Architects have created many styles of roofs over the centuries, and you love your roof not just for its utility but for its beauty and how it complements the rest of your house and even the surrounding property. On the other hand, you may like to add some modern touches to it that won’t affect its overall character. Here are some things to consider.
Install Unobtrusive Solar Panels and Solar Tiles
You might want to invest in solar energy, but you find the large and heavy solar panels on other people’s roofs off-putting. But now, you can install lightweight solar panels that are, if not invisible, hard to see against the black or dark gray shingles of your roof. There are even solar shingles or tiles. These are proper roof tiles that protect your house from the weather while bringing the electricity. Though they’re a bit pricey to install depending on the size of your roof, solar tiles are a solution to consider if you’re having your roof replaced, a new home built or you have a homeowner’s association that doesn’t allow aesthetically unappealing solar panels.
Use High-Tech Synthetic Shingles
Shingles made of clay can be so heavy that your roof needs to be reinforced to hold them. They’re also subject to cracking, and they need a roofer with specialized skills to install and repair them. Wood shingles and shakes are beautiful but don’t last as long as other roof materials. In the past, homeowners opted for synthetic shingles that mimicked these materials. The problem was that they were obviously fake. Newer shingles are made out of polymers that recreate the textures and colors of traditional roofing materials with amazing accuracy. You’ll not only have the benefits of clay tiles, cedar shakes or even slate, but your roof will have more impact, fire and UV resistance even as it needs less maintenance.
Paint It Black
Another touch for vintage roofs that homeowners may not have considered is to paint the trim of your home some shade of black. This contrasts with the timeless beauty of the roof. You or a professional painter can paint the frames and mullions of dormer windows as well as the gutters, soffits and fascia.
Add a Suntube
While skylights can bring floods of light into a room, some homeowners may find them too disruptive to the design of their roof to install. One option is a suntube, or a suntunnel. This is actually a rigid or flexible tube capped by a clear dome at the top and a ceiling diffuser at the bottom. Suntubes brighten otherwise dark spaces such as a back hallway, and they’re less expensive and faster to install than a skylight.
Adding modern touches to your roof without uglifying it is quite doable. There’s no reason vintage style and 21st-century technology must be incompatible. If you live in Syracuse, NY or a surrounding area and need roof replacement services, make your first call to Forte Roofing.
