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If your home is in a historic area or you like the look of a rustic property, you may have wood shake roofing. But this type of roof has few advantages and many disadvantages, especially if your location is at risk for wildfire.
Metal roofing is a terrific alternative with some qualities that may surprise you. Read on in this article to learn:
- The upsides and downsides of traditional wood shake roofing
- How metal roofing is a safer, easier, and more durable option
- You don’t have to give up the appeal of wood for the benefits of metal
Spoiler alert: metal roofing IS best for most homeowners. Get the vital information you need now to protect your property and save money over the long term.
Wood Shake Roofing: Pros and Cons
What is wood shake roofing?
Wood shake roofing made from cedar, redwood, or pine has been around for hundreds of years. It’s made from blocks of wood that are cut into individual shakes with a rough, textured surface. Each shake has a thick end piece, called the butt, while the other end is tapered for a more rustic appearance.
You may have seen wood-shake homes in older areas of the US, like New England, as well as in places with waterfront homes that match their quaint look, such as Midwestern lakeside vacation cabins and Victorian houses in the Pacific Northwest.
Why homeowners like wood shake
The color and texture of the wood are a big selling point for wood shakes. It lends authenticity to historic homes and helps properties blend into wooded surroundings. Many homeowners on the seaside like the fact that cedar shakes can weather to a light grey shade over time with exposure to salt air. This gives the home an antique quality reminiscent of Nantucket cottages.
Things to consider about wood shake roofing
However, there are several downsides to this type of roofing:
- Unwanted fading due to the elements
- Loosening around the fasteners
- Poor response to wet/dry cycles
- Cracking and splitting under hail
- Subject to insects and decay
- Propensity to grow mold and moss
These negatives mean that wood shake roofing requires an unusually high degree of inspection and maintenance, which most homeowners find expensive and time-consuming. Even with regular care, the lifespan of a wood shake roof is fairly short. Hence, the homeowner must bear the cost of frequent roof remodels.
Fire risk with wooden roofing
Another major disadvantage is that wooden roofing is combustible, which makes it a dangerous choice in wildfire-prone regions. Even if you purchase wood shakes treated to resist combustion, the fire-retardant treatment can leach out over time, leaving the roof more easily ignited in a wildfire.
With fires across the country—particularly in the West—becoming more frequent and intense, properties and their occupants are put in harm’s way during fire incidents. In fact, new updates to the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) codes effectively ban wood shake roofing in high-severity fire zones, even if it’s treated to be fire-retardant. Instead, “ignition-resistant construction” is required. Homeowners with shake roofing could find their investment legislated out of existence in the near future.
Related to this risk, in many Western states, owning a wood shake roof is a disqualifier for standard insurance markets. To obtain coverage for their properties, homeowners are forced into “insurer of last resort” plans, such as the FAIR plan run by the California Department of Insurance.
These plans are typically at least three to four times more expensive than standard homeowner policies, according to experts. Replacing a wood-shake roof with a metal roof instantly qualifies the home for standard-market carriers. The savings on insurance premiums are so great that they seriously offset the cost of the new roof. And the homeowner enjoys the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have more comprehensive coverage than last-resort plans offer.
Metal Roofing: A Safer, More Weather-Resistant Alternative to Shake
Metal roofing is a fantastic option when replacing a wood shake roof. As you might expect, metal is not combustible, so it doesn’t ignite like wood with just a spark from an ember in a wildfire. You can find metal roofing with the highest possible fire rating from Underwriters Laboratories, meaning it won’t ignite and will stay in place, preventing it from sliding off the home during the high temperatures of a fire.
Insurance carriers love metal roofing for this reason. They also like other characteristics of this type of roofing because it’s less likely to be involved in a damage claim. These pluses include:
- Resistance to impact damage from large hailstones
- Wind uplift resistance in hurricane-force winds
- Protection from wind-driven rain during strong storms
- Ability to hold up under heavy snowfalls and ice
It’s not unusual for property owners with metal roofs to be offered insurance discounts at a time when many carriers are raising premiums or dropping coverage entirely.
Unlike wood shake, metal roofing lasts up to 7 decades, more than twice the lifespan of traditional roofing materials such as clay tiles and asphalt shingles. There are other financial benefits as well. Because it reflects sunlight, metal roofing is more energy-efficient in hot weather, helping homeowners reduce cooling costs by up to 25%. And a metal roof can boost the property’s value by up to 6%, which is great for both sellers and long-term residents looking for more equity.
Can you tell the difference between a stone-coated metal roof and a traditional wood shake roof?
Answer: The roof on the left is a traditional wood shake roof. The roof on the right is a stone-coated metal roof.
Which is Better: Wood Shake Roofing or Metal Roofing?
So, which is better? Wood shake roofing or metal roofing?
Metal roofing is tough to beat when it comes to performance, durability and longevity:
- Metal roofs have a lifespan that lasts two to three times longer than traditional roofing materials, such as wood shakes.
- Metal roofs are engineered to withstand the elements, and have the highest ratings for nearly anything Mother Nature has to offer, including hail, fire, hurricanes, tornados, high winds, earthquakes, and snow and ice.
- Metal roofs are among the most energy-efficient roofing options on the market, reducing cooling costs by up to 25%.
- Insurance companies love metal roofs, and a metal roof can lower your homeowner’s insurance by up to 35%. (Be sure to check with your local insurance carrier for available discounts.
- A new metal roof can increase home value by up to 6%.
>>>Related Resource: 10 Things You Need to Know About Metal Roofing.
And with stone-coated metal roofing, homeowners don’t have to choose between strength or style.
DECRA’s line of metal shake roofing products can effortlessly replicate the rustic charm of wood shakes with the high-performance strength of stone-coated steel.
DECRA Shake XD: Rustic Appeal of Hand-Split Shake
DECRA Shake XD provides the rustic tones and architectural details of hand-split wood shake roofs backed by the high-performance, low-maintenance, and element-resistant strength of stone-coated steel.
DECRA Shake: Richness of Cedar Shake
While cedar shake roofs provide distinct shadows and rich colors, the rustic beauty of cedar quickly fades to a grayish hue after exposure to the elements. DECRA Shake offers the classic elegance of rich cedar shake with the endurance and longevity of stone-coated steel.
Get the Look of Wooden Shakes with the Benefits of Metal Roofing
You don’t have to sacrifice the curb appeal of wood shake roofing to get all the advantages of metal roofing. Look for stone-coated metal roofing that’s stamped with a profile that mimics wood shake. From a few feet away, you’d never know it was metal and not traditional wood!
Metal roofing that replicates wood shake also comes in a range of hues. This lets you match it to your home’s paint colors. Or you can choose metal shake roofing in a grey tone that looks like weathered cedar for that coveted seaside home look. It looks beautiful against crisp white trim, with classic blue or green shutters.
DECRA Roofing: Ideal for Coastal, Rustic, and Historic Homes
Are you planning a roof remodel for your historic or coastal home? Building a vacation property in nature and want it protected from wildfire (and outrageous insurance premiums)? DECRA metal roofing is the perfect choice.
You can see DECRA up close by ordering a complimentary sample. Set it down and walk across the room. You’ll be amazed at how it seems just like real wood. But you’ll get all the pros of metal roofing without the risk of wood shake.
