Choosing a roofing material for your home is a major investment. Different materials not only reflect taste and character but are one your home’s biggest lines of defense against the elements.
Not all roofing materials are created equally. Products such as Impact-Resistant shingles and wooden shakes can have a dramatic effect on not only the quality of your roof but the insurance premiums for your home as well. So how can these materials affect your home?
Roofing Materials Insurance that Drive Down Premiums
The higher the quality of construction, the more likely a material will affect your insurance premiums in a positive way.
Impact Resistant Shingles
Reputable roofing material manufacturers such as GAF and CertainTeed produce a wide range of impact resistant roofing products. These asphalt shingles are reinforced with fiberglass creating a more rigid product. They are put through a series of rigorous tests including a simulation hail test with a steel ball and subjected to 140 mile an hour gusts in a wind tunnel. These tests are conducted by Underwriter Laboratories, a third party company. Only after several samples pass these tests can they be designated as “Class 4” impact-resistant by UL.
Other roofing materials that have been proven to stand up to fires may also lower insurance cost. These types of materials are called Class A materials and they are certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
These qualified materials are most costly on the initial installation but can pay for themselves in the long run. Depending on where you live and other factors insurance companies may take anywhere from five to thirty percent off of your premium. In some cases insurance companies will not even write policies for wooden roofs.
Roofing Materials that May Add Costs
Most of the average roofing materials such as 3-tab shingles will neither lower or raise your insurance premiums depending on what region you live in. Wood shakes and shingles can sometimes raise the cost of premiums. In areas prone to wildfire wooden roofing materials create a potential fire hazard.
To find out about different roofing materials and their potential to save you money contact one of our roofing experts today.
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