To continue - "What's the best roofing material I can use for hurricanes?"
Engineering-Roofing is now coming around.
Some manufacturers have developed an "engineered roofing" product that looks like wood shakes or slate and are made of recycled materials such as post-industrial plastics, wood-fiber, flax-fiber, hemp-fiber, and crumb rubber from recycled tires. I don't know the long term performance of such products, but time will tell. Engineered-roofing can be made to look very close to No. 1 grade cedar shakes, and also have a 50 year limited warranty, mold, mildew, insect and hail resistant. In today's construction trends, look for more "Green" building materials that will help our environment and our economic independence. These types of roofing appear to be suitable for roofing in hurricane-prone areas, but with more use, again, time will tell.
Clay or Concrete tiles are another type of roofing you may consider.
Some benefits of concrete ceramic tiles are being fireproof, they are available in many colors, easy to maintain and very durable. Some of the drawbacks with clay are being very expensive, heavy, fragile to walk on and replacement is not easy. Clay tiles have a more Mediterranean, French, Spanish and contemporary look. Performance in hurricanes is satisfactory, but difficult to repair. If tiles get cracked or broken, it can allow wind-driven rain to cause more roof leaks.
I don't know of an "Eco-Roof" yet but it might be a consideration if you're so inclined.
Eco-Roofs are flat to moderate sloping roofs made of soil (lightweight soil) with a vegetation cover. The ultimate "Green" roof which could possibly grow your own vegetables! While this type of roof has the potential of becoming the ultimate environmental roof, it could surely help save our planet! I haven't see this type of roof used on beach cottages yet but don't see why this couldn't be something to consider, if you have the means and location. One company in England is a specialist in "greenroofs" -
Greenfix Sky-Garden Grass could even be grown on raised parking decks - making it possible to run barefoot in the grass at the beach, or even have your own ultra-private "yard." However, be sure to use a push mower.
Slate is a roofing material used in very high-end markets.
Use of slate requires highly trained workers and a lot of money. Like clay tile, slate is also heavy and easily damaged by foot traffic. Slate will out-last most roofing materials and will hold up to hurricanes extremely well.
Greenstone Slate in Poultney, VT have a Notice Of Acceptance (NOA) from Miami-Dade County, FL that states their "Greenstone Roofing Slate-Natural" meets their High Velocity Hurricane Zone. Slate will not rust, milder, rot or burn. Repairs are however sometimes very costly.
Sometimes, mixing different roofing materials might give you the look you want as well as saving money. I have added metal roofs to small porches or decorative gable dormers while using fiberglass-asphalt on the main roof of a house. This has been a good compromise in some cases.
No matter what roof material you choose, I recommend you pick a light color. Because the solar radiation from lighter roofs would help cool our planet better, and save on your cooling costs. Dark colored roofing is very fashionable, for now, but I see a time where fashion will give way to environmental needs in the very near future. The new fashion trend nowadays seems to be heading toward being "green." That's a good thing, even if it's the "In" thing! Galvalume galvanized roofing is one of the best solar reflectors and requires less to cool in those hot summers. The best roof angle in studies seems to be a slope of around 30 degrees, or about a 6/12 pitch. Any other roof angle will add to wind uplift. Select a roofing material with a Class-A Fire Rating. Select a roofing that has the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Wind-Resistant Rating.
Therefore, as I said in the beginning, it all depends... on what architectural look you're after, how much money you have to spend, how much you want to gamble, and how fast you want the roof repaired after a storm. Choose wisely.
Dennis Mercer
A product made by Custom-Bilt Metals called LAST-TIME® is a metal roof with a premium two-coat system based on the same 70 percent PDVF (PolyvinylFluoride) resin-based coating system supplied as Kynar 500® material to coat any LAST-TIME® brand product.
“Cool Roof coatings are highly reflective, with a minimum solar reflectance of 25 percent, and up to 70 percent on lighter colors. When applied and cured on properly prepared substrates, a Cool Roof exhibits outstanding color stability, chalk resistance, durability, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance and flexibility while also providing outstanding solar heat deflection and energy efficiency.” This product qualifies for Energy Star® Tax Credit. And Earns Certification points with The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™. Therefore, if you want to save energy AND have a colored metal roof, you can use the Titan® “COOL ROOF.” However, I can’t figure out how a penguin could climb up on that metal roof.
