Cooper roofing is increasing in popularity, and it’s no wonder. Attractive copper is beautiful when it goes up and ages to a stylish bluish-green patina. If you want something that’s both timeless and durable, today’s copper could be the right roofing material for your home. Let’s look at a few pros and cons to help you make a smart decision.
Pro: Curb Appeal
Choosing copper for your metal roof is a bold, attractive choice that increases your home’s curb appeal and perhaps its value. Copper is a reddish-brown color and polished to a high gloss when it is installed. Over time, it forms a coating as it is exposed to the elements, and that patina turns the roof to green or turquoise color. This patina protects the copper below from corrosion.
Pro: Permanent
While asphalt shingles are a temporary roofing solution that must be replaced every decade or so because of wind damage, well-installed copper roofing could be a permanent solution for your home. A copper roof can easily last 50 years or more. If it’s maintained and repaired as necessary, it can last 100 years or more. Additionally, copper roofing is resistant to mildew, fire, and even hail.
Talk to your roofing company, like C Cougill Roofing Co Inc, about what kind of maintenance you should do to help your new roof last as long as possible. They’ll be able to give you recommendations and may even be able to schedule that maintenance themselves. That way, you won’t have to worry about keeping your copper roof in good condition all by yourself.
Pro: Lightweight
You may think that a heavy roofing material is the best choice, but lightweight roofing is preferable in many cases. The weight of your roof can place stress on your home’s structure, eventually causing parts of your home’s framing or joists to bow or fail. Clay tiles, for example, are notoriously heavy, but wood and steel weigh more than you might think. If your house must also withstand the weight of snowfalls, roofing weight is especially important to consider. Copper roofing is a lightweight material, helping it protect your home better than some other materials.
Con: Possibility of Noise
Well-installed metal roofs aren’t noisy, but a copper roof can be noisy if installed over open joists, which is uncommon, or a failing subroof. Soft roofing materials have many faults, but they buffer noise well. Durable copper should be installed with a sound-buffering material like plywood underneath. Roofing felt can help too. If an old asphalt roof is present, it may be possible to install copper over the existing roof to benefit from asphalt’s sound-absorbing properties.
Con: Expense
Copper roofing is one of the most expensive roofing materials, if not the most expensive. This isn’t surprising considering how long it lasts and how well it stands up against the elements even with low maintenance. While this is a big investment to make, it will pay for itself over time.
Before choosing a material for your home’s roof, it makes sense to do your research. Copper can be more expensive than asphalt, but it is also more energy-efficient. Shorter installation time and lower labor costs may help offset the additional cost of a copper roof. You must make your own decision, of course, but you can’t deny the benefits and appeal of copper.
