Choosing the Best Roof for Your Beach Home

April 17, 2020 Elizabeth Cady

Homes in different regions require different kinds of roofing materials. For instance, those in dry, wooded regions are prone to forest fires and must have fireproof roofs, while homes in hot regions need roofs that can reflect sunlight and keep the home cool. Likewise, homes built near the ocean, which are often exposed to wind, salt and humidity, must have roofs that can withstand these elements.

In this article, we'll cover the best roofing materials for beach houses as well as the factors you should consider when searching for a roof for your beach home.

Beach House Roofing Trends

Recently, the most popular materials for beach home roofs have included the following:

Copper

This distinct material is perhaps best known for its bright orange color, which eventually turns a distinguished blue-green color. It's a great choice for upscale properties, as it is highly flexible and allows roofers to create ornate designs. Some of its other advantages include:

Longevity: Copper roofs, when properly installed, can last for more than 50 years, which is far longer than asphalt shingles and various other common roofing materials. As it is a metal, it has a natural resistance to fire, mold, mildew and impacts from hail and other falling objects, all of which can damage a roof or cause it to wear prematurely.
Lightweight: Copper's durability does not come at the expense of heaviness. Copper's lightweight nature means it can be installed on almost any type of structure, sometimes even on top of an already existing roof. This speeds up the installation time and reduces costs.
Energy efficiency: Copper, like other ornamental metals, reflects sunlight, which reduces thermal heating and helps to keep indoor temperatures comfortable throughout the year. A copper roof can also lower your energy bills and put less strain on your HVAC systems.

Unlike iron, which rusts and breaks down, copper reacts to water and air by forming an outer green layer called a patina. The patina serves to protect the copper against corrosion, making it a good choice for coastal areas, which tend to have lots of salt and moisture in the air.

Wood Shakes

Wood shakes have been the go-to roofing material for centuries, and homeowners today continue to enjoy their rustic, elegant appearance. Wood shakes are split by hand and weather to an attractive gray color over time. Shakes are not to be confused with shingles, which are usually cut with a saw and have a less rustic appearance.

Some advantages of a wood shake roof are:

Longevity: While not as long-lasting as slate or metal, wood shakes can last up to 25 years, which is typically longer than asphalt shingles. The life expectancy will vary based on the type of wood used, the thickness of the shakes and the climate.
Natural beauty: Wooden shakes are considered appealing for their attractive, natural appearance.
Lightweight: Wood shakes weigh less than roofing materials like slate or clay. Despite their light weight, they are still strong and moisture-resistant.
Environmental friendliness: Wood shakes are made from natural biodegradable materials.

Thatch

Synthetic thatch roof can offer a unique, exotic look to your beach home. If you like the look of thatch but are put off by its maintenance requirements, you may want to consider synthetic thatch, a durable, low-maintenance alternative that is nearly indistinguishable from real thatch. When properly installed, a synthetic thatch roof offers the following benefits:

Long lifespan: Synthetic thatch roofs can last 50 years or longer, over twice the lifespan of natural thatch.
Maintenance-free performance: This will save you both time and money.
Resistance to rot, decay and mold: These are all issues associated with natural thatch.
Resistance to fading: Synthetic thatch is available in a variety of colors that don't fade with sun exposure.
Resistance to pests: Synthetic thatch deters birds, bugs and other pests — another common issue with natural thatch.

Slate

Slate is a crystalline rock with fine grains that has metamorphosed from bedded deposits of silt, clay and various minerals. This unique composition gives the rock many characteristics that make it a great choice as a roofing material, such as wide its wide array of textures and colors.

Slate quarried for roofing applications has a very high density and durability. Its strength, low absorption rate and low porosity make it one of the longest-lasting roofing materials on the market, with life expectancies of a century or more. The many sizes, colors and textures available with slate mean it can be used with several different home styles and for various architectural effects.

