Roofing: Material Overhead!
Posted by Ned Dagostino on November 6th, 2008
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A house is a roof over your head both literally and figuratively. Therefore you’ve got to ensure that your roof is constructed properly - you can’t tolerate any slipshod work over here, nor can you cut costs by cutting corners. This caveat holds true for the contractor if the building work was contracted out.
Let’s take a look at the bill of materials.
Listing out the materials required for the job will give you a more or less accurate estimate of the enormity of the job. You’ll have to plan to spend that much money and time on it. It is better to over-estimate by about 5% to 10%, depending on the price of the material and how frequently it is required. Short estimation does not only entail an extra trip to the supply store, but it means downtime. Your assistants will be earning pay for waiting. That’s going to add significantly to budget overruns. When creating your estimate, consult a supplier. His experience will help you to fine tune your estimate. Online stores have a helpdesk, so consult them too. Forewarned is forearmed! The materials most commonly used for roofing the house are asphalt shingles, wood shingles, stone, and clay tiles. Newer materials like metal, plastic and composites are also used.
If you are re-roofing the house, you may have to select the roofing material in consonance with the existing structure. A roof built to carry asphalt shingles will not be able to bear the load of clay or slate tiles. There is a possibility of the roof collapsing if overloaded beyond its designed structural strength. Reinforcing the roof, a costly affair, is the only solution here.
If you do use asphalt shingles you can look forward to many years free from roofing worries. Asphalt shingles are not recommended where there is an extreme variation in seasonal temperatures. It’s been reported that asphalt has a tendency to crack in such conditions.
Putting up a new roof gives you much more latitude in selecting the construction and material of the roof. You will need to design the structure very carefully; the integrity and longevity of the house depends on the structural design of the roof.
The beauty and appearance of the house is important. But you should not place too much importance on the appearance of the building when selecting building materials. You should give equal importance to other factors too, especially climate. A house designed for a warmer climate will not last very long in a harsh cold climate. You will have to beef up the insulation to make the house tolerate the extreme cold.
Nowadays there are a number of metal and composite imitation shingles which are both lightweight and long lasting. These will give better service than the traditional shingles.
To summarize, the prime roofing commandment is: Thou shalt use only top quality material for the roof! Neglect of the prime roofing commandment will lead to frequent roof repair jobs. Seepage from the roof can affect the integrity of the supporting walls, indicating more repairs, more expenses. A damp house is also responsible for the health problems of its inmates. So take care to select and use only the best quality material for the roof of your house!
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