PITY THE UNSUNG ROOF. IT HOLDS A HOME’S FOUR WALLS TOGETHER AND IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF SHELTER, YET YOU RARELY GIVE IT A SECOND THOUGHT — UNLESS, OF COURSE, IT BEGINS TO FAIL. THEN, SUDDENLY, YOU REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO YOU ALL THOSE YEARS. “IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT COVER WE HAVE AND WE RARELY LOOK UP THERE,” SAYS MELISSA METCALFE OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. “IT’S LIKE A GUY NOT KNOWING THE TOP OF HIS HEAD IS BALD.”

Metcalfe learned the value of her roof after her 2,300-squarefoot cement block home was damaged during one of last year’s hurricanes. Faced with a dizzying array of options to replace their standard asphalt shingles, she and husband Frank Jackalone pared down their priorities.

Reverting back to the home’s original roofing material, cement tile, was appealing but would have cost $20,000 and meant a long wait for materials. Metal was attractive as a recyclable material that helps reflect the sun, but it was also expensive and “would look really strange on a 1960s ranch house,” notes Metcalfe.

The couple eventually spent $8,300 to reroof with a premium architectural-grade asphalt shingle from Owens Corning that promised wind and hail resistance.

An architectural shingle is substantially thicker than a standard asphalt shingle, offering a longer roof life as well as a facelift. “The new roof is a big improvement,” Metcalfe says.

As she discovered, today’s roofing materials offer homeowners unprecedented choices, ranging from bank-breakers like tile and slate to new recycled synthetics and the ubiquitous but no longer-lowly asphalt shingle. But making the decision of just how to top your home can be daunting with climate, aesthetics, durability and cost all playing important roles. “Folks get overwhelmed,” says architect Lisa Stacholy of LKS Architects in Atlanta.

Before you look at a single shingle, Stacholy suggests driving around and making notes on what type of roofing you like and what is typical for your neighborhood. “Ask yourself, ‘Am I in a sunny or a shady climate?’” she says. “‘Am I in a moist or a dry climate?’ Asphalt is a good place to start, but in the South, metal roofs do well. In the Southwest, clay tiles do best. Up North, slate does best. It is so tied to locale.”

Also important is deciding whether your roof needs to be the star of the show or merely a hidden workhorse. “Try to figure out what you see when you pull up,” Stacholy says. “If you are only going to see a tiny bit of the roof from the driveway, make your decision appropriately.”

Once you establish your needs, work with a local roofing contractor to learn the options available in your region. Some roofers even offer software that allows you to virtually try different roofs on your home. “You may go out West and see a dark red roof that you love, but they aren’t necessarily going to sell it to you in the South because it might not work there,” Stacholy says.

Finding a reputable contractor is always key, but never more so than in roofing where steep slopes and heavy lifting combine for a potentially dangerous job. “It isn’t the material. It’s the contractor who will make it right or wrong,” says Rick Damato, editorial director for Roofing Contractor magazine. “It’s incredibly important they be insured. You are putting your home and a whole lot of people at risk.”

Damato recommends checking insurance documents and looking for roofers who are National Roofing Contractors Association members or who are certified through training programs offered by major roofing manufacturers. As you begin to talk materials, remember what lies beneath. Make sure your roofer is using a heavy felt paper, which acts as a moisture barrier, under your shingles. Stacholy specifies two sheets of 30-pound paper. And realize that you might need to redo your decking as well as your roofing, which can add $1 a square foot to the cost.

Also keep in mind the importance of ventilation, which can have as much to do with the success of a material as the material itself. Ideally, your roof should have a ridge vent system at its peak to let heat escape. “A roof attracts heat from the sun and also absorbs heat that rises from within the house, so you have a double whammy,” says Sean Green, owner of Superior Roofing Industries in Shirley, Mass. If you don’t have the proper ventilation, you aren’t going to get the years promised on a warranty.”