Below is a summary of slate's benefits as a roofing material:

Distinctive appearance: Slate features subtle variances that a synthetic product simply cannot emulate.
Flexibility: Slate comes in a wide variety of colors, sizes and thicknesses. It also works well with both historical and contemporary homes.
Longevity: If installed properly, slate roofs can last for a century or longer. It is not uncommon for a slate roof to outlive the house on which it's installed. Although some homeowners decide against slate because of its high price tag, they fail to consider its extremely long-term value, which more than justifies its higher cost.
Safety: If your beach home is in a region prone to fires, such as Southern California, fire-resistance is a factor you'll want to consider when shopping for a roof. As you might imagine, slate is one of the most fire-resistant roofing materials.
Insulating: Slate is a natural insulator and will keep your house at a comfortable temperature as well as reduce ambient noise.
Environmental friendliness: Unlike roofing materials such as asphalt shingles, which must be replaced every 20 or 30 years, slate can last for over 100 years, meaning it has less of a negative impact on the environment. Slate is also a completely natural material.

Selecting the Best Roof for Coastal Homes

As coastal areas often experience severe weather, the roof on your beach house will surely experience more wear and tear than inland homes. Here are some factors to consider when looking at roofing for your beach home.

Cost: Naturally, you will want to keep your budget in mind when choosing a roofing material for your beach home. As there is great variation in the prices of roofing options, not giving enough thought to your roofing choice may inflate your material and labor expenses. Make sure to consider the upfront cost as well as the cost of maintaining the roof over its lifetime, which is known as its life cycle cost. This includes the installation cost, the cost of maintenance and repairs and the cost of disposing of the roof when it has reached the end of its useable life. To get a good idea of the life cycle cost of a roofing material, speak with an experienced roofing company.
Longevity: A roof replacement is a major investment, so it's important to pick a material that can withstand many years of exposure to harsh elements. If you never want to deal with a roof replacement again in your lifetime, extremely long-lasting materials like slate are great choices. A material's longevity also affects its cost. Materials that cost more upfront often last much longer, making them less expensive over the life of the roof.
Energy efficiency: If your beach home is in a region where temperatures get uncomfortably hot or cold during certain periods of the year, you're going to want to pick a roofing material that insulates well and reflects sunlight effectively. Otherwise, you'll be spending an unnecessarily high amount on energy costs.
Architectural style: Your beach home's architectural style may suggest the right roofing material. For instance, slate roofs often go well with homes made of stone, metal roofs go well with farmhouse-style homes and wood shakes pair well with cottage-style homes.
Style of neighboring homes: Many roofing materials come in a variety of styles, colors and textures so they can easily complement the styles of other homes in your neighborhood. When picking a roofing system, think about how it will match the houses around you. Sometimes local zoning laws will dictate the roofing materials you can use.

Important Environmental Factors to Consider for Your Beach Home

Not all coastal areas are the same, so it's important to understand the local climate of your region and get a good idea of what environmental factors your beach home will be exposed to, which will determine how tough your roof must be.

Precipitation: Certain roofing materials are more suitable for certain climates. In coastal areas with high precipitation, for instance, metal is a good choice, as it is waterproof and rust resistant.
Sunlight: Beach homes are often in sunnier climates. If your roof will be subject to long periods of bright sunlight, pick a material that will not age prematurely when exposed to this element.
Humidity: If your beach home is in a tropical or subtropical region, there is a good chance that the weather is humid for much of the year. Pick a roofing material that will not easily rust is important.
Hurricane-resistant roof: If your home is on the Southeast Coast, you should make sure that your roof can withstand strong and hurricane-force winds. If the roof on your beach home was recently damaged by a hurricane, Huber offers hurricane roof repair and replacement services.

Choosing the Right Contractor for Your Beach Home

If you own an upscale beachfront property, look no further than Huber & Associates for your next roofing project. Whether you're located in the United States or abroad, we can come to your property to perform a roof repair or replacement. Yes, that's right — our crews travel globally and have completed roofing projects for tropical theme parks, Caribbean private residences and much more.

Huber & Associates is known around the world for our beautiful new roofs with a distinctive old-fashioned appearance. We are experts in working with a wide variety of roofing materials and offer our restoration services for slate roofs, sheet metal roofs, wood roofs and thatch roofs, among others. Through our custom designs and patented techniques, we make sure that every historic restoration project retains the look of its original roof, right down to the smallest details. We are proud to have won awards from the National Roofing Contractors Association and performed roof restorations for National Historic Landmarks such as the Biltmore Estate.

When you hire us, you will be working with a crew that is committed to extraordinary standards of quality on every project. Our expert knowledge and skills make us an excellent choice for roof repair and restoration, especially on older, historic homes that need special attention and care to protect their unique characteristics.