A wooden roof is something nearly all of us have adored from distance, but not many people get to the point of actually installing one for their house. Why? There are various reasons. For example, some people are afraid of the fires it can catch, others feel only the richest can afford this kind of luxury, while one may also be worried about the environmental costs of such roof. Among these worries there are exaggerated ones as well as some complete nonsense, so it is about time to see what we have to know about wooden roofs, including their best and worst features.
The Pros
Unique and Beautiful
Well, there is obviously on eundisputable feature this type of roof, namely that wood is arguably one of the most beautiful building materials (only matched maybe by natural stone), which looks fantastic as a roof. Houses with this type of roofing look fantastically unique and effortlessly stylish, while they do not even lose from this beauty over the years, on the contrary. With time, the wooden shingles will start to have a splendid, silverish grey color, which is maybe even more seemly than the original tone.
Energy Efficient
Wood is a very good material for keeping warm places warm and cool places cool, so it is no wonder that it is the simple arctic architecture’s favourite building material. With a wooden roof you definitely don’t have to worry about the warmth or the coolness escaping the house in winter or the summer respectively, so you can also spare a significant amount of money with it on your bills over time.
And you shouldn’t be worried that it may catch fire from a lightning or something else, as all types of wood used as roof shingles are completely fire resistant (as per the approval of the relevant authorities), but if you’re still not convinced, there are also some products that are especially for making wood more resistant to fire (although it has to be re-applied after every few months.
Eco-Friendly
Not opting for wooden roof just due to environmental reasons is not a very smart thing to do. First of all, nearly all manufacturers of wooden shingles replace all the trees they have to use for their products, therefore no harm is done to the environment on the long term. Second, other materials such as tiles and asphalt usually end up on landfills after they are disposed, which means they can pollute the environment for many years before someone makes some use of them, and therefore seriously put the nature in jeopardy. After a wooden roof is removed, though, it will definitely do no harm to the environment, as it is of course a highly degradable material. Considering these points, it is easy to see that instead of being dangerous for the environment, wood is maybe the most eco-friendly material you can use for your roofing.
The Cons
Of course not all worries people tend to associate wooden roofs are baseless. The biggest and most obvious problem is obviously the price. Sadly, a wooden roof can cost up to three times as much as one made of asphalt, and nearly twice as much as a tile one, which is of course a very significant number. That being said, by the merits of the better thermal insulation, you will be able to bring back part of the extra cost.
An even bigger problem is that it requires frequent maintenance. Mass, mold and mildew are all likely to build up after some time, so you will need to clean it and use various preservatives and sealants every now and then to keep its original beauty and to prevent fungal growth. This might sound like a pesky obligation and rightly so, but changing for a wooden roof still worth some consideration as its positive features clearly overwhelm the negative ones. They also tend to have a 5-10 year longer lifespan that concrete or tile, especially if maintained properly. And their beauty is just priceless.
