Our roofs are often one of the most visual elements of the home, often controlled by prevailing style, by neighborhood covenants or ultimately by the client budget. The important thing to understand starting out, however, is that it is the assembly of trusses, hurricane straps, plywood decking and waterproofing that is actually the real roof! The rest, while contributing (when selected with care) to the comfort and operating costs of the home, is largely cosmetic. Let’s have a look at the options for roofing in the Cayman Islands.
Premium plywood is the major substrate of the roof. It must be first quality, dry and nailed according to the building code. Even the nailing gets inspected by the Building Department and must pass before we can move on!
“Ice and Watershield” is the only product we will use on a Phoenix Group roof. It is the gold standard for waterproofing a home.
Here is the completed ‘roof’ – let’s look now at how we might dress this up.
This photo shows the roof of the showhome finished with Standing Seam Roof. For more info on this product visit our Showhome Blog on http://phoenixshowhome.blogspot.com where we explain more about the quality differences in the marketplace. A short but informative read.
Here is another recent Phoenix application of Standing Seam roof, easily the most popular roof finish amongst our clientele. Wherever possible we recommend the highly reflective white pain finish shown here, which dramatically reduces heat levels in the roof spaces and attics of our homes.
Above are pictured two new products that we think will become very popular in the Cayman Islands in the coming years. They are Enviroshake and Enviroslate, composite hurricane-rated products made of recycled products that can give us a genuine cedar shake or a slate roof look at about the same price as Standing Seam roof. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/phoenixgroupcayman in the coming months to see some homes completed with these exciting products. Look out Standing Seam roof!
This roofing type, shown here on our Mimosa product at Crystal Harbour, is a Spanish barrel tile. These traditional roofing tiles, made of clay, are outstanding for adding color and traditional flavour to Mediterranean homes. They are also very effective at allowing airflow between the tile and the waterproofed roof below. Great for keeping a home cool in the heat of the summer.
The least expensive and still very attractive option is that traditional Architectural Asphalt Shingle. This product, engineered specifically for different climate zones usually offers a lifetime warrantee and is available in a huge variety of colors and profiles. Unfortunately, many waterfront communities consider the product “downmarket” and restrict its use through the community covenants – a shame really because the product has improved significantly over the years.
