How to Choose a Roof For Your House

So many of us do not give a thought to the roof on a home when we are buying it. Roofs go through abuse that we simply do not think about, such as birds and bad weather. Recently, several roofs needed replacing due to hailstorm damage. It never occurred to me that my house's roof might have been damaged by all of that ice pounding it until I saw the wet spots in the ceiling in the garage and then in a room located on the same side of the house. My first thought was finding a good contractor. After that came new problems such as choosing colors and style for the roof. I am going to tell you about this amazing site I found that will help you choose the right roof style and color for your home.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer access
• Internet

1. How Do You Know You Need a Roof?
   
   Danny Lipford from a popular CBS Show titled Today’s Homeowners, says there are various tell-tale signs a home owner should look for to determine if the roof needs replacing. Some of the signs Mr. Lipford listed included interior leakage, dark spots on the roof, curling shingles, stains on interior ceilings and walls and an unexplained rise in the energy bill. A conscientious home owner should assess the areas periodically and be proactive when problem areas arise.
2. What Roofing Options Do You Have?
   
   According to Mr. Lipford, the choices are more extensive and innovation seem to produce more choices about every 5 years. Originally roofs were comprised of wood material which turned out to be a fire-fighter' s nightmare that often ended in total loss for the home owner. Now roofs are made of more fire resistant materials such as metal, asphalt and fiberglass. The choice of roofing material and style depends largely on ones financial ability as the higher the warranty (e.g. 20 years to 60 years); the more the homeowner will pay. For example the shingle patterns I was shown came in basic (Sentinel), popular (Royal Sovereign) and top-of-the-line (Timberline). Each brand came in various colors and some with StainGuard. As you can see, choosing a roof can be complicated, confusing and exhausting! But it is extremely important because the type, style and color adds value to the home.
3. What About the Color?
   
   To complicate matters even more, the roofing material comes in various colors. A homeowner can choose, charcoal, colony gray, russet, forest green, silver lining, hickory and many, many others. The entire time I was trying to choose, I kept trying to imagine how the house would look with a certain color roof. I found this awesome site, that will help you choose the right color roof for your home. The site is GAF and it has a Virtual Home where you can upload pictures of your home and check out various siding, brick, roofs etc. (See resource section below for link). Go to GAF website and click on “Roofing” and then click “Residential Homeowners”. Click on “Virtual Home Remodeler”. Follow instructions to try various colors on a "look alike" home already on the site or upload a picture of your own home and try various styles. (Men, be aware that women can also try out new siding colors and brick tones and end up wanting a real make over!!) This site proved very helpful to me when I was choosing the right color roof for my home and if you are thinking of making external changes, I strongly recommend it.
4. Choose a Contractor.
   
   I realize some of us are “do-it-yourselfers”. For those of us who are not, hire a good contractor. Check the contractor out with the Better Business Bureau and most of all, make sure the contractor is experienced and licensed. Finally, get a contract with everything documented that the contractor agree to repair and the home and hold them to it.

Tips & Warnings

• If the damage to your roof is caused by a natural disaster, the insurance might be able to pay for replacement and/or repairs without increasing your insurance. In most cases, the Contractor will alert you to this but check with your agent.
• In case of a natural disaster, be aware of “traveling contractors” who are independents traveling from state-to-state following natural disasters for work. Not all of these contractors are licensed and may not be licensed in your state. Additionally, you might not be able to prove that they are experienced and once problems are discovered, they have moved on to the next state and you’re left with an additional cost of correcting their shoddy work.
• Clean gutters often and perform periodic checks to ensure damages are caught before serious interior damage occurs.