Less important to worry about flat or pitched, more important to worry about the material that is being installed.
To answer the question, I would go with a pitched roof, but only a metal roof if I was going with a pitch. Shingle will blow off easily, and tile roofs have too many gaps that would need to be sealed for it to be efficient.
However, flat roofs don’t have much of a corrosion factor, cannot be blown off by wind, and provide a potential for roof top patio which is cool for coastal areas.
Whatever you do, make sure the company has experience with coastal areas and knows what they are doing. Far more important to do a thorough and detailed job then the exact material that is used. The only material I would definitely stay away from is
- Asphalt shingles
- non-flat tiles
Hi my name is Daniel Gonzalez, and I’m an experienced roofer in the business for 25 Years. About the question above… based on my own experience as a roofer I have seen the following:
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If the roof has an elevation:
A).- 30 year shingles is better because it is made for resist high winds. There are two brands that I have work with IKO is the most common because is cheaper. TIMBERLINE HD is more expensive than IKO but it sticks to the roof more than IKO. Both are very good and honestly it depends how they are nailed, if not nailed good in high pitch they could fall off. There is another shingle called presidential this is not too common since is very expensive but is more wind resistant . All these shingles are very good if they are nailed the right way.
B).- Tree tep shingles in an elevated pitch roof is not very good in my opinion because it’s not heavy, and for that reason the wind can blow it away. Also the granules in the shingles fall of faster than the A/R.
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A).-Metal Roof. It seems like it could be a good solution to these problems but in my experience, it’s not. This is because the rubber that goes between the metal an screws can get old in 4 or 5 Years, causing leaks or perhaps damages to the whole roof. There is another metal roof that you don’t see the screws but it’s twice or more expensive than others materials.
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If the roof is flat (no elevation)
My opinion in this case Tree tep is the best choice because this type of shingles lays flat. It doesn’t accumulate water. On the other hand, 30 year shingles on a flat roof accumulates water, causing water to leak through the shingles and damaging the wood.
Generally, all types of roofing material will work in coastal areas including, wood shingle, tile and standing seam roofing systems. For flat roofing, a three-ply modified torch system works best. A heavy composition roof system will most likely last the longest and is the most reasonable in price.
Because of the strict height restrictions as well as the wind and weather conditions associated with coastal properties, most builders agree that a roof slope of 6/12 or less is best.
