Hello,

I live in the Pacific Northwest and have a home with cedar shakes on a fairly steep pitched roof. The house has vaulted ceilings with what appears to be 2x12s sitting on top of a central beam. The roof is nearing the end of it's life and I am looking at options for a replacment.

Here is a picture of the roof in question:

http://www.navitsky.org/remodel/misc2/IMG_2074-640x480.jpg

I really prefer the look of the shakes, but have a cedar tree that sheds directly on the roof and it is very difficult to keep clean. I feel that having debris on the roof will hold moisture (it is a wet climate) and so I want to consider materials other than wood.

That said, I really don't like composite. I've been looking around and found a few options and would like to get input about. Of course, if you have other ideas, I'm all ears.

Here are the ones that I'd like to discuss:

1) Eagle Roofing "Eaglelite" Cement tiles

http://www.eagleroofing.com/2005/products/nc_lite.php#ponderosa

2) Everlast Systems "Ever-shake"

http://www.evershake.com/

3) Zappone Copper shingles

http://www.zappone.com/default.asp?ID=5

I was able to get product samples of these (and a few others) and have them here:

http://www.navitsky.org/roofing/

So, does anyone have any experience with these products? Similar products? Thoughts on them?

Here are some of my thoughts.

The Evershakes appear to be sand like material mixed with some epoxy like stuff. I suspect these are by far the most bulletproof. It looks like you could have all sorts of junk on them, presure wash them and walk on them forever without any problem.

These look pretty nice, but it is hard to tell from the sample how they will look on an actual roof. I worry a bit that they might look too plastic-y. It isn't clear if they will lose their sheen over time or not.

I have a minor worry that I have a sample "board" which is made up of the same material, but is molded into a panel to look like a section of shakes. This panel has warped. However, my individual "shake" samples have not warped like this.

So, all in all, my main worry is how they will look - might they look "fake".

I really love the look of the Eaglelite product. These are my favorite. To me it gives the same look and feel of the shakes, but without directly trying to immitate them. You also get a pretty good selection of colors which is an added bonus.

I do have a couple of worries. They don't advertise this product for the northwest. I've been meaning to ask them about this, but haven't yet.

One worry is damage from wet tiles freezing. While the cold isn't a big problem here, it is wet quite a bit and if it freezes when the tiles are wet, perhaps this can cause cracking? I can't tell if the tiles will absorb water, but I assume so.

Also, while the tiles are made to be lighter than normal cement tiles, will a waterlogged tile be too heavy?

I wonder if these could be sealed?

The other worry I have is foot traffic. While these tiles look like they would last forever if just setting there, I suspect the cement is more susceptible to cracking with foot traffic. And since we get all the debris from the tree, we are going to need to clean the roof at least twice a year.

The copper shingles look like they would hold up well, but I worry about them being crushed with foot traffic and I worry how slippery they might get. I figure a little bit of algae and water and they are going to be super slick!

I also can't imagine what the house would look like with them on. I worry that the look wouldn't match.

How about glazed ceramic tiles? I saw a few references when I was searching, but never tracked any specific products down.

In any case, your thoughts would be appreciated. I'd love to hear about other material options.

Thanks!

-john