Tips for a Weather-Resistant Roof Design in Nebraska

If you own a home in Nebraska and are replacing your roof, then take this opportunity to choose a brand new roof design. If your roof failed sooner than expected even with proper maintenance, then the roof design may have been the wrong choice for the Nebraska climate.

Since Nebraska weather consists of cold, snowy winters followed by hot summers when temperatures often soar into the 90s, you need a roof that is resistant to all extreme weather conditions. 

Read on to learn how to design a new roof that withstands high heat just as well as it withstands extreme winter weather conditions. 

Choose an All-Weather Roof Material

You may struggle to choose a roof material that can withstand extreme winter weather as well as sky-high summer temperatures. Some roof materials that are very heat-resistant, such as clay, are easily damaged by snow and freezing temperatures while some snow-friendly roof materials are easily damaged by the sun’s super-hot UV rays. 

Three roof materials that are resistant to all types of weather conditions are asphalt shingles, concrete tiles, and metal roofs.

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are affordable and durable enough to withstand all weather extremes. However, since typical asphalt shingles can dry out and become brittle when exposed to the sun’s hot UV rays, choose asphalt shingles equipped with a UV-reflective coating that blocks the sun’s UV rays.

Concrete Tiles

Concrete tiles are also affordable and resistant to all weather conditions. Concrete offers superior home insulation during the summer, keeping your home cooler. During the winter, these tiles are not easily damaged by freeze-thaw weather cycles because their non-porous nature does not allow water to penetrate into them.

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs are rarely damaged by extremely high temperatures and cold winter weather conditions. Metal is non-porous, which helps this material withstand winter weather fluctuations without damage. In addition, metal roofs are very reflective, and when metal reflects the sun’s heat away from your home in the summer, your home stays cooler. 

Pick a Winter-Friendly Roof Shape

When choosing your roof shape, keep winter-friendliness in mind. Your roof’s biggest enemy in the summer is the hot sun, and no roof shape is better at preventing sun damage than another. However, the right roof shape can prevent extensive snow accumulation that can cause your roof to buckle and ice dam damage formation that can also greatly damage your roof and home.

The two best roof shapes for areas of the country with heavy snow accumulation are gable roofs and hip roofs. A gable roof is made of two simple sloping sides, while a hip roof is made up of four sloping sides. Snow, ice, and water can easily slide down these slopes to prevent excessive snow accumulation and ice dam formation.

The best roof pitch for your home depends on the roof material you choose. Your roofing professional can suggest a pitch that will allow snow to slide off your roof quickly, yet not so quickly that it causes large snow slides that can be hazardous to people walking outside your home. 

Also, when building a roof in a snowy climate, limit the width of roof overhangs to less than 20 inches wide. You likely do not want to eliminate roof overhangs completely because they do protect the exterior of your home from rain water damage and shade the exterior of your home from the sun’s hot UV rays during the summer.

However, especially with metal roofs, wide roof overhangs can contribute to ice dam formation that can jeopardize the integrity of your roof. 

Follow these tips to choose a new roof design that is resistant to all extreme weather conditions in the state of Nebraska. Contact the roofing experts at Done Right Home Improvements, to schedule new roof installation today.