Residential Roofing

What Is Residential Roofing?

Residential roofing is steep-slope work: a layered water-shedding system built, from the structure up, of decking, underlayment (the secondary barrier), drip edge and flashings at every edge and interruption, the covering itself, and the ventilation path that keeps the attic beneath it healthy. The covering menu for homes runs from asphalt shingles — the large majority of the U.S. market, in 3-tab and architectural grades — through metal (screw-down and standing seam), concrete and clay tile, synthetic composites, and natural slate at the premium end, with service lives from roughly 20 years (basic asphalt) past a century (slate, clay). What distinguishes residential from commercial work is more than pitch: the client is an occupant rather than a facilities manager, the job runs one to a few days around a family's life, damage documentation feeds homeowner insurance rather than negotiated commercial policies, and the failure points are shingle-and-flashing details rather than membrane seams and drains. Material choice on a home is a decades-scale decision usually made under time pressure after a storm — which is the argument for understanding the menu before the hail arrives.

Important Distinction

Note: Residential roofing means steep-slope, gravity-shedding systems on occupied homes; it is a different trade from low-slope commercial membrane work, with different materials, crews, and failure modes.

Also Known As

These are the search terms and phrases that commonly refer to this topic, so you can find it however you describe it.