When you rely on your home to provide you with comfort and shelter, you can't take any risks with its ability to keep water outdoors where it belongs. Great roofing is instrumental in the fight against the elements, because it helps to create the kind of environment you need to keep your home and family safe. Unfortunately, there are many homes that don't have strong, reliable roofs, which can cause problems in the long run. On this website, check out excellent ways to spot roofing problems and resolve them quickly. After all, your home is your most valuable asset, so protect it now.
If you are planning to cover the porch on your house, you may be wondering what material you should use to do the covering. You may be anxious to hire your roofers and get your porch covering installed, but before you jump into anything, get to know some of the roofing material options to consider when you are covering your porch. Then, you can better decide which roofing material is best for you and your new covered porch.
Asphalt Shingles
One of the main roofing options available to you when you are covering your porch is asphalt shingles. If you already have asphalt shingles on your roof, adding them to your porch can create a sense of continuity and uniformity with your roof.
Asphalt shingles are relatively good insulators and can block out some of the heat from the sun coming down on the roof of your porch. If you plan to enclose your porch, shingles may be a good way to go for this reason. And as previously mentioned, asphalt shingles have a nice aesthetic appeal that other porch covering options may not have.
These shingles will require either plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) to be installed underneath it. OSB is often made from farmed trees. This means that it is the more eco-friendly option to go under shingles. Plywood is often stronger and more stable, though. So, there is a trade-off between these two materials. It is important that you consider this choice if you are installing asphalt shingles.
Metal
Metal roofing is another option you can choose for your porch covering. Metal roofing is strong and durable and can be aesthetically pleasing as well. In fact, some metal roofing can be made to mimic shingles.
Metal roofing can also be quite inexpensive (depending on the type of metal roofing you choose). This can help with your covered porch budget.
Metal roofing also comes in a variety of color options. As such, you will be able to create a unique and interesting style for your covered porch if you opt for metal roofing.
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate roofing is a third option that you might be able to choose for your covered porch roof. It is a plastic-like material that comes in sheets. This material is particularly adept at blocking out UV rays of the sun, making it ideal for keeping your covered porch area cooler.
Polycarbonate also comes in several color choices to help ensure that you have a unique style for your covered porch that coordinates with the rest of your house. It can also withstand extreme heat and cold well, and because of this, it can be ideal for most climates.
Now that you know some of the roofing options to choose from when you are covering your porch, you can make your selection and get your roofers hired as soon as possible to install your new porch covering.
To learn more, contact a roofing contractor.