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What’s the Best Shingle Type for Your Home? 

Whether you’re looking to add new shingles to an existing roof, or if you’re building new construction and want to create the best possible roof, your choice of shingles can impact the lifespan of your roof and its ability to withstand the elements. Homes in the Pacific Northwest, with its particularly wet and damp weather, need to take extra care to make the right choice with shingles to best avoid issues like leaky roofs and water damage. Follow the guide below to learn which shingle type is best for your home. 

Asphalt 

Asphalt shingles, also known as composition shingles, are one of the most popular roof shingles types and are used on roofs of 4 out of every 5 homes in the U.S. Made from a base of organic felt or fiberglass topped with a spray of hot asphalt, these shingles boast many benefits: they’re affordable, fire resistant, easy to maintain and durable. They’re also aesthetically flexible because they come in a wide range of styles and colors, and can be manufactured to look like wood, cedar or slate. Asphalt shingles are known to last approximately 100 years. While their resistance to wind, rain, hail and snow makes them a great bet for the Pacific Northwest region, they are porous and may still be susceptible to mold and mildew growth, so be sure to check the shingles each year for maintenance purposes. 

Metal 

Among other materials, metal shingles can be made from aluminum, copper or stone-coated steel and they’re most commonly used in industrial or commercial buildings, though they are becoming more popular in the residential sector. Designed to withstand winds, hail, fire and heavy rain, metal shingles are also low maintenance: they require the occasional removal of leaves and debris after a heavy storm. Depending on the style of your home, metal shingles can be manufactured to look like other materials, like cedar shake or slate. Metal shingles can last from 40-70 years, but a few disadvantages are their high cost and difficulty in finding an exact color match if replacements are needed in the future. And in case you’re worried about noise, metal shingles are installed over wood, so you won’t hear rain drops during a storm. 

Rubber 

lightweight, inexpensive option, rubber roofs come in three main types of single-ply membranes  that are glued into place and laid in one single piece (rather than individual shingles like asphalt or metal), resulting in very few seams and thus a tighter, more secure protection from water leaks. This is an eco-friendly roof option because it’s made from recycled materials. Rubber roofs can last up to 50 years or longer and maintenance is simple: if a crack or leak does develop, it can be repaired with a tube of liquid rubber. This option is great for low-slope or flat roofs with few penetrations like skylights and chimneys; but, because of the exact measurements involved, this can drive up the cost for installation. 

If you’re curious about the best roofing options for your home, or if you need your roof inspected for maintenance purposes, call South Sound Inspections today for an evaluation. 

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