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Types of Roofing

There are many types of roofing available but all have to stand up to the elements. Traditional roofing is able to last many years with little maintenance. The choice of roofing will reflect the way you want the house to look and will also suit the construction method. For example, a metal roof requires less timber in the roof frame than tiles as it is a lot lighter.

Traditional terracotta tiles

Terracotta tiles have been used for many years and are a great choice. They Terracotta come in a range of colours and styles and are also glazed. On old houses unglazed terracotta roofing tiles were used, however these become soft over time and are easily damage by hail. Glazed terracotta roofing tiles do not suffer from this as they are stronger. Glazed roofing tiles come in a great range of colours and will good great for more than 20 years. However all roof tiles will need re-pointing every 10-15years.

Concrete Roofing Tiles

Concrete roof tiles are strong and come in a great range of colours and styles. These are made of dense concrete are finished with a baked on hard coloured paint. This finish will generally last 15-20 years before it needs to be re-painted. Also concrete roofing tiles are stronger than terracotta and will outperform them in a large hail storm and they are cheaper than terracotta roof tiles. However terracotta tiles have a glazed finished that will outlast the painted finish of concrete roof tiles.

Coloured Metal Roofing

Metal roofing comes in a wide range of colour and is fast to install. This type of roofing is much lighter than roof tiles and so less timber has to be used in the roof frame construction. Metal roofing is galvanised with a baked on colour over the top. Metal roofing comes in a number of different profiles however the most common one is corrugated. Metal roofing can be easily cut and screwed down so the installation can be done fairly quickly. Also it comes in long lengths so that large areas are covered and water tight in one step.

Pergola Roofs

Pergola and outdoor area roofs can be covered with polycarbonate roofing. It is easily installed and can be cut with scissors. Also, polycarbonate comes in a number of colours and profiles. Polycarbonate has a VU coating, and can also have a solar heat reflecting coating on it.