Green Home Remodel: Healthy Homes for a Healthy Environment - Roofing

Type: Fact Sheet

A quality roof plays a key role in protecting the rest of your home from the elements. If you find you are in need of a roof replacement, approaching the process with green remodeling principles in mind will maximize your roof's protective qualities, and your investment, while minimizing its environmental impact.

A green remodel can help you realize many benefits from a single smart design. With careful planning, you can create a home that combines beauty, efficiency, comfort and convenience with health and conservation.

This guide can serve as a staring point for your roofing project to help you take a wide-angle and long-term view of your options such as:

Evaluating roofing choices with additional green criteria
Focusing on long-term savings versus initial cost
Assessing the life-cycle costs of the prospective materials
Ensuring your roof really needs replacing rather than repairing
Locating qualified installers of unique roofing options
Understanding sheathing and flashing choices
Reusing and recycling the old roof