Wood Shingle Roof:

Wooden shingles look great on any roof and are the appropriate choice for many climates. Eventhough you will see more composite or asphalt shingles on modern homes, we still like the wood shingle roofs. Homebuilders realize that they can cut costs with the asphalt shingle roofs so many homes built within the last 5 to 10 years have them. In our neighborhood (built about 15 years ago), almost all the homes have wood shingle roofs and so our choice is to stick with that style or go with a cheaper alternative. A few of my neighbors have gone with the less expensive composite shingles but I prefer the look and feel of the authentic wooden shingles for our house. I must admit it's enticing to save up to $8000 on installation and materials with something other than wood/shake shingles, but this article will focus on wood shingle roofs and what to look for when that is your roofing material of choice.

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Wood shingles vs Wood Shakes - The first thing I needed to do was determine the exact type of wood shingle I wanted to use. There are lots of websites that go over the materials including Consumer Reports, Bobvila.com, Thisoldhouse.com, and Forestry Products Library (a website done by the United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service). What is the difference between wood shingles and shakes? Wood shingles are those cut by machine and come from wood blocks. You will find they are smooth on both front and back and tapered. They also tend to be the same size. Wood shakes are cut by hand, are less uniform in size compared to shingles, and can have a grooved side. Both Consumer Reports and roofing experts say you should choose a wood that is DURABLE. Western Redcedar is considerd a very durable wood and highly recommended for use on wood shingle roofs. Also, in recent years, the southern yellow pine is another popular choice. Some wood is treated before it's installed which means you could get a roof life of up to 25 to 30 years. Our wood roof gets treated every five years or so in the Pacific Northwest with a chemical treatment that keeps the moss to a minimum and the shingles in good shape. Nevertheless, you can't make a roof last forever with wood shingles, but you can add to its lifespan. Keep in mind that wood shingles aren't appropriate in all areas. Fire is always a fear in some areas and without proper maintenance wood shingles won't last as long as composite roofs. The process to replace your roof doesn't take that long. I have seen some houses get a complete makeover within 2 days. One day to remove the old roofing materials and then 1 entire day to put on the new wooden roof. The more complicated the job, then perhaps you are looking at a few extra days to complete the project. With a decent size crew, most roofing contractors can get the job done within 2 to 3 days. See the Bob Vila video on installing fire rated wood shingles here.

How Much Does a Wood Shingle Roof Cost?:

The big question for most homeowners on a budget is - How much does a wood shingle roof cost? There are a few variables that go into calculating the cost and their are roofing calculators all over the Internet that can help give you a good estimate of your project. The first thing is - will you be using wood shingles, wood shakes, or a manufactured material that is designed to resemble wood shingles. Also, what is the square foot of your roof. Other factors that effect the cost of a new roof can be roof pitch, accessibility, and unique structural design that requires lots of special cuts and angles. Dont' forget about the cost of tearing off the old roof before installing the new roof. To remove old shingles or roofing materials you are probably looking at $1000 for the average roof size. This is something you can do yourself as long as you have someplace to dispose of the materials. Getting a dumpster is a good idea and then you can just throw the roofing materials into it with little hauling involved. The price for a wood shingle roof ranges from $7000 to $14000 while wooden shakes can go as high as $20000. These #'s are all based on a house with a roof square footage between 1600 and 2000. The larger your home the more likely your roof is bigger and that increases the cost. There is a roofing calculator here so you can plug in your variables and get an estimate. Our house square footage is roughly 3300 square feet and the roofing square footage was 2550. Our price was calculated to be about $21000 for red cedar shingles.

Wood Shingle Roof Reviews:

You can get online and find homeowner forums that allow you to read discussion threads about wood shingles and the installation process to the finished product. Get insight into what actual homeowners think of the final product. Are they happy with the results? Do they like the look? Did the project go as planned? Perhaps you can find a certified roofing contractor in your region. We always recommend talking with friends, family or neighbors to get a list of potential roofers. Check with the Better Business Bureau if you have any doubts. Definitely get in writing the type or brand of shingles that are going to be used on your roof. Make sure you know what the warranty is for the shingles or shakes you pick. The contractor also needs to give you a timeframe for the project - start and stop dates, payment information, their workmanship warranty, will they do the removal of the old roof, etc. These are all things that are important to keeping a smooth schedule and letting the homeowner be involved. The biggest complaints we heard about are price increases once the roofing installation had started or work crews that were dirty and left things all over the yard. Sometimes homeowners make a big down payment and then the work goes slow. Never pay too much up front, just enough to get the project going and then make payments along the way as the work is completed.

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