And speaking of warranties, roofers say you’d be wise to treat them with skepticism. “You can pretty much cut them in half, and you’ll be real lucky if you get that,” says Bruce Sprague of Bruce’s Roofing in Enumclaw, Wash. “Metal roofs and some shingles offer a 50-year warranty, but most companies rely on the fact that most people aren’t going to be around in 50 years and if they are, they aren’t going to know where the paperwork is,” adds Drew Gribnitz of Albright Roofing in Clearwater, Fla.

While such warnings should be heeded, the fact is that even lower-end roofing products like asphalt shingles are lasting longer than ever before. As the lowest-cost alternatives, traditional flat asphalt shingles (also known as three-tab shingles) and architectural shingles make up almost two-thirds of the residential roofing market.

When first introduced two decades or so ago, architectural shingles were twice as expensive as three-tabs. Today, they add only about 10 to 20 percent to the cost but offer much more in durability and style. “The best bang for your buck are the architectural shingles,” says Green, who notes that the shingles are sold with 30-, 40- or 50-year guarantees, the cost rising with the expected life span. A traditional three-tab shingle has a life span of 15 to 20 years. “More and more people are switching.”

Nothing can rival the cost-effectiveness of asphalt, but premium products have distinct advantages, especially if you live in severe-weather regions of the country. “Baby Boomers have a little more jingle in their pocket and look at the second or third roof they buy as an investment,” Damato says. Those consumers are driving interest in materials like metal, which he adds is the fastest growing industry segment.

Although metal has long been the domain of commercial roofing, its durability and cooling properties are making it popular among homeowners, too. “People want their homes to look different and a metal roof adds a personal touch,” says Stacholy, who notes that some are choosing them for new construction done in the old style.

Crystal Black of Indianapolis was sold on metal when she bought a 1929 frame cottage house and needed to reroof. “I wanted the longevity,” says Black, who paid about $7,500 for the 1,000-square-foot job. “Also, it was consistent with the style of the house.”

Other homeowners are devoted to high-end materials such as tile. When Florida resident Denise Ferrari decided to reroof her 1956 cement-block home in 2004, she was set on sticking with cement tile despite a $14,000 price tag. “This tile will probably last longer than me,” she says.

Heavy with insulating properties, tile is a favorite in the South and Southwest. “Tile weathers well out there whereas asphalt doesn’t take the heat as well,” says Tom Bollnow, technical director of the NRCA. “Tile will absorb the heat and release it.”

Still, experts warn that despite its reputation, tile is not impervious to the elements. A tiny crack in a tile can expose the underlying felt paper to the sun, which can eat away at the roof’s water barrier.

Like tile, natural slate is the royalty of the roofing world with a price tag to prove it. But with a life span of some 100 years, its durability is unbeatable. “Slate is the way to go,” says Jim Stewart of Jim Stewart Roofing in Martinsville, Ind. “God made it, and ain’t nobody going to make it better.”

Unlike tile, slate boasts excellent protection from rain and snow. However, unless you’re certain that you’ll hold onto your home for life, slate might not be such a smart investment. “Most homeowners aren’t looking for an 80-year roof that costs them three times as much,” Gribnitz says.

Roofers also caution slate and tile lovers to make sure their homes can handle the weight load of such heavy materials and suggest first consulting a structural engineer. “The consequences can be as extreme as cracking the joists or the ceiling underneath the roof,” Bollnow says.

Weight is one reason that interest in synthetics is picking up. Companies like Tamko and Ecostar are offering recycled rubber shingles that mimic the look of slate and tile without all the heft. However, experts caution that the jury is still out on their durability. “We just don’t know how they’re going to perform,” Bollnow says. Until we see them in place for a satisfactory period of time, we are a little conservative.”

In the end, though, weight worries — along with product performance — aren’t really what drives the market. Rather, decisions are usually based on cost and appearance. “A lot of what it boils down to is the look,” Damato says. “Are you going to put an ugly roof on your home? If you can see it from the street, you’re not. The look is king.”