When it comes to re-roofing your residential or commercial building, there are many choices for what kind of material you use. There are also a lot of factors to consider when choosing your material. Things to consider include the look the material will bring to your home, the cost, and whether or not your roof can support it. Make sure you discuss your options with a Dallas or Fort Worth roofer before making a decision.

Asphalt shingles make up roughly 90 percent of the roofing material used for homes. It is most popular for it's price, durability, and look. That doesn't mean it's the only option, of course, or even the best. It's just what suits most people's needs.

Other roofing material options include: laminated shingles, wooden shingles and shakes, slate, cement, clay, rubber or plastic membrane, build-up, various types of sheet metal, solar shingles, roll roofing, and coal tar. There are also several mixtures of multiple materials. As technology increases, more and more choices come about in the roofing industry. To find out full details about each kind and how they can help or hinder your home or business, talk to a sales rep from your Dallas or Fort Worth roofer.

Various materials give your home different looks. Some of the more used materials of the past have been wooden shingles or shakes, sheet metal, or slate. You can keep those traditions easily enough, or change them up. Asphalt is popular for it's price, so getting it will make your house fit in with the neighborhood. Wooden shingles and shakes give a more rustic look. Slate looks more refined. A tin roof may be a little more unusual in your neighborhood, but its benefits outweigh its fashion faux pah.

One huge factor to consider is price. The pricing for the various materials can range anywhere from $70 per 100 square feet to $1500 or more per 100 square feet. The most popular, being asphalt, generally runs about $100 per 100 square feet, although various makes can cost less or more. The most costly at over $1000 per 100 square feet is slate. The reason for the high price of this material is the expertise needed by a roofer to install it without damaging it.

Another thing to consider is how long will the material last. Asphalt is fairly durable for its price, but typically won't last more than 15-20 years if you're lucky. Of course, you get what you pay for. The expensive material of slate will last well into the next century. The less you need to call out a roofer, the better. But bear in mind that the roofing material may very well be on the house longer than you live there. So spending a large amount of money for a material that will last for 50+ years might not be what you want to do if you plan on moving out in the next 10.

And the final thing you should be weary of is can your roof support the material? Depending on what you get, it could be only 40 extra pounds (tin and other metal) to over half-a-ton (concrete or slate). Make sure to have your roofer check how much weight can go up before you get yourself into trouble, buried under rubble.