Tag: living roofs

The Average Cost of Replacing a Roof

As a homeowner, replacing the roof on your home can be one of the most expensive upgrades that you will make over the course of your owning a home.

What determines the price of a roof?

The type of roofing material is a large part of the cost of your roof, but the size, accessibility, pitch, roof height, removal of the old roof, as well as other factors are also used when calculating the cost.

On average, the price of a new roof can run anywhere from $4500 all the way up to $50,000 or more for high end roofs.

Most roofers charge by the roofing square, this is equal to 100 square feet (a 10 by 10 foot area).

Why does the roof pitch affect the price of a new roof?

The slope or pitch of your roof affects the price because this dictates how easy it is for the roofers to work on your roof.  Will they need a harness because of the steep pitch?  Or does your roof have a gentle slope which allows for them stack materials directly on the roof and work without a lot of safety equipment.

Why does accessibility matter?

This is a part of labor costs that many people don’t think about, if roofers can drive a truck loaded with materials directly beside the house, then loading and unloading just got a lot easier.  But if a lot of their time is spent carrying materials, supplies, and tools back and forth from the truck, you will see this reflected in the cost of the roof.

Roofing materials also determine the price

We have a couple of articles that you might want to read about the different types of roofs to consider:

Tile Roofing

Metal Roofing

Shingle Roofing

Green Roofs

Other costs to keep in mind

If you’re replacing a roof with damage from hail, water, or other things, remember that the damage might go further than you think.  After the old roof has come off, the roofers might find other damage that will need to be addressed before the new roof can go on.  Plan your budget accordingly.

Green Wall & Green Roof 101

House building technology is ever growing and changing, sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with the new methods and options available to the custom home builder.  Two terms that have been thrown around lately are “green wall” and “green roof”.  Today, we’ll take a quick look at what exactly is a green wall and if there any notable benefits for home owners in South Texas.

Green Wall

A green wall (also known as a living wall) is a wall that is covered first in a growing material such as soil that then seeded or planted with plants that either fully or partially cover it.  Green walls are typically built with a watering system integrated into the design.  Found outdoors and indoors, green walls can be attached to existing walls or can stand on their own and come in all shapes and sizes.  Green walls are popular for public spaces, but are also becoming an attractive and eco-friendly home feature.

Green Roof

A green roof (also known as a living roof) may just look like a rooftop garden but it is actually specially engineered to be able to support the weight, life, and growth of plants.  Coming in three categories: intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive, green roofs come on a scale of difficult to maintain to self-sustaining and practically maintenance free.

Benefits

Green walls and roofs are a way to replace lost greenery in urban settings.  This can reduce air pollution, and help keep cities cooler.  Dense urban areas tend to be hotter than rural areas and green walls and roofs absorb heat from the sun instead of re-emitting it.  Green roofs and walls also absorb and filter rainwater, this decreases surface runoff which reduces flooding and helps to keep pollutants out of water reservoirs.  A green roof is a great insulator because it keeps a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer, this means that your house won’t require as much energy to heat and cool it.

If you’re interested in learning more about green walls and roofs, talk to your custom home builder.  They’ll know how to strengthen your home’s structure to support the additional weight of a green roof, or where a green wall would work well in your home.