Many people dream of owning their own home and refurbishing it to their own tastes and standards. Although decorating the interior of your home is very important, you also need to make sure that you have a good roof installed. A roof doesn't just make your home more presentable but it's also very practical. A leaking roof can cause all sorts of problems with damp, mold, and wood rot. So it's important that you buy a type of roofing material that not only looks nice but also will protect your home from wind and rain. There are so many types of roofing to buy including slate, tiles, corrugated iron and even wooden shingles.

This article is simply an introduction to some of the things you need to be aware of when thinking about having cedar shingles installed. There is a lot more you should be aware of including how to get rid of mold and moss plus how to keep it clean without damaging the shingles.

Wood shingles, along with wood shakes can be produced out of a different variety of woods. You can find them in spruce, pine, chestnut, oak and even cedar which is the most common type. They look really beautiful and are simple to install, plus they will last for 50 to 60 years as long as you look after them well.

Although they look really beautiful and many suppliers will tell you all about their benefits, it's important that you understand that they aren't fire proof. Plus some insurance companies really don't like them because of this and will increase your insurance premium. However there are shingles available which have been pressure treated so that they have either a B or C class fire resistance rating. This is something you should really think over if you live somewhere that often suffers from fires such as California.

Cedar shingles are best to be installed on a pitched roof because when it snows or rains, the precipitation will run off the roof easier. If you have a flat roof you will find that rain and snow will collect on your roof causing extra weight and damp.

The cost of cedar shingles are quite reasonable however the prices can vary greatly depending on what quality you buy, the size and also the fire-resistance rating. Therefore you will see prices listed at anywhere between $50 and $350 per square foot. As with any roofing material, you should ensure that cedar shingles don't get fitted when it's raining and they should be installed from the bottom upwards to the top of your roof.

Besides fire, another problem that can happen with these shingles is that they can curl. Buying premium grade shingles will hep prevent this happening however if the nails are place too far from the edges curling can happen too. If you notice this happening you need to fix the problem otherwise you're roof may not be wind and water tight.