Copper roofing accents add eye-catching curb appeal and increase your home value. But there’s more to these tailored, customizable accents than meets the eye: copper is an extremely durable, long-lasting material that can withstand even the harshest climates. An initial investment in copper work can provide life-long satisfaction and can add elegance and beauty to your home.
One of the oldest roofing materials still utilized today, copper is a sustainable and eco-friendly choice, and it has unique properties that make it a prime choice over other roofing materials. For example, not only is copper very durable, it’s lightweight and easy to work with. Because of its low thermal expansion coefficient, it’s relatively unaffected by fluctuations in temperature – for example, while gutters made with other materials need special expansion joints, copper gutters do not.
One of the most attractive features of copper is its patina. Give your home a truly one-of-a-kind look with copper add-ons that turn beautiful hues of blue, green, brown, and turquoise in just a few years. No two pieces of copper look the same once they develop a patina, creating an understated beauty that will elevate the worth of your home.
There are several ways that you can integrate copper into your roof:
Flashing prevents water from entering the roof, siding, and other parts of your home and creating expensive damage. Cut-to-fit flashing is made from a variety of materials, but is most often made from galvanized steel, aluminum, or copper. Copper flashing is a superior choice as it’s a long-lasting material; since flashing is used to protect the most vulnerables areas of a home, choosing copper will allow for peace of mind for years.
Another subtle yet important feature of a home that’s critical in protecting against water damage is a drip edge. Customized to your roof, drip edges are metal flashing with a slight outward-facing flange installed along the edge of a roof to direct runoff away from the fascia. This narrow strip of metal prevents water from building up under the shingles and creating extensive damage. Drip edges have been used throughout history to protect buildings, and while you may live in an arid climate that doesn’t experience heavy rainfall, they’re now required throught North America. Copper drip edges are a smart choice for ensuring your home stays protected against harsh weather conditions for decades: durable and fungi-resistant, copper requires little maintenance and is easy to work with, allowing for total protection along even the most intricate rooflines.
Chimney caps may seem like little more than a decorative feature, but they actually provide great value to your home. As the name implies, a chimney cap is a metal covering that is fixed above the chimney opening; along with wire mesh, this unit keep animals from crawling into your home, mitigates excess moisture, and – perhaps most importantly – can prevent stray embers from landing on you roof and starting a fire. Known for its malleability, choosing copper for your cap allows you to customize to your liking. Copper chimney caps are a simple way to enhance an otherwise ordinary feature, sitting beautifully atop your home to create a unique, eye-catching element on your roof.