I like Cedar shingles better than asphalt. There are a number of reasons I like them. Everyone is different, everyone has their own opinion. It’s a little bit like Ford vs. Chevy. Let me explain.
1) I like the look! I like the look of all the cedar shakes or shingles. It’s something about it. I think it looks like money.
2) It’s a great insulator. During the summer when it’s really hot. 100 degree day on an asphalt roof you touch it, the roof is so hot it will burn your hand. It’s very hot. All that radiant heat is transferring from the roof into your house. With the Cedar roof when it’s 100 degrees outside if you touch the roof it will be hot but it will not burn your hand. You don’t have as much heat in your attic, I have heard you can have 40 – 70 degrees cooler in your attic. All this means is a cedar roof will keep your house cooler and lower a/c utility bills. You won’t have to pay as much to cool your house down.
3) Maintenance… There is a little maintenance with a cedar roof. Every 5 to 7 years one should have some maintenance done, with a natural cedar roof there will be a few shingles that split or curl up. You can hire a roofer (like ERD) to come out and pull out the old shingles and replace them with some new ones. After the repair you will have a pock a doted roof for a few months before the new shingles turn to a beautiful silver to match your other shingles. A homeowner would pay a few hundred dollars for a repair. So $300.00 every 7 years. If one maintains a cedar roof properly a cedar roof can last up to 25 to 30 years.
4) Cedar shingles can withstand hail better than an asphalt shingle. A heavy Shake ¾” or Jumbo Shake 1 ¼ “ can withstand hail better than a triple laminate shingle or impact resistance.
5) People talk a lot about house fires. A lot of things can happen. Let’s talk about how people die in house fires. It’s not because they burn up, it’s because of smoke inhalation. You can’t breathe because of the smoke. With an asphalt roof it will not burn and the smoke will stay in your house. With the cedar roof it will catch on fire and burn, which will let the smoke go straight up into the sky. Plus it will burn your house to the ground and you will get a total loss from your insurance company and get the max payment from your policy. Bulldoze it over and start all over again.
Other thoughts:
People may say, “I can get a discount with my insurance if I get rid of my cedar roof.” Yes you will. A cedar roof is a premium roof which comes with a nice price tag. If you have a wood roof and you make a hail claim you will get a large sum of money for your roof. Asphalt roofs do not cost as much you will get less money.
You can get CCA treated or Fire resistance shingles. CCA helps with the bugs and fire treated means it’s harder for the shingles to burn.
Cedar roofing has been tried and true. Cedar has passed all the tests. People have been using cedars shingles for thousands of years.
I’m going to build a house in the Omaha area in the next couple of years and I’m gonna use cedar shingles.