Up on the roof

The exterior of a home is simply made of two elements; walls and roofs. In the US, the asphalt shingled roof has become ubiquitous. Here is a typical asphalt shingled roof at middle age:.

Asphalt shingled roofs, particularly in a vulnerable seaside location, are crappy roofs, even if they are America’s standard. They don’t last very long (typically about 15 years), they accumulate algae and stains, and they are made of many individual shingles that can get blown off in serious storms and are vulnerable to ice dams in the winter. But they are inexpensive, and many companies will install them, sometimes in as little as half a day.

On our 40B home, we are installing a standing seam metal roof. This is a whole different kettle of fish. Today the installation of our standing seam roof began. Getting to this day has been a long, winding road. But we won’t go down that road tomorrow. Rather, why standing seam roofs are great roofs.