With countless buildings around the globe, the variety of roof types is immense. This article will focus on the most common residential roof styles, and touch upon a few commercial styles for good measure. Crucially, at the end of each section, we’ll recommend the ideal solar mounting solution for each roof type, ensuring your solar installation is both efficient and secure.
Pitched vs. Flat Roofs: Understanding the Fundamentals
When it comes to roof slope, every structure generally falls into one of two main categories: Pitched or Flat. While unique designs like domes or octagons exist, for our discussion, we’ll focus on these more typical roof configurations.
What distinguishes a roof as pitched or flat? And how much variation exists within these parameters? Pitched roofs always feature a peak – they’re the classic triangular roofs a child might draw. Flat roofs, while often associated with commercial buildings, are increasingly common in residential applications too. The key is that they’re never truly flat; they maintain a slight slope to ensure rainwater effectively drains off the roof.
Both roof styles offer distinct pros and cons regarding installation and maintenance costs. Flat roofs are typically less expensive and simpler to install upfront, but their lower slope can make them prone to leaks, necessitating more routine maintenance. Pitched roofs, on the other hand, are more complex to build initially, but generally incur lower long-term maintenance costs as environmental wear and tear tends to slide right off. Once the roof’s slope is determined, the next crucial decision is the roofing material.
Today’s market offers a vast array of roofing materials, each providing a spectrum of aesthetic and functional outcomes. Metal, tile, composite, and new-age rubber roofs are just a few of the most common types found in modern construction. Let’s begin with one of the most widespread roofing materials in residential applications: composite shingle roofing.
Common Roof Types & Solar Mounting Solutions
Composite Roofs (Asphalt Shingles)
Composite roofs, most commonly seen as asphalt shingle roofing, are a blend of bitumen and granules. They are widely used on both pitched and (less commonly) flat roofs. Architectural, or dimensional, shingles are particularly recognisable for their varied textures and layered appearance, while rolled asphalt is a common alternative, often found on commercial buildings. These roofs strike an excellent balance between aesthetics, lifecycle, and cost, contributing to their widespread popularity.
Popular manufacturers like GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning offer a vast array of options. The versatility of asphalt shingles means they can achieve a clean, classic look or offer newer styles that truly make a roof stand out.
Most asphalt shingle roofs typically last 25-30 years. While patching can extend their life, a well-maintained composite shingle roof can sometimes reach up to 50 years, though this is at the very high end of its potential lifespan. Homeowners in regions with heavy wind often favour this type of roofing because it is securely fastened to the roof with factory-included adhesives and then reinforced with nails or staples.
Solar Mounting Solution for Composite Roofs:
For solar installers, composite roofing materials generally offer the simplest installation conditions. Modern solutions often involve mounts that go over the shingle, like the popular QuickBOLT QB2. Historically, installers had to lift shingles to install sheet metal flashings, risking weakening or damaging existing shingles. Thankfully, this is becoming a thing of the past with newer, less invasive mounting methods.
Tile Roofs
Tile roofs are a popular roofing material, particularly admired for their aesthetics and impressive longevity. However, the curved styles can be quite fragile to work with if you’re inexperienced.
“Spanish tile” roofs are a dominant feature in the southwestern United States due to the region’s historical architectural styles and climate. The hot, dry conditions are perfect for the material (whether concrete or clay), while high winds and snow are less common, which suits tile well. In areas outside the southwest, especially those prone to tornadoes, you’ll find tile roofing to be quite rare. Traditional tile roofs often lack any direct fastening methods, relying instead on the sheer weight of the tiles to keep them in place.
Tile roofs can be more expensive than composite roofs, primarily due to their extended lifecycles and the manufacturing process, which often requires more raw materials. When properly installed and maintained, tiles can last 100 years, and often longer!
Curved tiles are notoriously delicate once installed; a common adage is that “if you look at them the wrong way, tiles will crack.” A little attention and experience go a long way when working on tile roofs.
Solar Mounting Solution for Tile Roofs:
This fragility is especially relevant in solar mounting, as installers need to navigate the roof carefully and install mounts without damaging tiles. Historically, the most common way to install solar on tile roofs was to drill directly through the tile to reach the underlying structure and install standoffs. This method was very prone to cracking tiles. The industry has largely shifted towards tile hooks, which sit under the tile. QuickBOLT helped pave the way for this change, simplifying the process for installers. The only modification to the tile required is often a small grind to allow the tiles to rest flush on the hooks.
Metal Roofs
The metal roofing category boasts the largest variety of styles. Metal roofs come in countless shapes and configurations, manufactured using a wide range of methods, and are equally at home in both residential and commercial applications, similar to composite roofing.
Their durability, varied cost options, and impressive lifecycle make them an increasingly popular choice for roofing. Popular panel styles for regions that receive snow include trapezoidal, standing seam, split seam, ribbed, and corrugated metal. These are favoured for their ease of installation and ability to allow snow melt and rain to run off the roof easily.
Adjacent subcategories of metal roofing options include stamped metal tiles and stone-coated steel metal roof panels. These are metal tiles designed to imitate other roofing materials like composites, concrete tile, and clay tile, offering the aesthetics of traditional materials with the benefits of metal.
Popular roofing manufacturers include Decra, Boral, and Isaiah Industries (aka Classic Metal Roofing).
Solar Mounting Solution for Metal Roofs:
When it comes to solar mounting hardware, QuickBOLT proudly holds the title of an industry standard for mounting solutions. Their mounts were often designed in close collaboration with leading metal roofing manufacturers.
Rubber Roofs (Membrane Roofing)
Rubber roofs are a classic choice most commonly found in commercial roofing applications. These roofs can be made of EPDM, TPO, or other popular polymers. Typically, you would see these roofs installed in rolled sheets that are adhered together to form a highly waterproof seal.
Today, manufacturers are also offering options for residential rubber roofs that are designed to imitate other roofing styles, providing versatility and durability for homeowners.
Foam Roofs
Foam roofing, while not as common as other types, is a newer roofing material gaining traction. It’s often chosen for its ease of installation, durability, and relatively lower cost. This type of roof typically involves spraying a layer of polyurethane foam directly onto the roof deck, which then expands and hardens, creating a seamless, insulating, and waterproof layer.