Roofing materials were once defined by region. Wood shakes were cut and split from timber in the great northern and southern forests; slate was quarried along the spine of the Appalachians from Alabama to Maine; in the Spanish Colonial Southwest, barrel-shaped clay tiles were formed by hand or over a mold. • While those materials and others are still part of the roofing landscapes where they first appeared, today the demand for roofing materials goes beyond region. The decision encompasses climatic concerns, energy conservation, cost savings, and weight reduction. The result has been innovations surprisingly relevant for old houses.

News for TRADITIONAL ROOFING

Arguably the most essential part of the building envelope, the roof has been subject to innovation for centuries, and the process isn’t slowing down now. Metal roofs can be tailored to shed snow loads in climates with heavy snowfall, or keep out hurricane-force winds along the coast. Asphalt shingles can be formulated specifically to reduce solar heat gain for homes in hot, sunny climates, while such heavy materials as slate and concrete are being installed so as to use less material, reducing both weight and cost. And finally, the latest advancements in solar are becoming more and more roof-friendly.

  Before you replace a deteriorating slate