If you’re thinking about purchasing or building a new home, there are several things that you decide on: location, how many rooms are needed, floor plans, single story or multi-story, how much yard space. When looking at the cost of housing, the roof is one of the more expensive areas of the home to build. There are several advantages and disadvantages when comparing roofs on a single story home and a multi-story home.
The Pros of Multi-Story Home Roofs
A multi-story home has many more advantages when comparing it to a single story home. A big thing is the initial cost of the roof. If you have 1800 square foot home that is a single story home, the entire surface area is going to be covered by a roof. If you turn that same square footage into a two story home, you have two floors that are 900 square feet. The top floor takes away the need for a roof on the bottom floor. This leaves the top floor as the only surface area needing a roof.
The cost savings of a multi-story roof go beyond the initial cost. Less roof area means less area that needs to be maintained. If parts of the roof needs to be replaced or repaired, there will be less materials that need to be purchased. They also save money in energy costs because almost half of the energy costs of a house go to heating and cooling. Less roof exposure means less exposure to hot and cold elements.
The Cons of Multi-Story Home Roofs
There are some disadvantages of having a multi-story home. The roof isn’t as easy to clean because of accessibility. Gutters are not as easy to maintain for the same reasons. Many multi-story homes have garages that are not located under the main part of the house. Because of this, there might be more ridges and valleys on the roof due to uneven surfaces. These areas of the roof are areas that receive more exposure to the elements and may need to be repaired more often than other areas of the roof. Another disadvantage of multi-story homes is that they are more prone to wind damage because they catch more wind. Coastal areas or storms with high winds will be more harmful to your home and roof if it is multi-story.
Read more about about how we service San Marcos gutters
There are several things to think about when deciding what type of house you want to move into, design, or build. When choosing a roof, the materials for single-story or multi-story homes are the same. Whether you want shingle, metal, stone, or slate, they could be built on whatever size home you are looking to build. The cost of materials, energy efficiency, and maintenance are the things that will vary depending on the type of house that it is being built on.
As a Buda roofer, we also recommend you check out our roofing page
