In order to truly understand your roof, it is helpful to understand what kind of material is keeping you dry.
There are various media for roofing including asphalt or fibreglass laminate, metal, clay tile and several types of materials made from recycled rubbers and plastics that are very common.
This website is only concerned about cedar roofs.
In the Greater Vancouver area, cedar is the only roofing material that is of natural source. It is the only wood material approved for roofing.
There are many types of cedar shakes and shingles though. The type of shake your roof is composed of will be a major factor in determining how long your roof will last.
A general rule of thumb states that the thicker the shake the longer it will last.
This is also true if the shake is handsplit rather than tapersawn.
If the shake is pressure treated at the mill, the shake can last upwards of 50% longer than untreated.
If you would like to know more about shakes, please have a look at the powerpoint presentation on this page.
If you do not have powerpoint on your computer, you can get valuable information from the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau’s website.
Types of cedar shakes (Powerpoint 130K)