GAF Timberline HD Shakewood
So you’re considering investing in a new roof for your home, and you have no idea what color to go with. Ideally you’ll want to work with your – hopefully licensed and insured – contractor to go over your options. Shingle manufacturers offer a variety of colors, but often some are specific to certain regions of the country. Here are some tips for finding the best color to go with your home.
Before you can pick a color, you need to figure out which type of shingle you’re going to use, as colors often vary by brand. We recommend a solid 3-dimensional or architectural shingle from a reputable company like GAF or CertainTeed; they are rated for much greater wind resistance that 3-tab shingles, many of them now carry lifetime warranties, and they leave your roof with a nice textured look as opposed to the flat 3-tab style. It may add $200 – $300 to the bottom line, but it’ll be well worth it every time you pull in the driveway and see your new roof.
If you have a contractor, he/she should provide you with some materials from different shingle manufacturers, pamphlets and brochures which outline the different colors are available in the style of shingle you’ve decided on. Have him drop off some shingle samples of colors you might be interested in, for example Weathered Wood and Heather Blend. He will be able to provide you with sample boards of each shingle color, or 1 or 2 actual shingles of each color. You’re going to be looking at this roof every time you pull into the driveway for the next 30 years, so you definitely want to see actual shingles beforehand and not just a picture of them online.
If you don’t currently have a roofing contractor, you can contact a local roofing supplier and they will not only be able to help you with the samples, but they’ll also be able to recommend a good contractor as well. Roofing suppliers are the companies that sell materials to roofing companies, so the people working behind the counter there are going to be up-to-date on the latest roofing information, as well as have quality recommendations for you in terms of a contractor.
If you are unfamiliar with roofing suppliers in your area, simply go to http://www.maps.google.com and enter “roofing supplier” along with your city and state, and it should provide a list of nearby suppliers. If you want to find a quality contractor without dealing with a supplier, check out http://www.certainteed.com, and you’ll be able to look up certified roofing contractors by zip code. A contractor certified by CertainTeed may even be able to provide you with additional warranty benefits if CertainTeed shingles are used.
Planning on doing it yourself? You can use GAF’s Virtual Home Remodeler or CertainTeed’s ColorView to view virtual homes with the optional shingle colors, or you can use a picture of your own home and you can visualize what your home will look like with the new color.
