When you have a garage built and have to decide what to put on the roof, what you are really looking for – is quality. But you are not looking for the best quality – you are looking for the right quality. Huh?
Let me explain. Garage roofing materials (and pretty much any building material) comes in different types, shapes and yes – quality. What you choose, depends on a lot of factors, not least cost. You may have your preferences when it comes to looks, durability, the level of maintenance involved, etc, but preferences usually go out the window when it comes down to cost. Money is an ussue for most people. So it’s not a question of getting the state of the art – at any cost. It is really a question of getting the best roofing materials you can – at the price you are willing to pay. But even though, ultimately, money is always going to be the biggest deciding factor; you also do not want to let it be the only deciding factor. You don’t want to be too cheap. There is no other place in the realm of private economics, where being too cheap can backfire harder – than in homebuilding. Especially if we are dealing with critical elements such as a roof. If something goes wrong, if leaks or structural failures occur, you are going to be kicking yourself all the way to the bank – when you go and ask for money to rebuild your damaged property. You don’t want to look at money first and last – and in between – when you choose your garage roofing materials. Rather, you want to list all your desired properties of roofing material, and then hold that list up against the cost. The trick then, is to get as many of those properties as you can, at the price you can realistically afford. What are those properties then? You certainly want to think about the following when you look at different solutions:
- Form factor. Small shingles or big sheets? It is often a matter of taste; but big sheets of plastic or metal are often also cheaper than roofing shingles made of wood, slate, etc. Sheets may be easier to lay out, if you are doing it yourself – as it is mostly a case of nailing or screwing them down to an underlying deck or rafters.
- Durability. Slate and clay tile roofs have been known to last for hundreds of years in some cases, and wood too. Metal roofs like copper roofing, always tarnish at some point, sometimes sooner than we might like. Plastic is probably the least durable, simply because it is not as strong. As it gets older, it can become brittle and thus sensitive to things like falling branches or large hail.
- Weight. This also affects cost of the roof as a whole, since a heavy roofing material like slate will require a more powerful underlying construction of the trusses, which will cost more.
- Maintenance. Some roofs are easier to clean and maintain than others, which could be important. How heavy could a big lump of dead leaves soaked with rainwater become? Heavy enough to crack a plastic roofing sheet on a flat roof? Do you want to find out the hard way? You need to able to clean off gunk, branches and big loads of snow, so factor that in too.
- Application. Do you need to have a transparent roof? Maybe this is more relevant for a conservatory roof, than a garage roof, but if transparency is high on your list, then your options are narrowed down a lot.
Something to think about there, I should say. You may also be concerned about looks, about environmental friendliness, etc, of the material. All quite valid. Do your research and be reasonable. Think about the future for your garage, how long do you want it to stand there and be usable? Talk to a few roofing contractors and get them to chime in with experience. In the end, you don’t want what is the most fancy, cheapest, strongest or such. You want what is just right – for your needs and your wallet.
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