I hate asphalt shingles!

[MC Morrado]

(self-explanatory)

Why are they still on the roofs of houses in North America? Recently I've had to deal with picking up rotten old shingles on the roof of my grandparent's house. And on a few occasions I've helped my grandfather replace a few rotten and broken shingles on the roof. After like 10, 20, or 25 years I notice they start to rot (almost decomposing in my hand). They're not even fireproof! After a big storm at least one of them flies right off the roof and lands either in the front lawn, backyard, or never to be seen again.

 

How can I possibly replace the rotting roof of my grandparents' house with corrugated steel painted black? I just want to set it and forget it. 

[Needfuldoer]

Because the good ones are rated for a 30 to 50 year service life, and can absolutely last that long if they're installed properly and the attic is vented. It sounds like the roof at your grandparents' house was due to be replaced years ago.

 

14 minutes ago, MC Morrado said:

How can I possibly replace the rotting roof of my grandparents' house with corrugated steel painted black? I just want to set it and forget it. 

Residential steel roofs are a thing, but they're not cheap and they can get kind of loud. Depending on your local climate and the pitch of the roof, you'll also have to add cleats or stops to prevent avalanches in the winter.

[MC Morrado]

4 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

Because the good ones are rated for a 30 to 50 year service life, and can absolutely last that long if they're installed properly and the attic is vented. It sounds like the roof at your grandparents' house was due to be replaced years ago.

 

Residential steel roofs are a thing, but they're not cheap and they can get kind of loud. Depending on your local climate and the pitch of the roof, you'll also have to add cleats or stops to prevent avalanches in the winter.

I think the cost of a steel roof is worth it. It's getting increasingly difficult to find asphalt shingles that are any good. My grandparents' house is old enough to have popcorn ceilings, maybe asbestos, a living room stereo system connected to a cassette tape deck (speakers built into living room wall close to ceiling. 

 

I've been exposed to asbestos and lead paint quite a lot in my lifetime. I own a pair of asbestos welding gloves.... Lost them somewhere in the garage.

[thrasher_565]

all roofs need to be replaced over time. asphalt is just cheap. think clay can last longer then steel. 

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

I think almost none of the roofing material we have is really permanently durable. Roofs are quite literally constantly exposed to the weather, so almost anything will degrade over the decades.

 

So you have to balance the cost of manufacture, cost of installing/fixing minor damage, and durability (in the climate you are in). Asphalt shingles might just be what works in your area, or has worked decades ago. Here it is a lot of ceramic tiles, though they also need to be replaced every so often.

 

And from my very limited understanding, the outer layer is just one part of the roof. The frames, insulation and barriers etc. all form part of the roof and need to be selected to work together properly or the roof will rot even faster.

[brukar]

The house where I grew up has Decra mediterranean tile-style metal roofing. It's on the Norwegian coast (we're washing ocean salt off the windows) and has held up for 40+ years. Biggest problem is the moss growing in the seagull droppings. Weight is comparable to those asphalt shingle things. While there's a chance that the materials used in the product differ between regions, it shouldn't be too much of a difference. 

 

Otherwise, you'll be looking at heavier options. Slate is more or less the gold standard for durability around here, they are commonly bought and sold used and nobody will ask about the age of them. It's rock after all. If they don't break from impact, they'll outlast anything you mount them to. A touch heavier than shingles though, and I can imagine that price is very location-specific due to transportation. Ceramic tiles, glazed or unglazed, and concrete tiles are also common and last a lifetime, although they do often change visually after a couple of decades. I believe the glazed tiles are most durable for that. 

[steamrick]

You'll get the best duration out of a slate roof. That'll outlive both you and the house. It's not cheap, though, and you might need to find a professional to do repairs if any slate gets broken.

 

The next best is probably glazed clay tiles. If you don't cheap out and do basic maintenance, they can easily last 80+ years. Clay tiles done proberly are also the next best thing to hurricane proof. 

 

Though given this is North America I suppose the next question needs to be 'is the house expected to last another 80+ years'... 

[Needfuldoer]

48 minutes ago, steamrick said:

Though given this is North America I suppose the next question needs to be 'is the house expected to last another 80+ years'... 

Probably, yeah. The 70s were a couple decades before they started stapling McMansions together out of Popsicle sticks and cardboard.

