Roofing Material Options for a Detached Garage
When your garage is attached to the rest of your home, choosing a roofing material is easy. But what if your garage is detached? While you still have the option of using the same roofing material as that of the rest of your home, matching the material isn’t your only (or necessarily the best) choice. Learn the pros and cons of different ways to cover your garage to determine the best fit.
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The best roof for appearance
While your garage may not be attached to the rest of your house, if it is visible from the street, it can be seen as an extension of your home. This is especially true if the garage above has space for offices or an apartment; in this case, the garage becomes more than a second building and becomes part of the total property. Therefore, it makes the most sense to extend the roofing material from the house to the garage to get the most look from your garage. This gives a sense of continuity between the buildings and reinforces them as part of one building.
Keep in mind that if your home’s roof needs to be replaced soon, you’ll need to choose a garage roofing material that matches your plans for the home to maintain continuity.
The best roof for sustainability
Garages aren’t just used to house cars; they can also be the location of home businesses, hobby rooms, playrooms, and gyms. Detached garages often become something more than a place to park overnight, so the durability of the garage also plays a role.
If you plan to store materials or items in your garage that could become flammable or hazardous, such as paint, oil, fuels, or materials that give off fumes, you should consider a non-combustible, durable roof. Likewise, if you are storing items in your garage that could be damaged by moisture in the event of a leak, make sure you consider a durable and long-lasting roofing material. Metal roofs are much stronger and more durable than asphalt shingles.
It is possible to use metal roofing materials and still match the color and style of your home’s current roof. Metal roofs can look exactly like cedar shakes, slate tiles, or asphalt shingles, making it easy to match the style and color of the main roof while providing the extra protection your garage contents need.
Keep in mind that metal roofs can be more expensive than other more traditional roofing materials. While your garage probably isn’t as big as your house, you’ll still pay a premium for materials.
The best roof for a low garage
One of the benefits of installing a detached garage (rather than building one on top of your existing home) is the ability to reduce your construction costs. Sometimes this results in a garage with a low or low pitched roof. This means that the roof decreases vertically by 5 centimeters or less per 12 meters. These types of garages are cheaper to build, but they can’t handle many different types of roofing. In some cases, the only type of roofing material you can use on a low-pitched roof is rolled roofing.
Rolled roofing is the same material that asphalt shingles are made of, but it is thinner and comes in a roll 36 meters long and 91 cm wide. It’s not as attractive or as durable as other roofs, but if you’re looking for an economy, this is the cheapest roof you can put in your garage.
Keep in mind that while you save on the initial cost of material and installation, rolled roofing roofs are subject to hail, leaks, and UV damage. Therefore, you will probably have to replace it more often than other materials.
Buy the best roof for your garage
Every detached garage is different. Make the right roofing decision based on your garage and your plans for it, and know that what you store in it is safe.
