In the eyes of almost every homeowner, the roof serves one purpose- to keep water out. A lot of people will have a hard time finding both importance and beauty in just a mere roof. However, there are many options for the homeowner who seeks to truly improve their home. One of the greatest options for a beautiful roof is the timeless cedar shakes and shingles. For centuries, our ancestors always have built almost everything from wood. There is a historic beauty in this material that turns a house into a cozy home that you love.
What Even Is Cedar Roofing?
Cedar roofing is a specialty roofing system that uses wood from large cedar trees to be meticulously fashioned into cedar shake and shingles. So, what do we mean by ‘shake’ and ‘shingle’? Normally, cedar roofing comes in a ‘shake’ form where roof pieces are made from split logs. Once split from logs, cedar shakes are finished with a textured, rough-hewn look with distinctive thick butt ends. The shakes generally cut to measure 24″ in length while the butt ends can measure anywhere between 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick. Cedar roofing can also come in ‘shingle’ form, with each piece featuring smooth and tapered finishing on both sides. The shingles generally measure 18″ long and only 3/8″ in butt thickness. Both cedar shake and shingle roofing options can be pressure treated with fire retardants and chemical preservatives to enhance longevity and performance. Before you think of installing cedar on your home, let’s discuss the pros and cons.
Pros of Cedar Roofs
- Cedar roofs are one of, if not, the most beautiful choices when it comes to roofing materials.
- Available in gray shades, or red, brown, and orange, cedar shakes are a naturally beautiful roofing material that ages gracefully to a beautiful grayish silver shade.
- When installed correctly, cedar shakes are known to resist heavy downpours, snowstorms, and even winds up to 245 miles per hour.
- The cell structure of wood allows the roofing material to take a beating from hailstorms without suffering so much as a dent.
- Most woods are natural insulators and this roofing material will resist UV rays, give off heat when the weather gets too hot, and hold onto as much heat as possible during the winter.
- Cedar roofs have a long lifespan and you can expect 30 to 60 years out of a cedar shake roof.
Cons of Cedar Roofs
- Compared with other roofing materials, such as asphalt shingles, cedar roofing shingles are 2 to 5 times more expensive to install due to the manufacturing, weight and required skill and knowledge.
- Cedar shakes require more maintenance and work than other roofing materials, like slate or concrete tile roofs, to keep in good condition. since. The cedar wood needs to breathe, so debris must be kept off the roof at all times while the ventilation system needs to be maintained to ensure airflow around the shakes, gutters need to be cleaned regularly and nearby trees cut to prevent moss, mildew, and mold growth.
- Regular application of chemical treatments is also advisable for helping the wood shakes age slowly and hold onto their natural color for a longer period of time.
- While cedar roofs can handle heavy rain and snowstorms well, constant exposure to moisture will cause the wood material to rot, so ample sun exposure is necessary to evaporate water and moisture from a wet cedar roof after it rains.
Is a Cedar Roof right for you?
If you’re looking to transcend the beauty of your home, you need not look further than Cedar. Just due to the historic look alone, nevermind the various colors, designs, or longevity, cedar will turn your house into a seemingly magic home that everyone will love. Apart from new installations, we also do cedar repairs and restorations on homes that already have cedar shake or shingles because we know how important it is to preserve what is important to you. So, if you’re looking for a new cedar roof or cedar roofing repairs on Long Island or in New Jersey, we will gladly service you today!
EXPERT LEVEL CRAFTSMANSHIP & UNBEATABLE PRICING
Thinking about or ready to replace the roof of your Long Island home? Enjoy the stress-free process of working with the best at Keenridge Construction! Call us at (631)-609-0409 or email us at keenridgeconstruction@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to provide any answer to questions you may have about your roofing or exterior project needs, as well as schedule a free estimate and consultation!