You spent a lot of your hard-earned money on your home. So, of course, you want it to look great on the outside and raise your curb appeal in any way you can.
One of the best ways to raise your home’s curb appeal is with a new roof. But the different types of roofing materials each offer a unique look.
If curb appeal is important when choosing the right roofing material, you need to know the ones that boost your home’s look the most. That’s why this article breaks down the best looking roofing materials on the market.
For over 30 years, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has helped homeowners like you find the roofing material that fits the look they want. Now we want to help you determine which type of roof systems really boost your home’s curb appeal.
To start this article, I’ll do a quick overview of curb appeal. After that, I give you the top 4 roofing materials that boost your home’s curb appeal.
What is curb appeal?
Curb appeal is defined as the visual attractiveness of a home from the street. Your landscaping, the color of your home, light fixtures, and anything else you can see from the street.
But like I said earlier, a great way to make your home stand out from the rest is with a new roof. A new roof is proven to increase your home’s overall aesthetic and even adds value to your home if you plan on selling.
Depending on what type of roofing material you have, it will drastically increase your home’s curb appeal. That’s why you need to consider how important curb appeal is to you when deciding on which roofing material to choose for your roof replacement.
The 4 best roofing materials to boost your home’s curb appeal
Now you know what curb appeal is and how a new roof impacts it. Getting the most commonly used roof on the market (an architectural asphalt shingle roof) will still boost your home’s curb appeal.
But there are 4 roofing materials that take your home’s curb appeal to the next level. As you're going through the rest of this article, just know these materials come at a premium cost.
1. Luxury asphalt shingle roof
Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used roofing material around the country. I just mentioned architectural asphalt shingles will improve your home’s curb appeal.
But if you’re looking for an asphalt roof that takes curb appeal to the next level, luxury asphalt shingles are the way to go.
Luxury (or premium) shingles are designed to look like slate. While they really boost your home’s curb appeal, luxury shingles are also larger and thicker than the other asphalt shingles that make them more durable.
But the extra durability and curb appeal come at a steep price point. You can expect luxury shingles to be about double the cost of architectural shingles.
2. Composite (synthetic) shingle roof
While luxury asphalt shingles give your roof a slate look, you can tell they’re not the real thing. The next roofing material on this list actually mimics slate and cedar shake to really boost your home’s curb appeal.
This roofing material is a composite (also called synthetic) shingle roof. The shingles are made of engineered polymer or recycled materials (rubber and plastics) and designed to look like the real thing.
For example:
Composite slate shingles are modeled from actual slate and even have chisel marks to add a hand-crafted touch.
Composite cedar shake shingles have realistic grain patterns and deep grooves to create a shingle that looks just like real wood shake shingles.
You might be able to tell the difference between composite shingles and the roofing material it mimics if you work in the roofing industry. However, you, your neighbors, or anyone walking by won’t be able to tell it’s not the real thing.
3. Cedar shake roof
The next material on the list is a cedar shake roof. A cedar shake roof is a premium roof system made of natural wood (cedar) materials and is one of the most aesthetically pleasing roofs you’ll see.
Cedar shakes are made out of cedar trees from the Northwest United States or Southwest Canada. To make the shingles, the cedar is cut into 2-foot sections and hand split or sawed into a tapered thickness (tapersawn).
The way the cedar is cut actually impacts the look of the shingles. Hand split gives you a more rugged look, while tapersawn is a much smoother look.
Just know cedar shake shingles lose their color, rot, crack, and curl as they age, depending on the climate they’re exposed to.
4. Slate roof
The last (and most expensive) roofing material on this list is slate. A slate roof is a premium roof system made primarily out of natural slate tiles and other slate roofing materials.
The slate itself is mined (mostly in Italy) and cut into square tiles that must be installed carefully one at a time. A slate roof is by far one of the best-looking roof systems on the market.
That’s why shingle manufacturers make asphalt shingles and composite shingles to mimic the look of a slate roof. It’s also one of the longest-lasting roofs available and can last around 75 years or even close to 100.
Slate roofs are incredibly heavy, so your house has to be built or framed to carry the weight of the slate tiles. This can be very expensive and is something to keep in mind if you’re seriously considering slate as your roofing material.
How much do these roofing materials cost?
Now you know the top 4 roofing materials that will boost your home’s curb appeal. No matter what, a new roof will boost your home’s curb appeal.
But these roofing materials will make head turns as your neighbors go by. If you’re seriously interested in one of the materials we covered, remember they come at a premium price.
So, now you’re probably wondering how much your new roof will cost if you choose a premium roof system. To continue helping you find the right roofing material for your budget, we wrote another article that covers the cost of a new roof.
Since 1990, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has helped homeowners in Nashville and surrounding Middle Tennessee areas find the perfect roof for their budget. No matter what type you choose, you can count on us to give you a great looking roof that will last for decades.
Check out The Average Cost to Replace a Roof: Which Roofing Material Fits Your Budget to learn how much the roofing materials we covered will cost.
