What big things in roofing will impact homeowners?

What a rapidly changing world we live in. We recently exhibited at the International Roofing Expo and this leading roofing show is so different from what it was just 10-15 years ago. We daresay that, if you took someone from 20 years ago and dropped them into this show today, they’d swear they are in some cutting-edge technology show – not a roofing show at all.

Roofing, just like technology, is following Moore’s Law which addresses the ever-increasing speed of change and advancement. We are seeing a rapid succession of product developments, and the inclusion of technology in such roofing areas as measuring, marketing, estimating, visualizing, and sales. These are exciting times!

And, it gets us to thinking …

Back in 1996, well-known futurist Watts Wacker posed a question that continues to guide businesses today – “What comes after what comes next?” Just as the Hall of Fame hockey player Wayne Gretzky often said, “To be successful, you have to play where the puck is going – not where it’s currently located.” 

 So, as a leader in the residential roofing industry, we at Classic Metal Roofing Systems must ask ourselves – where is our industry going?

What comes after Green?

For many years, the big word in roofing and perhaps all of construction was “green.”  We were all striving to make our products more environmentally friendly. For us, this meant products that are made from recycled content, energy-efficient, long-lasting, and fully recyclable in a way that is sustainable.  We also worked on our own operations to make them more “green,” analyzing our processes, carbon footprint, and waste stream, and making improvements in many areas.   

However, today, green is a given in building materials. If you’re not green, you’re the outlier. This is the reality of industry-leading asphalt shingles – an environmentally-unfriendly product that is rapidly losing market share. And it’s why, over the past 20 years, we have seen the market share of metal in the residential roofing industry go from barely distinguishable to 13 – 14% and growing rapidly.

While we fully expect metal roofing to continue to grow in use and popularity, and we also expect more and more “tech” to be utilized by the roofing industry. 

What big things in roofing will impact homeowners? 

We think it comes down to a full package of benefits. Consider the following:

Growing percentages of recycled content

Greater energy efficiency

Prolific inclusion of solar and using roofs to harness energy

Roofs that address specific severe climate zones such as wind, hail, snow, and ice

Product warranties that offer greater value to homeowners 

Ability to install roofs over old roofs, reducing landfill disposal

Faster installing roofs to address the shortage of skilled labor

Programs for installer training and certification 

Contractors who specialize in particular brands or systems

Streamlined market channels, bringing property owners, installers, and manufacturers closer together

Custom roof colors and designs to allow homeowner specification

Better ability to see what particular products will look like on a home

Thinking of roofs as a meaningful home component, not a “necessity”

Great consideration of building science including ventilation, insulation, moisture control, and reflectivity

Even longer life products and greater sustainability

Determined to Bring Greater Value to Homeowners

Here at Classic Metal Roofing Systems, we’ve been an industry leader in the development of many of these benefits,  yet we find these expected advancements to be very exciting. 

We are eagerly working toward developments in these and other areas, determined to bring even greater value to homeowners in the coming year. 

Please contact us anytime that we can be of help to you in identifying your present or future roofing needs. We’re ready for what comes next.

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