Choosing the Best Roof for Your Historic Atlanta Home

Living in a historic Atlanta home brings great pleasure and responsibility. Two of your most important tasks are ensuring that the home’s roof remains stable and that its appearance remains consistent with its time in history. If it’s time to replace the roof, you can choose from several roofing types that will enhance your historic home. The following are three of the most common options that you’ll find for Atlanta’s historic homes.

Slate

Slate roofs date back to the 18^th century in the U.S. The materials were traditionally imported from Wales, but after the Civil War, craftsmen began making slate in the U.S. Though it’s heavy and can be expensive, slate is a long-lasting, fireproof material well-suited to historic home roofing. It can often be found on Atlanta Tudor-style houses.

Wood Shingle

Dating back to the 17^th century, wood shingle is one of the oldest roofing materials in existence. Wood shingle is a common roofing material on many types of historic homes in the Atlanta area. Wooden shingle roofs vary in color, style and wood type, depending on the style of the home. Pine, oak and cedar have been used over the years. Cedar is now the most common.

While standard wood shingles have their drawbacks, they are flammable and may absorb heat, Owens Corning Duration Premium Cool shingles are solar-reflective and keep rooftops cool.

Tile

Though often used in more arid areas of the U.S. and in historic homes with Spanish-style architecture, clay tiles are also a good fit for some historic Atlanta homes. Tile is an expensive option, but some homeowners find clay tiles well worth the cost. In addition to being beautiful, they are fire-resistant.

If you’re replacing a tile roof and want to replicate the look you now have, concrete tile roofing may be the answer. This material allows you to choose from a wide range of design shapes. This means you can replicate older roofing materials with a long-lasting, durable material.

Choosing the Best Roof Material for Your Historic Home

Deciding which roofing material to use depends on several factors. Here are several questions to ask if you are considering replacing the roof on your historic Atlanta home:

• How “historically correct” do you want to be? Would it work to replicate a certain style of roof, for instance, with concrete tile? Or do you wish to use the original roofing material, if possible?
• What is the architectural style of your home? Certain materials tend to blend better with certain styles.

• Are you concerned with fire safety? If so, a fire-resistant roofing material would be your best bet.
• Are there restrictions on the type of roof you can use? If your home is on the National Register of Historic Places, or on a local or state historic list, you’re required to preserve the home’s original construction. This means repairing the existing roof or replacing with the same roofing material.

Preserving your historic Atlanta home’s roof is an important task. Get answers to your historic home roofing questions by contacting Findlay Roofing today for a free roof analysis.