Roofs Have Come So Far

4 Ways Roofers Can Improve the Look of Your Home

Most homeowners think of roofs as functional elements. They keep the rain outside and keep the home from getting too cold in the winter. Indeed, roofs do serve these very functional purposes. But roofs can also serve a decorative purpose. If you are thinking of getting a new roof, it's important to keep that fact in mind. Here are some ways your roofers can improve the look of your home as they re-roof it.

1. Recommending a new shingle color

Most homes have black or brown shingles. These are very traditional choices, and they never really look out of place. However, there are a lot of other shingle colors, and choosing something different could help give your home a whole new look. Your roofer might recommend tan shingles if you have pale green siding, or they may recommend navy blue shingles to complement the navy blue trim on your windows. There's room to get creative simply by playing with different colors.

2. Adding dormers

Does your whole roof just kind of look flat and boring? You may want to look into having a dormer or two added. These are projections from the roof that contain a window and have their own little peak. They give a roof more personality, and they can also bring more light into the interior of your home, thanks to the window. Your roofer will typically collaborate with a window company, and perhaps also a siding professional, to create a dormer that looks nice and fits in with your home's architecture.

3. Adding skylights

If you want to give your roof a more modern look, and you want more light inside your home, but you don't want to go through the trouble of adding dormers, then you might want to have a skylight installed in your roof. A skylight has to be installed carefully to prevent leaks, so you should only have this work done by a professional roofer.

4. Changing gutter styles

Most roofing companies install gutters, too, since gutters function to direct water off the roof's surface. If you don't like the way your current gutters look — for example, if they are too boxy or too large — your roofing company can recommend a replacement. They can show you different gutter styles and help you choose one that coordinates with the rest of your home's aesthetic.

Roofing is about style as well as function. Talk to residential roofers about these and other ways to add style with your roof.