Best Roof Designs for Rainy Days
Recently, I was speaking with our local operations manager for our son’s school after a large rain; I asked how he was doing and he shook his head and said
“Every time it rains, I just wait for the leaks to start”.
This statement hit home with me, since one of the worst feelings as a homeowner is finding a roof leak.
After this conversation I asked myself; what role does design play in this problem. What can design do to not just help, but resolve leaks and problems within your home.
Roof design has a lot to do with it. The shape and form of your roof, the materials you use, and the detailing all affect your final product. I worked with one of our favorite roofers Stronghold Roofing To give you a list of the top design elements of roofing that impact your durability and leak control.
Form Creates Function
The shape and style of your roof will impact your longevity. The lower the slope the more likely debris gets stuck or sits on the roof causing points of wear. Low slope roofs also don’t move the water off as quickly and thus create more opportunity for ponding, or ice dams to form. We like to keep roof slopes at or above a 3/12 ratio. Meaning 3” of rise for every 12” of run. But beyond slope the form of your roof also creates valleys and transitions. When two roof planes intersect you get a valley, or a ‘V’ in the roof. These areas are more susceptible to leaks than the general field of the roof. Transitions are shifts in the roof slope, if you have a steep slope on your main roof and then transition to a shallower slope over the porch, the point of change is a transition. Transitions are less concerning than valleys, but do create a point of bend or break in water flow off the roof.
The key take away for roof design, simpler is better.
Ice and Water Shielding
The real question of leaks is how do we seal and secure a roof long term. Ice and water shielding is a waterproof membrane that is your second line of defense against leaks if water somehow penetrates the main roofing materials.
Ice and water shield is a key component to any good roofing job. It gives long lasting protection with minimal cost. Ice and water shield material should be placed up a minimum of 3’ from the exterior wall and down to the edge of the roof, and at all valleys and transitions of the roof. If you can afford it, I recommend ice and water shielding over the entire roof but it’s not always feasible. If you can only afford to do some of the roof, make sure to do it in areas that will see more water, like the valleys.
Roofing Materials
Materials change the entire look of a home. Your roof can be light and soft, pushing the eye to the sky, or dark and heavy grounding your home and creating that sense of security and strength. A roof material can focus a viewer on specific elements of a home, or pull the eye away from unsightly vents and pipes and out to a beautiful view.
We love playing with roofing materials for this reason. We personally prefer metal roofing for it’s durability and longevity. Metal also comes in a rainbow of colors. so any and all design directions can usually be accomplished with a metal roof. However metal roofing can be expensive, and while it won’t leak after a hail storm it can dent and ding badly. We also see insurance claims with metal roofing being rejected due to them not leaking even if they look dented and dinged and beat up. So be aware that if you have concerns with your specific insurance being particular on this point, you might want to look at alternatives to metal roofing.
A wonderful alternative is Asphalt/Composite shingles. While not as durable these are very cost effective, most homes have them, and they continue to develop more and more color options.
Another option is tile. Tile and specialty roofing isn’t something we see on homes much. While we love a good slate or copper or clay tile, we don’t see the value in Oklahoma. With hail and wind being a major concern for this state, we wouldn’t usually recommend using these types of roofs locally.
Venting
We’ve all seen the spinning silver baskets on older roofs. These were the vents of the past. I’m here to assure you that venting your roof, while important, does not have to be detrimental to your aesthetic goals. Venting has come a long way from those whirly silver things. Most roofs can be ridge vented, which allows just a thicker profile at the ridge caps of the roof. Ridge cap is the very peak of the roof. But if ridge vents don’t work, we now have access to simple low profile metal vents that come in a variety of colors and can be placed on the roof in ways you’ll never see them.
Why is venting so important? Venting is one of the most overlooked elements of roofing and it proves detrimental to any roofing product. Most roofing is designed to handle heat and weather from one side: the top side. When you have 100+ temperatures in your attic from the backside of the roof, this heat starts to break down the roofing material, specifically composite shingles, and takes years off of your roof’s life. Proper attic ventilation is critical for a good roof, and also helps a ton with your heating and cooling bills as well. So if you feel the heat rising in your attic, don’t just think of more insulation. Possibly ask for additional vents to be cut in when you replace your roof or have roofing repairs done.
Getting a new roof can be expensive, and it is easy to want to cut corners where you think you can. The company you hire may even be where you decide to cut that corner, but before you choose to go with just anybody or the cheapest option, make sure you play the field a little; get some opinions, and ask the contractors a few key questions
Are they familiar with the insurance process and insurance claims? Your roofer can be a huge asset if experienced, or a horrible pain if they haven’t done insurance work before.
Ask them to check on decking, make sure there are no soft spots or damaged edges. This can be a costly add to your roofing claim but it’s also a critical item in your roofing structure. And better to take care of it now then to have to fix it when it starts to leak.
If you are getting a new roof, make sure that they check the existing roof. Only so many layers of shingles are allowed by code. So double check that your contractor isn’t just throwing down a new layer without checking the existing roof for what is already there. (Side tip, if it’s time to take a layer or two off the roof before the new shingles go down, ask what it might take off the overall price if you remove the existing shingles yourself)
Walk through where you want Ice and Water shield products placed and why.
All of this can get a little overwhelming, but a leak in the roof, in the middle of a rain storm, is going to be much more overwhelming. Keeping up with the roof you currently have, doing preventative maintenance, and replacing what needs replaced, is going to keep you, your peace of mind, and even your wallet a lot happier in the long run.
We’d like to tip our hats to Stronghold Roofing (not sponsored) for being one of the great roofing contractors in the Oklahoma City area. We recommend them for any and all roofing needs.
About the Author
Cale is a Co-Owner and Principal Architect at Green Couch Design, a boutique architecture firm located in Oklahoma. He writes about architecture, construction, development, leasing, homesteading, place-making, business ownership, and dose of nerdom when it’s appropriate.
