally concerned may have some ideas too. This is not much help. Just my thoughts. I'd probably go asphalt shingles.
I talked to the roofing contractor about colour and its impact on the house. While lighter colours do heat the house less, snow will melt slower which can cause problems with lifespan and leakage.

Dan

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I always chuckle a little when I see the word "green" ......the only green building material is sod. It is 100% biodegradeable. It's natural and the only energy spent in manufacturing it is your energy while cutting and stacking it.

There are a lot of claims out there that products are green but one has to consider the energy used to manufacture that product in the beginning.

A green product....if it was me, I'd find out which product is going to last the absolute longest period of time and use it. That will probably end up being the cheapest in the long run and therefore probably the greenest.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I would not recommend white or light gray for aesthetic reasons. It will show staining in less than ten years which is generally not addressed by the warranty. Warranties for typical dimensional and three tab shingles start at 20 years and go much higher. But the warranty is primarily based upon functionality and not appearance.

The new fiberglass/asphalt shingles have mold inhibitors in them. But, if you have overhanging trees, the stains will begin shortly anyhow, and will be noticable with lighter and more solid-like colors.

And then there's the 'what color looks nice with the house?' question. :)

-Jeff :)

[Dan Mages]

I would not recommend white or light gray for aesthetic reasons. It will show staining in less than ten years which is generally not addressed by the warranty. Warranties for typical dimensional and three tab shingles start at 20 years and go much higher. But the warranty is primarily based upon functionality and not appearance.

The new fiberglass/asphalt shingles have mold inhibitors in them. But, if you have overhanging trees, the stains will begin shortly anyhow, and will be noticable with lighter and more solid-like colors.

And then there's the 'what color looks nice with the house?' question. :)

-Jeff :)
Correction... "What colour does SWMBO think looks nice on the house?" ... and hope she chose wisely.

Dan :rolleyes: