The cost of asphalt shingles is directly tied to that of oil and consequently

Tag : petroleum asphalt
The use of concrete roof tile is standardpractice in the Sunbelt areas of the U.S., but in most areas of theU.S., asphalt shingles are still the most common roofing material.This trend is changing however as non-traditional roof tile marketsare seeing the distinct advantages of concrete roof tile versusasphalt shingles.

Asphalt shingles, with their inherently low life cycle and thenegative environmental impacts associated with the disposal of theproduct, are also a petroleum-based product. Since asphalt iscreated from crude oil, the cost of asphalt shingles is directlytied to that of oil and consequently, as oil prices rise, so do theprice of asphalt shingles. These factors, as well as the superioraesthetics of concrete roof tile, are reasons for the increasingoccurrence of asphalt to tile conversion in many markets across thecountry.
Boise, Idaho is one of the markets where builders are convertingfrom asphalt to concrete roof tile. Shiloh Development in Boisebuilds 15 to 20 custom and semi-custom homes a year and they haveconverted most of their work to concrete tile.

Shiloh Development's homes have stucco exteriors so the roof tilematches the homes better than asphalt. Additionally, the longevityof the product is a key point in the sales of the homes and theupgraded aesthetics draws the attention of potential buyers.

"Potential homeowners like the look of the roofs, and the longevityand durability of the product is a great selling point," said DanAppel, owner of Shiloh Development. "Tile is coming up in thismarket and I see it as a trend that will continue," he added.
Dave Evans Construction in Boise -- a commercial builderspecializing in light custom commercial such as office building andoffice parks -- builds approximately 30 projects a year and usestile on 95% of the projects. Dale Evans Construction startedconverting all of their projects to MonierLifetile in 2002.

With MonierLifetile as their standard roof material, they are ableto build fairly economically because the roofs are pitched asopposed to flat. When clients query about metal or asphalt, DaveEvans Construction dissuades them from the choices by talking aboutthe benefits of tile. While asphalt costs a little less, metal isat the same price point as tile. The long-term benefits of tilecoupled with the low life cycle cost compared to other asphalt andmetal make the choice a well-reasoned one for Dale EvansConstruction.

The MonierLifetile roofs help create a unique look for Dave EvansConstruction's projects. "The look definitely sets us apart inBoise," said Rob Powell, Architect for Dave Evans Construction. Themaintenance issue is also a selling point. "It's nice to hand abuilding over to a client knowing how durable and low maintenancethe roof is," said Robbie Miller of Dave Evans Construction. "And,if there is ever a need to replace a few tiles, it can be done veryeasily," added Robbie. "It also helps that we have an excellentroofing partner in Boise -- Rex Beaver -- to work with," he said.