Asphalt shingles are the most popular choice of roofing material nationwide, but homeowners looking for an upgrade often gravitate toward cedar shake roofing. Cedar shakes are hand-cut pieces of cedar wood that are popular among homeowners for their natural textured appearance, which many favor over the uniform look of shingles.
If you’re ready to replace your roof in the Twin Cities area, you may want to consider making the change to a cedar shake roof. Continue reading if you’d like to learn more about this type of roofing and the benefits it can bring to your home.
Benefits of Cedar Shake Roofing in the Twin Cities Area
The most obvious benefit of installing a cedar shake roof is the natural beauty it will bring to your home. Cedar shakes have a timeless, rustic aesthetic that is an ideal match for almost any style of home in any location. Highly customizable, cedar shakes are available in many different thicknesses and textures, allowing them to create the perfect personalized look for your home in the Twin Cities metro area.
Beyond its appearance, cedar shake roofing has several practical advantages over traditional asphalt shingle roofing. One of the biggest is its longevity. A well-maintained asphalt shingle roof will last from 15 years to 30 on the high end. With some maintenance, a cedar shake roof can retain both its integrity and its appearance for 30 to 50 years. Cedar shake roofing is also highly resilient to weather damage, holding up against hail and strong winds much better than asphalt shingles do. Because cedar shakes are specially treated, they are also resistant to fire, water, insects, and rot.
A cedar shake roof is also an eco-friendly and energy efficient choice for your home in the Twin Cities metro. Cedar shakes have insulating qualities that can have a huge impact on the interior temperature of your home. With a cedar shake roof installed, you’ll probably be spending less on heating costs during winter and cooling expenses in summer. Cedar shakes are also renewable, biodegradable materials that can be manufactured with less energy expenditure than other roofing materials
How Much Does It Cost to Install a Cedar Shake Roof?
The biggest downside to cedar shake roofing is that it is much more expensive than asphalt shingles are. While the final cost will vary based on the size of your roof, cedar shakes typically cost $6-12 per square foot on average, with treated shakes running up higher expenses. By contrast, basic asphalt shingles only cost $1-2 per square foot, with more premium asphalt shingles sometimes costing up to $6 per square foot.
The average size of a residential roof in the U.S. is 1,700 square feet; the cost of cedar shake roofing to cover this space will be around $10,000 to $20,000 for the materials alone. The cost of labor for cedar shake roof installation tends to be about 2-3x higher as well. These expenses are the reason a majority of Twin Cities homeowners choose cheaper asphalt shingle roofing.
However, there’s another angle to consider here. Cedar shake roofs may be more expensive than asphalt shingle roofs, but they also last twice as long or more with proper maintenance. The cost of a single cedar shake roof installation that lasts 50 years will likely be lower than two or three asphalt shingle roof replacements in that same timespan; important to note if you’re planning to live in a house for decades.
Looking for Cedar Shake Roof Installation in the Twin Cities?
At Incline Exteriors, we have the skill and expertise needed to install splendid cedar shake roofs that will stand the test of time. Call us today if you’re interested in cedar shake roof installation in the greater Twin Cities area!