What type of roof should I get? That is a good question, when building a house in Australia you don’t have many options it is either tile or metal, there are many profiles of tile roofing and two types of material concrete or terracotta.
In our opinion with over 50 years in the roofing industry, concrete is by far the better option and profiles that are not flat are also the best option. However, in saying that, roof tiles are quite heavy putting at least 15 ton on the roof which in turn needs extra structural timber to carry the weight. They also need ongoing maintenance and the thermal overload they create in the roofspace at the height of summer is incredible.
The last place I would use roof tiles is in a bushfire rated area as they, no matter what they do to try and stop it, roof tiles will allow embers to enter the home.
It is the same for metal roofing. There are many profiles however if you don’t want your house to look like a factory there is only one choice, corrugated colorbond is the best.
It looks good, uses less timber, is much lighter, needs no or very little maintenance and is the tightest solution for bushfire areas.
However, metal has one drawback – condensation problems can be humongous under a metal roof due to bad workmanship and due to metal being very vulnerable to moisture problems.
However, this can be remedied by having a good effective roofspace ventilation system. Although not as bad as, the same goes for tiled roofs they are also susceptible to condensation problems whether they are sarked or not.
So, what is the best roofing solution for my home? We recommend corrugated colorbond with blanket and foil insulation – underlay – with an effective roof ventilation system.
What you get – a lighter roof, maintenance free, durable long wearing best results.
For best results from either type of roofing choose lighter colours to reflect the sun’s rays and install an effective roof ventilation system for a cooler home in summer and a drier roofspace all year round.