Roughly 88% of homeowners view their houses’ exteriors as a single unit rather than the sum or its parts. This includes all of the exterior architectural components such as roofs, windows, doors, and other features, such as siding. When roofs need repairing or replacing, this can make a major difference in a house’s overall appearance and perception.

When it’s time to replace a home’s roof, durability is the number-one factor for 88% of individuals that participated in a recent survey. The second most important factor is longevity, which was indicated by 83% of the survey participants.

A large percentage of homeowners, approximately 72%, want their new roofs to only require a small amount of maintenance or no maintenance at all. Maintenance requirements will depend, of course, on the type of roofing material used.

In keeping with a home’s architecture, a roofing contractor will be able to provide roofing material options. A roofing contractor will also be able to outline the benefits of different roofing materials.

Roofs made of asphalt, for example, will need to be re-roofed every 12-to-20 years. On average these roofs are replaced every 17 years.

A roofing contractor may recommend a steel roof, which is considered to be considerably better than an asphalt roof. One of the benefits of a steel roof is its impact resistance in inclement weather conditions.

Another benefit of a steel roof is that it contains recycled material, which is beneficial to the environment. Steel roofs are approximately 56% recyclable when taking into consideration production through reuse.

When choosing to have a new steel roof installed, other home-improvement recommendations include adding a steel door. According to HouseLogic’s “Cost vs. Value Report,” steel doors are at the top of the list for home improvement projects. Furthermore, they have the best return on investment, which is currently valued at 98%.

Window replacement is also a recommended home improvement project with a large return on investment. It is estimated that replacing windows can average a 78.6% return.

In order to keep their home well-maintained, homeowners, on average, will spend approximately one-to-four percent of their home value on a yearly basis. Depending on the home’s age, this amount can increase somewhat.

In addition to basic maintenance and repairs, when homeowners invest in features such as steel roofs, doors, and windows, it can increase their comfort as well as their return on investment when selling.