Choosing Cedar Shingles or Shakes

With all the options out there, why choose a shake or shingle roof?

Green and sustainable

Today, cedar shingles and shakes come from well-managed forests in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, providing a potentially endless supply of roofing material that doesn’t require the mining, drilling or manufacturing of energy-intensive materials such as metal or asphalt. When a cedar shake or shingle roof is ready for replacement, it doesn’t end up as toxic material in your local landfill. The wood is completely recyclable.

Excellent performance in extreme weather conditions

Unlike roofs made of asphalt shingles and some other materials, a cedar roof excels through extreme conditions like high winds, heavy rain and pounding hail. Class 3 and Class 4 hail rated cedar shakes and shingles are available. Cedar shake or shingle roofs are also resilient in earthquakes. Learn more about cedar’s weather-resistance here.

A natural insulator/ lower energy costs

The open cell structure of cedar provides natural thermal protection, insulating your attic and allowing your house to “breathe”. Cedar shake or shingle roofs can keep your attic up to 28 degrees cooler in summer heat; it also keeps your house warmer during winter, saving you money on utility bills year-round.

Reduces your carbon footprint

The production of cedar shakes and shingles are not comparably energy intensive. No expensive, fossil-fuel based process is needed to produce this beautiful roofing material. In addition, the growing trees in a properly managed forest spend their entire lives cleaning up our planet’s air by producing oxygen and removing the CO2 in our atmosphere. Find out more about the green benefits of a natural cedar roof here.

Beauty

Cedar shakes and shingles roofs add a beautiful–and distinctly upscale–touch to your home. Cedar has a wonderfully warm, natural look that adds curb appeal. Any home would be enhanced by the choice of a cedar shake or shingle roof. And have you ever noticed that when architects sketch a beautiful new design, they always top it with a cedar shake roof?

Adds value to your home

A wood roof often adds to the value of your property.  If at some point you’re looking ahead to the possibility of selling your home, you should know that wood cedar shakes or shingles roofs can add both resale value and curb appeal to your home.

Naturally insect and UV ray resistant

Cedar shakes are naturally insect-resistant, in addition they resist the damage caused by UV rays.

Before & After

This is how one home looks after the transformation from an asphalt roof to a beautiful cedar roof: