Nuts + Bolts: Raise The Roof

your information about roofing materials is much closer to mainstream misconceptions brought on by high dollar marketing schemes rather than actual truth. i would expect a mag with the title natural in it would not promote toxic products but it seems everyone wants on the green bandwagon now. slate, clay, wood, thach, copper, zinc and brass are all natural, non-toxic roofs that have proven themselves for thousands of years and are still the products of choice for those who are not swayed to and fro every time the wind blows. i don't expect most people to understand life cycle costing (especially in america) but it's the variable that's consistently left out in today's projections. i'm a natural permanent roofing contractor, i was somewhat interested in your mag but it seems you're just going with the flow instead of standing on truth. caring about the environment has always been the right thing to do, it has only recently become popular as it became profitable. please, if you're going to gather information for your readers get your information from someone who isn't trying to sell something.

your information about roofing materials is much closer to mainstream misconceptions brought on by high dollar marketing schemes rather than actual truth. i would expect a mag with the title natural in it would not promote toxic products but it seems everyone wants on the green bandwagon now. slate, clay, wood, thach, copper, zinc and brass are all natural, non-toxic roofs that have proven themselves for thousands of years and are still the products of choice for those who are not swayed to and fro every time the wind blows. i don't expect most people to understand life cycle costing (especially in america) but it's the variable that's consistently left out in today's projections. i'm a natural permanent roofing contractor, i was somewhat interested in your mag but it seems you're just going with the flow instead of standing on truth. caring about the environment has always been the right thing to do, it has only recently become popular as it became profitable. please, if you're going to gather information for your readers get your information from someone who isn't trying to sell something.

With regard to the information in the article, there are some discrepancies that need to stand corrected with regard to concrete roof tile, as follows:

1. The category concrete/fiber cement is not correct:
Concrete roof tile should not be categorized with fiber cement for the following reasons: The main difference is that we gain our product strength from the combination of sand and cement. Fiber cement products combine cement and fiber with other fillers and use a higher proportion of cement in the formulation. The presence of the fiber makes it more difficult to recycle these products in other construction materials. Perversely, the best fiber to use was asbestos as it chemically bonded with the cement paste to form high strength structure. Fiber cement manufacturers have struggled to find a replacement for asbestos as it is difficult to produce a fiber with the equivalent bond strength and modulus. Many fiber cement products have come and gone. Failures have been through moisture uptake, de-bonding, cracking, whitening and curling. In comparison, concrete tiles have a history of durability going back over 100 years.
2. The cost reference of concrete tile is not accurate:
MonierLifetile’s concrete roof tile product is warranted for the life of a structure and therefore has one of the lowest life cycle costs of any roofing material. Beyond its life cycle cost, concrete roof tile is actually an affordable roofing product with a price point much less than rubber, metal, and wood and is competitive with medium to high grade asphalt shingles.
3. Embodied energy as a con is not correct/inadequately referenced:
The largest constituent in concrete tiles is sand. Cement forms less than 25% of the mix and this proportion is further reduced by the incorporation of “post industrial materials” such as fly ash (captured from power station chimneys). Although the production of cement requires energy, this is offset by the ability of concrete tile to reabsorb aro

Are there any alternatives for flat roofs?