Think Green
Keep the cedar roof you have
Repair your cedar roof
Maintain your cedar roof
Green Roofing at its best
Two major factors that impact what to do with your roof or, in fact anything in your life, these days.
They are the cost (value) of the decision and the environmental impact on our lives by making the decision.
The bottom line is always going to come down to the dollar impact unless we are truly wealthy and altruistic in our beliefs. Most of us are not at that point in our lives. We want the best value for our investment no matter which way we decide to go with fixing our roofing concerns.
Getting past the dollar concerns, I believe it is essential that we give consideration to the environment in the decision making process.
We all know that eventually the roof on our home is going to have to be changed. But doesn’t it make sense to keep the roof intact for as long as feasibly possible?
There is a belief amongst some people that a cedar roof should be left alone until it is either rotten and falling or or until some salesman comes along and convinces the owner that the roof has too go.
Too often, in my estimation, cedar roofs are replaced that are still good or may have lasted longer if it had been looked after.
Creating and managing a consistent repair program is key to the longevity of your roof. While repairs alone will not extend the life of the roof directly, it does extend the servicibility of the roof. It will extend the roof by stopping rot from spreading unnecessarily.
Environmentally, repairing your cedar roof is worthwhile because over the long term, it reduces the amount of garbage going to the dump.
Cleaning and treating your roof with Cedar Guard Roof Treatment is also a good environmental consideration. This product is designed to feed nutrients back into the cells of the shakes and to protect the shakes from the ravages of the sun. To my knowledge, it is the only product that actually extends the life of the cedar roof available in the Lower Mainland.
Other products generally are solvent, acrylic or silicone based. They smother the roof causing the natural respiration to be inhibited or even eliminated. Respiration is absolutely necessary for the longevity of the roof. It is much like applying a suntan lotion or moisturizer to your own skin. You need to apply something that supports your skin’s ability to breathe, otherwise difficulties will ensue.
Environmentally speaking doing the full program of repairs and treatment is of great value because it keeps you in your roof for an additional 5-7 years over the repairs only scenario. That is about 1/2 more of life for the roof.
Maintaining your roof keeps the material on your roof, on your roof longer. That reduces the amount of garbage in the land fill and lets you keep your cedar roof for much longer. It reduces the number of cedar trees that need to be cut down and reduces our dependency on oil by reducing the need for more asphalt/fibreglass shkes to be manufactured.
I believe it is a win-win situation for all of us and you get to have a beautiful roof as a bonus.