Denver, CO - Roofing - Roofing Connection

Top 10 Reasons Why Your Cedar Shake Roof is the Best Product Available for Colorado Weather

Over 95% of 1991 or newer cedar shake roofs in Denver metro have an additional 15 to 20 years life expectancy after maintenance. Keep in mind, replacement of your cedar roof will actually decrease your appraisal amount resulting in a bad property investment.
Cedar roofing is the only product that doubles in value through simple maintenance at a fraction of replacement cost. An unmaintained shake roof’s value is an average of $2.00 per square foot. After correct basic repair the value increases to $4.00 to $4.50 per square foot. These rates are based on appraisal values and hail damage related insurance claims. This includes medium and heavy shake roofs.
Cedar shakes provide incredible, free insulation, resulting in substantial air conditioning and heating savings. Testing from the University of Texas showed the average attic temperature difference between cedar shakes and composition/asphalt roofing is 28 degrees cooler with cedar in the summer months. Shake roofs also offer increased insulation in the winter. Reducing heat transfer through the roof is why snow takes far longer to melt on cedar.
Cedar roofing has the highest wind rating of all other pitched residential roofing products. Cedar shakes offer a wind rating of 240 miles per hour. Finding shakes in your yard is a sign that maintenance and repair are needed.
More underlayment, more waterproofing. No other residential or commercial roofing product under Colorado building codes require 2 layers of 30 lb felt underlayment. Composition/asphalt roofing codes only require 1 layer of 15 lb felt. This is beneficial in preventing damage from ice dams and frozen over gutters.
Cedar shakes are the only roofing product with a perfect colorfast match after repairs fade. Tile and composite/asphalt roofing products all have lot numbers with color variations. Even if original materials are on hand the fading difference rarely blends with existing roof. Accent/staining can create a near perfect color match that is barely noticeable. Great for homes on the market to sell.
Shake roofs are the easiest to maintain, repair and locate problems or potential problems. On cedar roofs the vents, pipe jacks, stacks, and valleys are exposed unlike tile and other types of roofing. This enables easy detection and repair. A tile roof will typically require removal of a section if not all tiles, at a very high cost, to find leaking areas.
Cedar roofing requires simple repair for leaks. Experiencing a leak in a cedar shake roof, is usually attributed to a lack of or improper maintenance. If a leak does occur, a shake roof is the easiest to locate and repair. Proper maintenance is always key.
Cedar shakes allow the most movement of any residential pitched roofing material. The wood’s extreme flexibility gives protection against home settling, heavy winds, or even earthquakes and tremors.
Consider the environment. Excessive amounts of petroleum products are required in manufacturing all roofing materials (especially asphalt) the only exception is cedar. Manufacturing shakes only needs electricity to power the mill. No living trees are cut in producing cedar roofing. Today, by law, only perfectly intact stumps and fallen trees are used. Premature cedar roof replacement is wasting money, resources and landfill space.