{ THE ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD: DECISIONS }

...a new roof demands decisions:  who do we hire?  is that the right price?  can we actually afford that?  do we fix the fascia ourselves?  what about the porch? what color should the drip edge be?  do we install gutters?*  …and the much discussed:  what roof covering do we want? and what color should it be? 

…we knew we wanted simple clean lines and the best possible quality.  so, after contemplating a standing seam metal roof, we happily opted for flat cement tile.  the flat tile provided the clean look, was slightly better for our wallet, and more in line with the house’s integrity and Mr. Ungaro’s vision.  next was color; for us, there were only three options: white, charcoal, or somewhere in between; the latter being the favorite.  in spite of instantly envisioning a gray roof, we still outweighed our options. 

…although white was the original tile color and also highly energy efficient, South Florida weather and abundant vegetation are not favorable to white roofs.  they require a great deal of maintenance, which meant having to pressure clean the roof every six months to avoid fines from code enforcement.  charcoal roofs on the other hand, excel at hiding dirt and are absolutely beautiful, but are not at all energy efficient in this area.  leaving us—not surprisingly—somewhere in between…

…for the most part—in South Florida—flat gray tiles are not popular; and solid gray roofs are even rarer.  gray roofs, almost always, have what I call “variation” in color and roofers call “blend.”  after explaining what we wanted, we were given these two samples: stone mountain blend and natural gray.

…the difference in the samples was so minimal that few people (mostly architects) would notice or even care.  however, the slight variation ranges from tile to tile, so as a whole the roof could potentially look like this: 

 ...photo courtesy of http://www.monierlifetile.com/

…so, even though stone mountain blend sounded fancier, we knew our decision to stick to natural gray would be just right!



*answers form above:  Istueta Roofing.  it is, if you want good quality and service.  barely.  no, let the pros do it.  let them handle that too.  white.  still under debate.