Roofing for garages is available in a number of options, regardless if you have chosen a wood or metal style.  It’s important to choose the right roof in order to get the proper protection from elements and to add distinctive style to your structure.

Prepping a Roof

Plywood roof sheathing is needed with wood garages. Metal garages typically have a pre-engineered steel roof designed to sit atop the walls. OSB is used with wood garage roofs as it is strong and has a lot of the same properties of wood. It has remarkable strength and is highly resistant to impact damage.

Tarpaper is not recommended for shingling any wood garage structure. If the pitch of the roof is considerable, it’s not needed.

Roof Finish Selections

A number of materials are available to finish a wooden roof. Remember for a steel garage, a steel roof is usually attached.

Wood garage finish options -

Wood - usually cedar - in either shakes or shingle form
Asphalt - not expensive and there are a lot of colors to choose from
Metal - metal roofs can go on wood garages too!
Slate – recently a popular application
Copper - can add a lot of elegance to the structure
Clay - offers a “warm” finish with charm

Most wood garage manufacturer’s ship asphalt and cedar shingles in bundles, or you can purchase your own at a local building depot store.

Roof Engineering

Regardless of the type of garage selected, the building should be designed specifically for the region you live in. All proper wind, snow, and seismic calculations should be taken into account during production. Roofs should act in accordance with all local building regulations and codes.

 

Garage Interiors (Check back next week!)