What color should shingled roof be?

[mm]

It's late in the year but my ex's roof is leaking and she isn't sure what color the new one should be. She has a one story house with a pitched shingled roof.

IIUC, black is bad in both the summer and winter. In the summer because it absorbs heat and makes the AC work harder. In winter because it radiates heat, and makes the furnace work harder. Even if the attic is insulated from the first floor Is this all true?

IIUC white always ends up looking dirty, although one roofing company said they had a new kind of white that stayed clean. Is this possible?

So in between, it seems to me that light brown or light grey is good because they abosrb and transmit the least amount of heat. Right?

Medium or dark brown or grey might be desired because they look nicer, but the heating and AC cost will go up. Have I got that right?

I thank you and my ex thanks you.

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

I bought what I though looked good, a pewter colored shingle. I don't think the color really means all that much, but agree that some white ones tend to look dirty faster.

[William.Deans]

Greetings,

They should be a colour that you can easily match 12 years from now when a section is damaged in a storm. I always suggest black but if someone showed me some real energy numbers I might be willing to change my mind.

Hope this helps, William

[Banty]

Around here in upstate NY black can be bad in winter because it melts snow too quickly when it's still below freezing, leading to ice dam problems. But I still see them. Indeed most new McMansions seem to have them.

I have a white shingled roof that looks really nice still. Partly I think because it always gets sunlight at some time during the day, discouraging fungus and molds. Also, my chimneys are both on the south side of the house - when they're running the most the wind is blowing emissions away from the house. But most white roofs I see do look dirty.

I'll go with a light brown when I replace (some years down the road still, it looks like.)

Banty

[Todd H.]

I had an ex once that used to keep asking me for advice on shit like this after we split.

This justifiably annoyed me and my "current" to no end.

THe lighter the color, the better to minimize heat gain. You'll find that if you match the color of the trim or shutters on your house, it looks best.

If you go away from a black roof, you have to start worrying about whether it'll make your existing siding/exterior/shutters/trim look goofy or not. Just be sure to take that into account when selecting colors.

The "white that doesn't get dirty" sounds like a bunch of BS.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

[Patrick Cleburne]

Why don't you just let her new boyfriend worry about it ;-)

Patrick

[Eric Tosca]

Here in the mid-Alantic states, the avoidance of absorbing heat in the summer is far more important than the avoidance of reflecting heat in the winter. It seems as if there is insignificant heat to absorb during our depths of winter. I'm more concerned about insulation to keep my generated heat inside the house.

That being the case, I recommend shingling your roof with mirrors. Enjoy the low cooling bills!

[Goedjn]

It should get Certainteed Carriage-House Shangles, in red and green, and do the roof in alternating lozenges.

>

[mm]

BTW, we're in Baltimore. Some snow every year, maybe 10 or 15 inches total. Hot sunny summers..

Well, she's only my ex-girlfriend. I should have said this but the extra 11 characters discouraged me, and I have trouble typing the word correctly.

Also I have no "cuirrent" so she's all I've got. :)

She has black shutters... and medium brown brick.. She also mentioned a color that was dark and light brown with particles of black. Maybe that would be good. But I'll just forward all this to her.

Also, maybe I should suggest she buy an extra container of shingles for future repairs.

I'll buy that.

Thanks to all.

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[Joseph Meehan]

You worry too much. Pick a color that looks good. The differences you are worried about are almost non-existent in any properly designed and insulated home.

[Stretch]

Joe has it right. With good ceiling insulation the color of the shingles will make very little difference in the cooling season and even less difference in the heating season. Pic a color that looks nice and find something more important to worry about.

Stretch

[PolyMorf]

I agree. Modern building methods use large amounts of celing insulation and plenty of roof venting.

Where I live, in a suburb of Dayton, there is air polution and light colored shingles end up showing black staining after 10 years. I went with a dark brown on my house, which matches up with the rest of the house pretty well.

[Oscar_Lives]

You need to negotiate a deal!

[mm]

These three forwarded to her also, even if it will make her think I'm dumb.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[CJT]

I wonder how many American homes are "properly designed and insulated." I suspect not many.

[maradcliff]

Years ago, I got a bunch of cheap shingles. Cheap because there were bundles and part bundles of all different colors. I did my roof with them, randonly placing them so it did not look like I did a section at at time and bought a different color when I ran out. I called it the rainbow roof and it looked nice. Of course that was the early 70's and back then, unique was "psychedelic". I never had to worry about replacements, because any color would work. I think the whole roof cost me about $100, but that includes nails, metal drip edges, flashing and tar.

I thought I'd mention this because if you cant decide, consider this option.

Mark

[maradcliff]

CLEAR

Get CLEAR shingles and use clear silicone to seal around the flashings. However, there is a word of caution on the packages of clear shingles. Here is the exact wording on the package. "Caution, these are the finest quality clear shingles you can buy. They come with a 25 year guarantee against damage and breakage under normal conditions. However, because these shingles are clear, the homeowner must never have sexual intercourse in the attic with the lights turned on."

There you go. Now you know exactly what NOT to do !!! :)

Mark

[Dr. Hardcrab]

"mm" wrote

That'll teach the b*tch!!!!!!

;-]

Tell her to go with something neutral. Not white and not black. Something that will compliment the rest of the house.

A neighbor of mine redid his about 10 years ago and his was the first I had ever seen that was done with blue shingles. It was cool at first. Now it's kind of obnoxious (he feels the same way). That's just me (well, and him) but go with what you ( she) likes.....