The roof of your home can be efficient with the right design. Though, you may want to have a natural look of stone or wood shake materials. Today, there are many options to improve your home's efficiency and still have the look of natural materials. The following roofing information will give your home a natural look and the efficiency you want:

Upgrading Thermal Barriers

The thermal barriers of your home include things like building materials and insulation. You can improve the thermal barrier when installing natural roofing materials. This can start with upgrades to the attic insulation. You may also want to insulate areas where ice dams form to reduce problems with wear due to winter weather. In addition, there are also options to update underlayments.

Using the Right Underlayments

The underlayments are another feature that you may want to upgrade for natural materials like shakes. There are several options to consider for upgrading the underlayments before installing the roof, including:

• Plywood decking with a thermal backing
• Rigid insulated sheathing for decking
• Synthetic moisture barrier

The right underlayments will help protect natural materials from damage and improve efficiency. Therefore, they are an important aspect of your roof when installing shakes or other natural materials.

Natural Materials for Your Roof

There are several options for natural roofing materials that can be installed on your home. The natural materials that can be installed for roofing on your home include:

• Natural hand-split wood shake roofing
• Stone and slate tile roofing
• Natural green roofing with soil and plants

Options like shake roofing can be an affordable solution. Shake roofing is also a great choice if you want to replace asphalt shingles with more natural roofing material.

Synthetic Alternatives with a Natural Look

There are also synthetic alternatives that you may want to consider. These materials can have a natural look of shake or stone and provide you with a long-lasting roof. Alternatives to natural materials that you may want to consider for your roof include:

• Metal tiles that look like slate or wood shakes
• Composite tiles that look like slate or shakes
• Architectural shingles that look like shake roofing

The options like composite slate tiles are also more affordable than natural stone materials. Composite tile materials are a great solution for alternatives to costly natural slate roofing.  

The right roof design will give your home a natural look and efficiency. Contact a roofing contractor to talk about these options when installing natural roofing materials.