blogwhat are the alternatives to a cedar shake roof

What are the Alternatives to a Cedar Shake Roof?

Here in the Seattle area, especially on the Eastside, there are many aging cedar shake roofs. We receive a lot of phone calls from homeowners with cedar roofs that are looking for an alternative. Many don’t care for the maintenance and short life span. If you find yourself in this situation, Here are a few options to consider:

1. Get a better cedar shake roof! I know this sounds crazy if you want anything but cedar shake, but a 3/4? quality cedar shake that is pressure-treated will last much longer (10 years probably) than your current “builder-grade” nonpressure treated 1/2? cedar shake. You don’t even have to maintain it! So if you like the look of cedar there is no reason to have to completely go away from it.

2. A nice composition roof. Some composition or “composite” roofs look very flat and unflattering. I’ve seen some serious buyers remorse after changing a cedar roof that is thick and depth with a flat composition roof. Presidential and Presidential TL by CertainTeed are the most popular composition roofs for houses that were cedar. That’s because they are thick and somewhat shake looking and keep the overall cedar look. My favorite shake look is Landmark TL by Certainteed. This is not a very common product and most roofers won’t even bring it up in conversation but it looks very much like shake and Shenandoah and Resawn Shake are great colors. Here is an online brochure.

https://www.certainteed.com/resources/RPG_Accessories-Broch.pdf

3. Go for a recycled synthetic shake. This is the most expensive option by far but if you want a roof that looks like cedar and lasts 30-40 years without growing moss or requiring maintenance, this is it. synthetic shakes are also very beautiful and can really set your home apart from your neighbors.

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