The roof is a prominent feature of a house's facade, and new cladding will vastly improve its appearance. But should you opt for tiles or corrugated metal for your roof replacement? Here are some tips to help you decide.

Weight

A roof can be quite heavy depending on the material used. Metal is lighter than terracotta and concrete tiles, so it puts a building under less stress. If you currently have a tile roof, the house is structurally strong enough to support tiles or metal. However, if your current roof is metal, the house may need reinforcement if you want to use tiles, which are heavier. The weight of the roof cladding is especially important for large houses.

Appearance

A preference for the look of one or the other—tiles versus corrugated metal—is personal. However, when picking a material, consider the architecture and style of the house. Some heritage houses are better suited to tiles, though corrugated metal is also used in period houses, having been around for decades.

If you want a modern aesthetic, you might prefer corrugated metal. It can be set at extreme angles for a geometrical design, and metal can even be bent for rounded structures. In any case, tiles can look contemporary too, especially if you choose flat, straight-edged, sleek tiles.

Both metal and tiles come in plenty of colours, traditional and modern, to coordinate a roof with a building. Thus, it may come down to you preferring the look of one over the other and blending the roof with the wall cladding.

Thermal Performance

Something you should consider when picking a roofing material is how it will deal with the weather, especially the heat. Corrugated metal is not a bulky material that absorbs heat as concrete and terracotta do. Instead, metal tends to let the heat pass through, which can make a building underneath hot on a summer's day. You can use insulation underneath the metal sheeting to counteract this. Or, you can install metal with a heat-reflective coating.

Terracotta and concrete tiles react differently to heat than metal. These tiles absorb solar heat, blocking it from entering your house immediately. However, the heat will eventually be released from the tiles hours later. This is likely to make your house hotter during the night.

While you may welcome this if you live in a climate with cold nights, it is probably not what you want on a hot night. In any case, as with metal, tiles can be treated to reflect heat away from a house before they have a chance to absorb it. 

For more info about roof replacement, contact a local company.