Best roofing material for rain/snow protection?

Question

We live near Seattle. It rains a lot. It snows on occasion, not usually hard. Rarely, there are windstorms and we have lots of tall trees that like to drop their branches during such storms. Our roof has a pretty normal pitch.

What roofing material would last the longest, require the least maintenance, be easy to repair, and really be the best damn investment into a home we plan to be in for a long time? Any articles you recommend we read?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Best? That's really difficult to say. That kind of depends on your budget, among other things. You could go for standing seam stainless steel, or copper. That's probably the best in the long term, it's been known, in the case of copper, to last hundreds of years with no repairs, or very few.

The principle thing you will want to do, is get a good underlayment. The self stick rubberized material is a good choice here, be sure it's the self sealing kind, that will heal itself and seal around nails and things. You might look at slate, clay barrel tiles, or a newer cement product made to look like slate. All of these options will be expensive. Before you do any of it, make sure what's underneath is in good shape and protected as best it can be. Even a thick coat of latex paint with sand sprinkled over it while wet will help the underlayment. Hire people that have lots of experience and have good references is the best advice.