“Knowing that we were going to have to get the roof replaced at some point,” Jeannie said, “I began looking into what our options were. I’ve never dealt with a home repair of this magnitude, and I wanted to be sure I did everything properly. At first, I thought I was limited to having my existing roof replaced by the same sort of roof – which in our case would mean boring brown asphalt shingles. Imagine my delight at learning I could choose a different color and type of roof it I wanted.”
“Surprisingly, I learned this in a conversation about HOA’s,” the Wilmington homeowner said. “I was chatting with a colleague who was thrilled to get a green roof approved for her home. And that’s when I said hey, maybe I have options here.”
What are the factors impacting roof selection?
“I talked with the local Wilmington roofing company about it,” Jeannie explained. “And they told me there are a few things I should think about when choosing what kind of roof I’d like to have. The first is how long I’d like the roof to last – asphalt shingles can last up to fifty years, which I thought was just amazing. The second is aesthetics. What would I like my home’s roof to look like.” Taking a drive around the North Shore looking at the different type of roofs was a perfect excuse to get out of the house for a while as well as an eye-opening experience for Jeannie. “Did you know how gorgeous a slate roof is? I saw my first one and instantly fell in love.”
That brings us to the third and forth factors impacting roof selection – structural integrity and budget. While slate roofs are extremely attractive, not every home can support one without having additional construction work done to address the increased weight of the roof. “And that’s what pushed me toward the asphalt shingles,” Jeannie said. “I can get the color I want – which turned out to be black – at a price I can afford.”