[Echothedolpin]

25 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

Probably, yeah. The 70s were a couple decades before they started stapling McMansions together out of Popsicle sticks and cardboard.

It’s good to keep in mind the hoses are much safer and easier to repair (foundation aside) than they used to be.

[atxcyclist]

5 hours ago, Echothedolpin said:

It’s good to keep in mind the hoses are much safer and easier to repair (foundation aside) than they used to be.

Also a lot more energy efficient. I see a lot of people from Europe mostly, wondering why US houses have siding and gypsum board interior, but they don’t understand that brick/stone walls are terrible at insulating. Sure, stone can work in a cold climate when you have a fireplace going at all times, but in a hot environment that stone is an oven and takes a lot of energy to cool.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

1 hour ago, atxcyclist said:

but they don’t understand that brick/stone walls are terrible at insulating. Sure, stone can work in a cold climate when you have a fireplace going at all times, but in a hot environment that stone is an oven and takes a lot of energy to cool.

Europe for the most part is rather moderate to colder climate. Look at a map and the latitude of most places in Europe compared to North America, you'll see how far north everything really is (and why Europe really likes the gulf stream).

 

You don't need that much cooling or AC in typical homes, or at least you didn't need to. Heating was indeed a more important need. And while homes here are often build with brick, concrete etc., anything semi-modern is of course insulated as well. Many older houses also have insulation retro-fitted. And historic building techniques were also tailored for the local climate (and materials), hence why you see so many different types of historical buildings across the continent (outside of prestige buildings/castles).

 

Large heat capacity stone walls also take a ton of time to heat up, so in places where it cools down during the night the stone takes up a lot of heat during the day and releases it during the night. Add some shading to that and a stone house can keep you relatively cool here. Of course, as soon as you don't have that cold night anymore it gets really brutal, but that is maybe a few days or a week or two in most parts.

 

 

 

[MC Morrado]

21 minutes ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

Europe for the most part is rather moderate to colder climate. Look at a map and the latitude of most places in Europe compared to North America, you'll see how far north everything really is (and why Europe really likes the gulf stream).

 

You don't need that much cooling or AC in typical homes, or at least you didn't need to. Heating was indeed a more important need. And while homes here are often build with brick, concrete etc., anything semi-modern is of course insulated as well. Many older houses also have insulation retro-fitted. And historic building techniques were also tailored for the local climate (and materials), hence why you see so many different types of historical buildings across the continent (outside of prestige buildings/castles).

 

Large heat capacity stone walls also take a ton of time to heat up, so in places where it cools down during the night the stone takes up a lot of heat during the day and releases it during the night. Add some shading to that and a stone house can keep you relatively cool here. Of course, as soon as you don't have that cold night anymore it gets really brutal, but that is maybe a few days or a week or two in most parts.

 

 

 

Now since rapid urbanization of the 1950's and 60's. A vast majority of houses are mostly built using drywall, wood, fiberglass insulation that looks like cotton candy but tastes like blood, and obviously asphalt shingles. Usually homes in the USA have a big dedicated central AC units outside + a natural gas furnace (80% efficiency). My grandparents' house is no exception... Well, minus the asbestos anyway.

[thrasher_565]

there's many new ways to build a house with pros and cons to them. but most will build a house for the cheap wins almost all of the time. in the us at least gets hit by many hurricanes and like 1000 tornados a year so a house can be like 2 years old and totalled... 

 

for florida they has stopped people getting insurance as they flood evrey 6 moths now you need to jack it up 10 feet. 

 

in canada most homes are old and build when to boom hit and there still around or over built. 2 inch roph cut and like 1 inch floors. the roofs and sides were not that good thow. some have huge beams in the midel of the house. 

 

if an earthquake hit canada we be boned thow...

[ThousandBlade]

Hate for asphalt shingles is absolutely justifiable.

I know there are good ones that lasts.
But buying them is trusting the install or manufacture or them both are not trying to scam you.
If nobody can tell apart the good ones from the bad ones, then it's fair to assume all of them are shit.

 

With other materials that don't degrade in sunlight or temperature, thick means good, thin means shit, and as long as the installer looks like they're reasonably intelligent then it's probably fine.

Also we live in the age of enshittification. Even before enshittification, na houses are build with cardboard, duct tape and empty beer cans.