When folks think of the most eco-friendly roof or the most environmentally-friendly roof, they think of wood. After-all, wood is natural and organic, right? What could be more eco-friendly than a real wood shake roof? Well…
When searching for the most eco-friendly roof, we consider where it came from, if it’s recyclable and how many times it’s recyclable, and does it help cool your home.
Wood Shake
A wood shake/shingle roof is natural and eco-friendly until chemicals are added to it to make it resistant to fire, hail, insect, rot, and mold. Then it’s not so eco-friendly. Local recycling centers won’t accept treated wood, so it can’t be recycled. As a result, most old wood shake roofs are taken to the local landfill.
What’s more, where does that wood for your wood shake roof come from? Trees. Trees are being cut down to make your wood shake roof. That’s not being environmentally-conscious.
Something else to consider is how many times your roof can be recycled. A wood shake roof, because they’re always treated with chemical so they can resist hail, rot, etc., doesn’t get recycled. It goes to the landfill, just like an asphalt shingle roof.
A wood shake roof does help cool your home, but not as much as other roof coverings. A sheet metal roof, on the other hand, cools your home much more than wood shake. In fact, an attic under a standing seam metal roof is roughly 20º cooler.
Wood Shake Roof Alternatives
Stone-Coated Steel Shake
A great alternative to wood shake roofing is stone-coated steel shingles, shake, or tile. Stone-coated shake looks like real wood shake, but lasts a lot longer than natural wood. A wood shake roof often only lasts about 25 years with annual maintenance. A stone-coated steel roof, on the other hand, should last 70 years or more.
Steel roofing is also much more resistant to hail than wood shake. Wood shake splits when hit by a large hail stone. Steel shingles, however, is not affected. That’s because steel is much stronger than wood.
When we tear-off a real wood shake roof, we assume it’s been treated with chemicals that make it resistant to insects, rain, hail, etc. Wood recycling centers do not accept treated wood. Therefore, we take it to the nearest landfill. Steel roofing, on the other hand, is recyclable. When we remove a worn-out stone-coated steel roof, we deliver it to the nearest metal recycling facility. In this regard, steel is more eco-friendly than real wood shake roof.
Standing Seam Metal Panels
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly roof that not only lasts a long time but also helps save you money, ask us about standing seam. No other roof covering helps to cool your home and lower your summer utility bill than standing seam metal panels. In fact, an attic under a standing seam roof is often around 20º cooler compared to an attic under traditional roofing shingles.
And, like steel shake, a new standing seam roof should last at least 70 years. Versus a wood shake roof only lasts about 25 years if professionally installed and regularly maintained.
Sheet metal panels, such as standing seam, ribbed, and corrugated/PBC, might be the most eco-friendly roof available today. When a tear-off a worn-out standing seam roof, because it’s recyclable, we deliver it to the near metal recycling facility, unlike a treated wood shake roof.
Eco-Friendly Metal
Metal roofing, such as standing seam and stone-coated steel shingles, can be recycled an unlimited number of times. It’s basically melted-down and reformed into its new product. This process can be repeated over and over, again. In fact, when we remove an old metal roof, we deliver it to the nearest metal recycling facility. We’ve identified several in Northern Colorado. When we tear-off an old wood shake roof, we have no choice but to take it to the nearest landfill.
How a Metal Roof is Environmentally-Friendly
A metal roof is more eco-friendly because trees aren’t being harvested to manufacture it. Metal is also recyclable, unlike wood shake. What’s more, a standing seam roof is the coolest, most energy-efficient roof in Northern Colorado. In fact, no other roof helps cool your home more than standing seam. Therefore, a standing seam roof could be the most environmentally friendly roof available today.
- Trees Aren’t Harvested
- Metal is Endlessly Recyclable
- Metal is Cooler Than Wood Shake
- Sheet Metal Lowers Your Utility Bill Better
The Bottom Line
If you’re shopping for an eco-friendly roof, consider metal. Not only is it more environmentally-friendly than wood shake, it’s less expensive, lasts longer, more durable and more resistant to fire, hail, mold, etc. Real wood shake might seem environmentally-friendly until you realize it’s heavily treated with chemicals to make it resistant to insects, fire, rain, mold, and so on.
Eco-Friendly Roof Installation
Do you need a professional roofing company in Northern Colorado to install your new environmentally-friendly roof? You’ve come to the right place. We stand behind our new roof installations with a 5-year workmanship guarantee.
We also have over 40 years experience installing roofs of all kinds in Northern Colorado. We manufacture our own standing seam metal roofing panels in house for a perfect fit to your home. We’re fully licensed and insured with general liability insurance throughout Northern Colorado.
We do not ask for any money from our customers until they are completely satisfied with the job. Contact us for a free metal roof estimate today!
- Professional Installation
- Workmanship Guaranteed
- 40+ Years Experience
- Competitive Pricing
- Fully Licensed & Insured