Cedar shakes and shingles
Homeowners choose cedar primarily for its natural good looks, although when properly installed and maintained, cedar has a surprisingly long lifespan-up to 25 years. Shakes cost about $300 a square. Like slate, high cost means cedar is normally used on steep-slope roofs, where it's more visible from street level.
Slate
If your roof is slate, chances are it has been there for a while. Among Canadian roofs, the distinctive slate roof is probably the longest lasting (easily 100 years). But slate tiles cost $1,000 per square, so expensive that they're rarely installed as a new roof. In Saint John, for example, Dowd guesses, "There hasn't been a new slate roof in 50 years." Maintaining a slippery slate roof is probably best left to an experienced roofer-slate is often installed on steep slopes, and walking on it can damage it.
Metal roofing
Metal roofing has a special place in Canada's history-probably our most famous roof is the weathered-green copper roof on the Parliament buildings. Copper makes a beautiful roof, but it's not a metal often used on homes. At its core, most sheet metal roofing is aluminum, steel or of various alloys. It costs about $300 a square, but it's quick and easy to install, and can last 50 years or more. Metal makes the lightest roof, so while other materials might require the expense of removing the old roof before re-roofing, metal can usually be installed on top.
Built-up and membrane roofing
Flat roofs require very different techniques and materials. For many years the most common methods were built-up roofing, made of layers of roofing felt and molten asphalt, or membrane roofs with heat-sealed seams. Both methods use a risky mix of heat and flammable materials, and according to Shore, safety and insurance concerns are making adhesive-sealed membrane roofs-which cost about $300 a square-more popular.
Alternative Products
There are many other roofing products to choose from. Among these are imitation slate, some made of recycled rubber or plastics. Recycled plastics are also used for some imitation cedar shakes, such as those from Ontario-based Enviroshake, which feature a longer lifespan than real cedar, and are mould- and insect-resistant.
How can a homeowner be assured that a new material will perform? According to Peter Kalinger, technical director of the Canadian Roofing Contractors' Association, if a newer product isn't covered by a national standard, homeowners should look for an evaluation listing from the Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC). The CCMC checks that every new construction material conforms to building codes and that it's suitable for its intended use.
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