Four out of five homeowners will choose to use asphalt (composite) shingles for their roofs. When you are determining if you need to replace or build a new roof, it is one of the most important decisions you will make for your home or business. There are a large variety of shingle styles and colors that add value, aesthetic beauty, and durability to your home or property.
That’s why the decision you make is so important. The decision can last for decades if you opt for some of the new roofing technology options. By using different shapes, colors, and materials, your shingle style will stand out and leave all other roofs behind.
Read on and find out more about what 10 top advantages asphalt shingle roofs bring you. More importantly, find out how shingle roofs can be expertly installed and provide you with one of the best styles and material options on the market.
Asphalt Roofing
Using asphalt shingle quality materials when replacing or building a roof is both affordable and can give you advantageous benefits that can last a lifetime. By using quality materials, you’re ensuring your roof has a long lifespan and can help protect you and those around you during Minnesota’s severe weather or conditions. Asphalt composite shingles are considered one of the best roofing materials around that you can get at a low cost.
Almost any asphalt shingle provides a life span guarantee, which is one of the reasons it enjoys such a large following. Many U.S. corporation buildings, homes, and property buildings use asphalt shingles. Uniquely asphalt shingles give you a clear advantage by offering your three different types you can use on your roof.
There are ten clear advantages to using asphalt shingle roofs.
#1 Types of asphalt shingles
Asphalt composite shingles offer you three different styles or options. They are:
- Laminated shingles
- 3-tab shingles
- Luxury or designer shingles
The laminated asphalt shingles are built and engineered to withstand storm winds, rain, sleet, snow, heat waves, and weather degradation. Most of the time, a new 3,000+-square-foot-roof will range anywhere between $6,500 to $20,000+. That breaks down to about $65.00 – $300 a square foot.
The 3-tab shingle was the original asphalt shingle used in years gone by. It’s still used on roofs when a property owner directs, but otherwise, it is usually not a top asphalt shingle request. The luxury or designer shingle is also called the architectural shingle.
The shingles are made of two or three layers of asphalt that have been fused together, which makes them more durable while providing your roof with the look of dimension and depth. The shingles are not so heavy they require reinforcement, and most are resistant to fire (when they are installed with fiberglass matting).
#2 Variety and Design
There is almost no other roofing material that provides you with such a variety of shapes, colors, and designs. Asphalt composite shingles are unique and can stand apart from any other roof if you’re looking for something different than everyone else has. You might not want to be different, and if that’s the case, you can choose a flat and uniform look, all of them offering an exact color and design.
Asphalt shingles can be long, rectangular, with an edge-to-edge configuration that appear to have different shades of color due to the 3D overlapped effect. You can even go with a very rustic and natural look with rough-edges with one of a kind placements.
#3 GAF Warranty and Safety
The GAF roofing process provides a lifetime warranty for shingles and accessories. This means that as long as the original (sometimes secondary) property owner of a single-family detached residence doesn’t change, the warranty is in effect. In addition to the warranty, the roofing material is not only economical by fire-proof and durable.
Every GAF roofing product warranty and safety is combined with fabulous styles and colors that can make any home or property look great. Also, the asphalt roof can be built with organic or fiberglass varieties giving you even greater design and style ambiance.
#4 Energy Efficiency
Every roof seeks to contribute to the energy efficiency quotient in your home, but asphalt shingles, when used with an underlayment, give you a beneficial impact on your energy-efficiency. The asphalt shingles that are considered cool shingles can lower the temperature in your home or building by a couple of degrees on the hottest and sunniest days. This is especially beneficial if you live in a large metropolitan area like downtown in the Twin Cities.
But if you want to help protect your home from hailstorms, snowstorms, and severe weather, there are specially modified shingles that can help lessen the impact of these storms on your roof.
#5 Recyclability When Replacing Your Roof
The recyclability of shingles is not mentioned enough because when the asphalt shingles on any roof are at the end of their useful life, recycling is the next step. Recycling services for asphalt shingles are in most metropolitan area markets and can help reduce your overall cost if you want to use those services. Even the scrap that is produced from installing or taking off an asphalt roof is recyclable, becoming a very earth-friendly method to use for the environment around you.
#6 Commercial Use
More and more commercial builders are making asphalt roofing more user-friendly and versatile for architects, contractors, roofing consultants, and building owners. That’s because asphalt roofing provides polymer additions to the shingles, which help stretch the strength of the shingles. You can apply this low-slope commercial roof with hot, cold, torch, or self-adhered shingles, which makes it an exceedingly cost-effective roof that provides exceptional safety in most weather conditions.
#7 Roof Repair vs. Replacing Your Roof
Every home or business owner is aware of the cost of replacing an entire roof, but by using asphalt shingles, you can opt for roof repair in many instances, which helps deflect some of your cost. Almost any roofer can install or repair asphalt shingles, which aren’t true of many metals or other types of roofing products. You don’t have to use the same roofing company that installed the roof because if a roofing company installs asphalt shingle roofs, they inevitably know how to replace and repair one.
#8 Low Maintenance of Asphalt Shingle Roofs
The low maintenance of asphalt shingle roofs requires little to no maintenance during their long and durable lifespan. That’s because asphalt shingles are quality products that react protectively in almost any type of environment you put them in. However, if you live near a lake, you might want to add what’s called an algae-resistant leachable copper asphalt shingle on your roof.
Many asphalt shingles take a bit to dry out completely, and by adding this component, you can help your roof dry faster and help prevent moss from growing on the roof.
#9 Asphalt Roofing Materials Help Provide Peace and Quiet
When you live in a busy or congested area like in the downtown area of the Twin Cities or in a noisy environment, the asphalt roofing material helps provide you with peace and quiet. Nobody wants to hear airplanes that sound like they’re coming into your home or traffic that’s never quiet. Asphalt roofing dims the noise of traffic, airplane, noisy neighbors, barking dogs, and more.
#10 Overall Effectiveness
In the end, you have to determine which style, material, and roofing product you want on your roof. There’s a reason why 80% of homeowners use asphalt roofing materials. Asphalt shingles come in almost any color or design you want. So for its low-price and long lifespan, there’s nothing that really compares to it.
Your Next Roofing Step
When you’re ready to raise or repair an asphalt shingle roof, it’s beneficial to use a factory-certified contractor. Our company has gone through the required factory training with GAF and Owens Corning to earn the certified contractor status. Reach out to Northland Home Exteriors when you’re ready to schedule an honest, free evaluation.
You want your home to have the curb appeal it deserves with the protection you need. So be sure the roof you choose will stand up in Minnesota weather and give you the longevity you are looking for. From the design you choose to the color you want, asphalt shingle roofing saves you money while providing versatility.
Showcase your roof with a unique style. Northland Home Exteriors will give you a roof that has the beauty it deserves with the long-lasting durability you need.
