Types of Roofing for New England Homes, Compared

Choosing a roof in New England comes down to three questions: how long it will last, how it handles snow and ice, and what you can spend. Here are the roofing types we see and install most around Greater Boston, with honest pros and cons. Lifespans below are typical ranges. Ventilation, installation quality and how much shade the roof gets all move the number.

Asphalt shingles

Asphalt shingles are on most houses in Massachusetts, for good reason: they're affordable, quick to install and easy to repair.

• Architectural shingles such as GAF Timberline HDZ and CertainTeed Landmark are the standard today. They're thicker and layered, better at resisting wind, and typically last 25–30 years.
• Three-tab shingles, such as GAF Royal Sovereign, are flat and cheaper, with a shorter life. We mostly use them on sheds and garages now.
• Designer shingles such as GAF Slateline and GAF Camelot II imitate slate or shake at a fraction of the cost and weight.

The weak spot of shingles in our climate is ice dams. That's why Massachusetts code requires an ice barrier (ice and water shield) along the eaves, and why good attic ventilation matters as much as the shingle you pick.

Metal roofing

Standing-seam metal roofs commonly last 40 years or more. They shed snow well, resist wind and fire, and suit both modern homes and farmhouses.

• Pros: long life, light weight, low maintenance, and they reflect summer heat.
• Cons: two to three times the cost of shingles, snow sliding off in sheets (snow guards over doors and walkways are a must), and specialist installation. Rain noise is rarely an issue over a solid deck and an insulated attic.

More detail is in our guide on how metal roofing is installed.

Slate

You see real slate on Victorian and older homes around Boston. Good hard slate can last a century or longer, and nothing looks quite like it. It's heavy, expensive, and repairs need a slate specialist. If you have a slate roof in decent shape, repairing it usually beats replacing it. If you want the look on a new roof, designer asphalt shingles get you close for far less.

Cedar shakes and shingles

Cedar is the traditional roof on Capes and coastal homes. It looks warm, weathers to gray, and lasts about 25–30 years when it's kept clean and can dry out. Shade, moss and trapped leaves shorten that a lot, and cedar roofs need more upkeep and better fire precautions than shingles.

Flat and low-slope roofs

Porches, dormers, additions and many triple-deckers have flat or nearly flat sections. Shingles don't work on these. They need a membrane:

• EPDM (rubber): proven and affordable, typically 20–30 years.
• TPO: a white, heat-welded membrane that reflects summer heat.
• Modified bitumen: the modern replacement for old tar-and-gravel roofs, and tough under foot traffic.

If you've been patching a flat roof with tar, read our guide on when roofing tar is (and isn't) the answer.

How to choose

• Best value for most homes: architectural asphalt shingles, installed with a full ice barrier and proper ventilation.
• Staying in the house for decades: metal, or keeping your slate roof in repair.
• A historic or coastal look: cedar, or designer shingles if you don't want the upkeep.
• Flat sections: a real membrane, not patches.

Whatever you choose, installation decides most of how long a roof lasts. Tear-off, deck repairs, flashing and ventilation are where cheap jobs cut corners. You can see installed prices for the shingles we use on our roofing pages, and compare low-cost options in our guide to the cheapest roofing materials. Every roof we install comes with our 15-year workmanship warranty.