Modern Day Roofing

residential roofing

By: David Rennison

 
 
The idea of a roof hasn’t changed much since the first roof was built: to shelter one’s self from the elements. Although that idea hasn’t changed, the durability of our roofs and the material we use to build them has changed drastically over the years. Today, Rennison Roofing would like to explore the materials used for building or maintaining a roof since the beginning of modern civilization. Some of the most common roofing materials used today, have been in use for centuries if not longer. Ceramic tiles for example have been used by many civilizations around the world, according to Wikipedia. Some ceramic roof tiles have been dated as far back as 700 BC. Although ceramic roofing tiles existed, many of the population had wood homes with thatch roofing as a stronger roof meant wealth of some kind.  There are many instances of roof construction using both Thatching and Ceramic tiles on one roof throughout history (maybe the beginning of the middle-class?).  As the cities and the population grew, many communities started to put regulations in place to protect the numerous structures built within a city.  City life was the next big change to the durability of a roof.
Durability is important when building a roof, as for many of us, the roof is the least accessible part of a building and damage to the roof could have serious effects. That is why when fires started to be a big threat in cities around the world, thatch roofing started to go out of style. Production of the famous Dutch Roof Tiles started around the 14th century, after the Dutch government ordered the use of fireproof building materials be used during construction of new homes. These Dutch roof tiles are famous because of the meaning the tile is straight on its length but curved on the width to overlap the next tile. The Dutch Roof Tiles evolved into the most manufactured tile in the world, still used today. Ceramic roofing tiles are still common in many countries around the world, but today we use concrete and plastic in the making of these tiles, some are even coated with a waterproof glaze.

In the States, our roofing material of choice seems to depend on the region and the style of the entire home. The ranch style homes of the Mid-West will have ceramic tiles to match the Spanish theme of the building construction. Whereas Wood Shake or Shingles were a big hit on many homes in the mountains or near a lake, but due to fire concerns and a lack of lifetime durability, these roofs are being replaced by Composite or Asphalt shingles.  Composite or Asphalt shingles are the most common roofing material in the United States today, as they are cheap, long lasting, very durable and many companies offer warranties of 50 years or more. Asphalt shingles can be made in any color, shape and range in price making roof maintenance or roof reconstruction much easier and cheaper than it was before. If you are unsure of the durability of your roof or the materials used, call Rennison Roofing  and sleep well knowing your family is protected with quality construction and roofing materials.