Eco-Friendly Roofing Options for a Custom Home

Your roof is one of the most important parts of your home. Not only does it serve as a shelter from the elements, it also acts as an insulator, cooling mechanism, and aesthetic device. It’s not something that should be overlooked, and when building a custom home, you have a dizzying array of options.

As proponents of eco-friendly and sustainable custom home design, Absolute Construction believes our customers should have a thorough understanding of how their decisions contribute to a home’s carbon footprint. Today we’ll discuss some popular roofing options to make your home a bit greener.

What Makes a Roof Eco-Friendly?

A roof’s eco-friendliness can be tough to quantify. It’s helpful to think of it in two ways: materials and durability.

The materials used in a roof contribute most significantly to its carbon footprint. For instance, a metal roof is very expensive to manufacture, requires lots of energy to transport, and requires potentially destructive mining. Shingle materials also affect heating and cooling in the home, which can have a dramatic effect on the total environmental impact.

However, no roof lasts forever, and so durability must also be taken into account. That same metal roof will last a very, very long time, which lowers its total carbon footprint. Conversely, wood shingles can be produced from sustainably sourced wood, but also have to be replaced more often.

What Are Some Eco-Friendly Roofing Options?

Some popular material choices include:

• Metal: metal’s exceptional durability mean that replacement costs are minimal.
• Terra Cotta: made from almost infinitely renewable clay, terra cotta roofs not only aesthetically pleasing but easy on the environment.
• Wood Shingles or Shakes: when sustainably farmed (ideally local), wood is an excellent choice. It’s also 100% biodegradable, so it won’t harm the environment when you have to replace it.
• Rubber: made primarily from used car tires, rubber roofs are extremely durable and long-lasting.

Are you in the market for a beautiful custom home crafted with cutting-edge technology? Let Absolute Construction build for you! Our expertise and technical knowledge have served Chatham County since 2003, and our homes have won eleven Parade of Homes awards. Come see why: contact us today, or check out our current listings and floor plans.