Wood Shake Roof

A wood shake roof gives your home a beautiful, natural appearance. However, the price point inhibits some homeowners from installing it. For those that meet the following criteria, a wood shake installation is a wise investment.

You Have a Slightly Higher Budget

A wood shake roof installation is not the lowest on the market. However, it is not the highest either. The materials and installation range from $4 to $6 per square foot, which is just a bit higher than the price for an asphalt roof.

You Have Time to Maintain It

The life span of a quality wood shake roof can run anywhere from 20 years up to 50. The effort you put into maintaining it has a significant impact. If you have the willingness to invest a little time in money to treat the wood every few years, it will last closer to the 30- to 50-year range.

In particular, you need to stain and seal the wood to prevent rot and mildew from setting in. These occurrences lead to the gradual erosion of your roof. You also need to inspect and treat it for termites. A termite infestation is a major problem for a wood roof.

Fires also escalate with a wood shake roof. Therefore, you need to treat it with a fire-resistant chemical.

You Want Maximum Energy-Efficiency

Wood is one of the best roofing materials for energy-efficiency. In the winter, it keeps the hot air from escaping through the roof, which causes your furnace to work more efficiently to keep you comfortable. With proper ventilation, your air conditioner is able to push hot air up through a wood roof in the summer, which contributes to reduced cooling costs.

The money you save each month helps offset some of the difference between your wood shake roof and the less expensive asphalt.

You Want a Green-Friendly Roof

Wood is an all-natural material, which means you do not contribute to the piling up of synthetic materials in the local landfills. At the end of your roof’s life span, the entire roof is biodegradable. Plus, your contractor may work with suppliers who replace trees used in shake production.

Conclusions

The shake roof is a great roofing value for homeowners willing to invest a bit more than they would for asphalt. You get a long life span with moderate maintenance, optimal energy-efficiency, and a green-friendly material.

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Doug Coyne

Owner at Price Rite Roofing & Siding

My name is Doug Coyne, founder and president of Price Rite Roofing & Siding. We are a local family owned roofing company based in Strongsville, Ohio and we would love the opportunity to treat you as a member of our family! After completing a tour of duty with the United States Navy in 1986 I took a position with a Cleveland area roofing and siding company as a general laborer. For nearly 30 years I have continued in these trades working as an installer, an outside sales representative with a large Cleveland area building materials distributor, an estimator for several of Cleveland’s top roofing and siding contractors, branch manager of a national siding materials distributor, and operations manager for a Medina county based roofing and siding company. For nearly 30 years I have either heard from customers or witnessed firsthand, most every failure of remodeling contractors to follow through with the superior quality of workmanship and customer service they promised to provide for their customers.

Latest posts by Doug Coyne (see all)

• Brunswick Ohio | Roofing & Siding Services - August 21, 2015
• Anatomy of a Roof - July 3, 2015
• Wood Shake Roof - May 1, 2015