Inspiration
Everything you need to know about choosing a roof
Choosing your new roof is an important decision and there are many significant factors to consider.
Here’s what you need to know.
Building a new home comes with many decisions – often ones that may never have occurred to you before you embarked on this process. Too often we get sidetracked by the tiny details and don’t even consider the big choices we are facing, including the roofing material.
New homeowners may not realise that the roof of their new home makes up at least 30% of the exterior, so it’s vital to get it right. You never get a second chance to make a first impression! Here are our top tips to guide you in confidently selecting the right roof for your home.
Design of your house
It’s good to start with the big picture – what style of home are you looking for? Take a tour (either around your new neighbourhood or online) and start noting down your favourite looks.
What type of aesthetic appeals to you, Classic, Barnhouse, Coastal, Modernist, Contemporary or Industrial.
Don’t think about colours at this stage, look for architectural features – shingle roofs, Mediterranean detailing, sharp edges – that you admire and start a moodboard.
A moodboard (or Pinterest board) is a great way of compiling some of your favourite looks and helping you understand what you are looking for in your new home. As your collection of inspirational images grows, you will get a sense of what design style appeals to you and you can take it to your building designer or architect to get things started.
This mood board is taken from the CSR Style Guide – Easy Neutrals.
The Right Colour
Once you have a feeling for the style of home you are planning, it’s time to settle on a colour palette for your roof. Dark shades have been hugely popular in recent years, especially the ubiquitous Barramundi, but there has been a move away from the charcoals in favour of softer, lighter greys, as well as whites and neutrals (Salt Spray has been a huge hit recently). Traditional terracotta shades and other warm tones are also making a comeback, especially in established suburbs. You can choose from a huge variety of shades in the Monier tile collections.
Designing from the outside in will help inform other key decisions when bringing your exterior colour and material choices to life including your fascia, gutter, window trim, brick and even cladding choice. Visualising your home with iDesign by CSR is a great way to experiment and put into application your inspiration to get an idea of how your home will look.
Choose your material
Roof tiles are the best choice for most New Zealand homes because they are strong, provide superior thermal performance, more beautiful and suitable for all areas of New Zealand (whether inland or on the coastline), The Monier tile ranges are backed by 50-year performance warranty (the terracotta range has an additional 50 year colour guarantee).
Tile Profiles
Tiles are available with curved or flat profiles, and the texture can depend on the style that you are looking for. For instance, in the Luxe Collection Urban Shingle has a shingle-style appearance, making it a perfect choice for Barnhouse style homes, while the Marseille has a traditional French-style aesthetic that is best suited for heritage homes or those with classical styling. In the Premium Collection, the Madison tile has a shadow line down the centre of the tile, creating a shingle look. The Monier Cambridge tile has a hewn finish, creating a slate look.
The ridge of your roof
The final decision when completing your roof is deciding on whether you want A-line or Lapped ridge. The modern A-line ridge provides a sleek minimalist finish and complements flatter profile tiles. A Lapped ridge is the more traditional choice, creating a classic look and is ideal for curved tiles.
Interested in learning more?
Order a sample or contact us to talk to our sales team about projects in your area