Roofing Materials

Asphalt, metal, tile, slate, wood and flat systems compared. How each performs, how long it lasts, and which suits which house and climate.

Roofing material is the decision that sets everything else: what the roof costs, how long it lasts, how much structure it needs beneath it, and how the house will look in twenty years. It is also the decision most homeowners make once, under time pressure, on a contractor recommendation.

These articles compare the common systems on the terms that actually matter: lifespan, weight, cost over the years rather than on the day, and how each handles the weather where you live. Where one material is genuinely better for a particular house, we say which. Where the honest answer is that either would work, we say that too.