Adorn your home with gorgeous cedar shingles for a timeless look that welcomes the entire neighborhood! Despite the roofing industry’s many attempts to replicate the aesthetic appeal of natural cedar shingles, nothing compares to the unique beauty of genuine wood. Discover the benefits of cedar shake roofs and how to maintain them below.
Spruce up your home with cedar shake roofing from Gotcha Covered Contracting. Call 724-581-8147 for a free consultation. We provide cedar shake roof repair and installation services throughout Pittsburgh, PA and all surrounding cities.
5 Benefits of a Cedar Shake Roof
Take pride in your home by installing, maintaining, or repairing your cedar shake roof. Cedar shingles create a classic appearance for any house, exuding a sense of warmth and safety. However, modern cedar shake roofing offers several other tangible benefits to today’s homeowners, as well.
1. Unrivaled Beauty
Often imitated but never replicated, cedar shake harkens back to a simpler time when the home served as the center of life. Because artisans hand-cut each piece of wood, every cedar shake roof remains one of a kind. Over time, the individual cedar shingles will change color, eventually settling on a silvery, gray hue.
2. Energy Efficiency
Cedar shake does more than give the impression of warmth; it provides it. Like most types of wood, cedar delivers excellent insulation, keeping warm air in during the winter and out during the summer. Homeowners who switch from asphalt shingles to cedar shake enjoy significant savings on their energy bills because cedar provides almost twice the insulation.
3. Long-Lasting Durability
Cedar remains the wood of choice for roofing projects because of its natural pest resistance. With regular maintenance, cedar shakes can also last as long as the best modern materials. In Pittsburgh, you may wish to apply a protective coating before each winter to extend the life of your cedar roof. Well-maintained, fire-resistant cedar roofs can last as long as metal roofs.
4. Proven Sustainability
Cedar serves as a natural, renewable, and sustainable roofing material. In fact, farmers plant, grow, and harvest cedar trees for the specific purpose of constructing a cedar shake roof. Once the lifespan of a cedar shake roof ends, the individual shingles biodegrade more quickly than almost all other types of roofing material.
5. Strength and Stability
Cedar shake roofing demonstrates considerable stability, expanding and contracting less than most other types of wooden shingles. It remains more resistant to curling and splitting than other kinds of wood shake, too. When installed by a professional, cedar shake can withstand high winds, sleet, snow, and almost anything else that nature throws at it.
How to Maintain Your Cedar Shake Roof Shingles
Your cedar shake shingles will take care of you as long as you take care of them. At Gotcha Covered Contracting, we know the best ways to maintain all types of roofs. To assist our customers in Pittsburgh, we have compiled some of the most crucial tips for maintaining a beautiful shake shingle roof.
Annual Inspections
When it comes to protecting your roof, it’s best to hire a professional to inspect your shake roof once a year. We recommend that you schedule an inspection for late fall to prepare for the onslaught of a Pittsburgh winter. However, you can also check your roof each spring, instead. You should also inspect your roof after a nasty storm with high winds. During an inspection, you should check for:
- Cracked, split, or curled shingles
- Moss, mildew, or fungi
- Clogged rain gutters
- Missing shingles
If you’re interested in a free roof inspection, contact us now!
Attic Ventilation
Check your attic for proper ventilation. If too much heat and moisture get trapped inside your attic, it can lead to wood rot and a sagging roof. Make sure all the support structures feel dry to the touch and rigid when you apply pressure. Repairing or replacing the substructure of your roof will cost a lot more than fixing a few damaged cedar shingles.
Apply a Protective Finish
You can apply a protective finish to your cedar shake roof that will make it more water-resistant. Make sure you select a product specifically designed for cedar shake. Feel free to call up the experts at Gotcha Covered Contracting if you have any questions about the application process, including which products to use.
Contact Pittsburgh’s Cedar Shake Roofing Experts
Beautify your home with cedar shake roof repairs and replacements from Gotcha Covered Contracting. Homeowners love cedar shake for its natural beauty, and their appreciation only grows once they see it change color and enjoy its protection for a few decades. If you plan to switch to a cedar shake roof or need repairs on your current roof, speak with one of our representatives.
Shake things up by calling Gotcha Covered Contracting for cedar shake roofing in Pittsburgh. Dial 724-581-8147 today!
