http://www.roofingstore.ca/re-roof_ideas.htm

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Asphalt and Fibreglass Shingles
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Synthetic Plastic and Rubber based Shakes and Slates
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Architectural Shingles
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Metal Roofing
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Cedar Shingles and Cedar Shakes

Normal Decision Issues:

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Keep Executive Class Look of Shake Roof.

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Keep Architecture and appearance of my home the same.



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Stay with roofing material that is in keeping with the look of the other neighbourhood homes.

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Hold the market value of my home by protecting my investment with timely restorations and exterior upkeep.



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Invest wisely without over-spending on re-roofing project.

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Good value for the investment in terms of worry free storm and weather protection, as well as the need for a reasonable life expectancy of new roof.



Option One: Replace Old Cedar with New Cedar

Advantages:

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Keep architecture and appearance the same
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Know that the market value and neighborhood design remain the same.
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The existing home's framing and sheathing probably doesn't need to change.

Disadvantages:

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Cedar is a costly roof to buy and install.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's, cedar shakes were plentiful and cheap. Old growth wood was still common, and the quality was good or better. Back then $600 would upgrade a home, from a cheap looking 10 or 15 year 3-tab asphalt shingle, to a hand-split wood shake with a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. That was an easy decision considering the warm look and texture it added to our West Coast architecture.

But today, cedar is in short supply. The old growth cedar blocks from which good cedar shakes are made are now a rare commodity. The environmental movement, which is restricting logging from those old growth cut-blocks that may still be left, has affected the source of raw cedar blocks. Where once cedar block crews would salvage fall down and residual wood after a forestry operation had cleared the old growth areas, they now have less wood to salvage as forestry is on its decline. Cedar blocks are now often sourced from second growth forestry cut-blocks, where the wood quality is younger, wider grained, and without its traditional strength and rot-resistance.

The poor supply of raw cedar has increased exponentially the cost which mills pay for the wood. The end result is that now Cedar Shakes now cost between $270 per square ( 100 sq ft normal coverage) up to $350 per square to buy just the field shakes, before factoring in extra costs for felts, metals, capping, vents, taxes, etc. . The installed cost of cedar is now $750 to $1200 per square.

A Cedar Shake roof is fairly labour and time intensive to install, and this results in a roofing system which will cost a few thousand dollars more than other similar appearance roofing material systems.

http://www.roofingstore.ca/re-roof_ideas.htm or 604 327 2908