The roof is one of the most essential component of a mobile home's structure. Single and double-wide house roofs endure snow, rain, heat, hail storms, ice, trees, windstorms, hurricanes. tornados, and let us not forget critters. Your roof doesn't only shield the structure below. It also provides a safe harbor for your family, which is the roofs most essential function. Mobile homes may be equipped with a few different varieties of roofing material. Most mobile home roofs will be manufactured with asphalt shingles or metal. Asphalt shingles are the most ideal type of roof material to use when the home has a high pitch. This is also known as a high slope roof. Most mobile home roofing systems in the past were made with flat roofs or low slope roofs. Today homeowners are deciding to opt for roofs with a higher slope for a few good reasons. Flat roofs do not drain water away from the house like high slope roofs. Flat roofs also have a shorter life cycle for this reason. Rainwater has the potential to pool up on a flat roof. This can result in roof leaks and also speed up the need for a roof over. There is also cosmetic reasons to go with a high slope roof. This style of roof will give your mobile home a more modern look while still providing exceptional protection for the rest of the home. Often times your roof is the culprit when it comes to your house not being energy efficient. A house that is not properly insulated will cost you a lot more in heating oil, electricity, and energy costs. This starts with the roof. Heat rises to the top. If your roof is not insulated, you will always find yourself raising the thermostat in your home to keep it warm. Most mobile home roofs are insulated with fiberglass or spray foam. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to making decisions about your mobile home roofing.
Before you go for a total roof replacement, you should check to see its possible to repair your manufactured home roofing system. Usually membrane roofs like TPO and EPDM can be repaired. Most mobile home roofs in The U.S. are assembled with a metal or rubber roof. We will begin by discussing metal roofs first. When roofing contractors refer to metal roofs, they usually are referring to using aluminum. Aluminum is a preferred building material due to its versatility. It can accommodate roofs of high and low inclines. Aluminum is lightweight and very strong. Most standing seam roof structures are constructed out of aluminum. Aluminum roofs usually carry long manufacturer's warranties. They are easy for a roofer to install and require little servicing. When you are re-roofing your mobile home, you can also install insulation at areas that need it. If you are installing a metal roof over your existing roof, it is common practice for roofers to add insulation between your original and new roof. This saves money down the road, because the new insulation will help prevent drafts and help you maintain the temperature in your house. Adding insulation to your metal or asphalt roof is also important to reduce ice damming. Ice damming is when layers of ice form in the gap between your gutter system and your roofing shingles. Ice damming results in water accumulating on your roof; because of the waters inability to drain correctly in to your gutters.
With new innovation advances, it is encouraged to avoid using flat roofs on your mobile home. Flat mobile home roofs are synonomous with roof leaks. They are more susceptible to having problems. Among the problems with flat roofs is bad drainage. Water has the tendency to gather and pool on flat surfaces. On a roofing surface like shingles or metal, this can lead to a roofs early degeneration. Flat roofs also have a larger surface area that is subjected to the sun's heat. That is why you should opt for a material like TPO that has strong reflective attributes. Rubber asphalt roofs also have a tendency to bubble due to the heat. This can result in roof leaks and ripples in the roofs exterior lining requiring repair.
Most newer mobile homes are designed with pitched roof systems. The top roof building materials of choice today are metal or asphalt shingles. Shingles have become the roof replacement material of choice for most non commercial applications. Shingles are relatively easy to install, they can last 25-30 years, and they add an aesthetic beauty to your home improvement project. A shingle roof can have more than just one layer. Your mobile home may not require a whole new roofing replacement. If you presently have asphalt shingles. It is possible to add an additional layer of shingles to your original roof. This is normally done to repair leaks when asphalt roofs near the end of their useful life. TPO is one more option. TPO is a roofing membrane that is used on both high and low slope roofs. It is reflective, affordable, and easy for a contractor to install. It is commonly regarded as rubber roofing. Usually you will have two roofing options. Either repair your roof or replace your roof. The installation costs of the roof will differ depending on materials used, the roofing contractor, and the type and size of the roof. Although roof cost is important, it is not advisable to cut costs here. A roof poorly installed can lead to a frequent demand for roof repair. This is why we don't suggest rolled rubber roofing for your mobile home.
Mobile home rubber roof coatings are an easy solution to keep your mobile home air-conditioned. This process entails adding a elastomeric coating to your roof to reflect the suns heat. This will help you with air conditioner costs. This also helps keep your roof from suffering from roof leaks because this material will bond to the existing roof surface to keep water out. When this liquid rubber is applied around protrusions like mobile home roof vents and chimneys, it will perform like flashing. It is customarily applied with a brush. Doing this is a necessity for mobile homes with flat roofs. Most roof coatings will be asphalt based. One other roof coating choice is latex. Latex has shown to be a more reflective coating roof material than asphalt. Latex will require the use of a primer prior to applying the actual coating. It is advised that you reapply a roof coating to your flat roof every few years to sustain its integrity.
Any roofing system that you choose for your mobile home will need a regular repair and maintenance plan. You need to consult with your roofing contractor and find out about your roofing possibilities. It isn't advisable to do a roof replacement yourself. Whether you should use asphalt shingles, rubber roofing, or metal roofing on your mobile home will most likely be dependent on your surrounding weather conditions, the quality and experience of your roofer, and how much money you are wanting to spend. This overview should be able to give you some assistance.