Roofing Trends: Colors, Materials, and Styles for 2021

November 27, 2020

Choosing the right roof for a home can be difficult. You need to consider beauty, energy efficiency, longevity, and fire safety to find the best option. The wrong roof can cause rot and mold in a home, damaging belongings. The right roof will bring comfort, peace of mind, and protection to homeowners along with beauty and value to the house.

Whether building from the ground up, creating an addition, or replacing a roof, architects, building contractors, and homeowners have a lot to consider.

As with most consumer products today, roofing styles and trends are ever-changing. Choosing yesterday’s roof can leave a house dated, but the latest trend can have it looking current and modern well into the future.

To help choose the right roof, we tapped Isaiah Industries CEO, our own Todd Miller, for his advice on metal roofing trends. Isaiah Industries celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, so we’ve seen many trends come and go, and Miller’s experience gives him insight into roofing trends in 2021 and beyond.

“For many years, we saw ‘McMansions’ with intricate lines and steep pitches,” says Miller, “We even saw people complicating existing homes to try to match the style.”

The new trend is low-pitched roofs and long, sleek lines. The old jumble of hips and valleys is replaced by shed-style roofs, drawing the eye upward with a simpler design. Inspired by the mid-century modern style, homeowners opt for a standing seam style or flat roofing as an architectural statement.

Some homes are even mixing roofing materials and designs. A roof was made of planes pitched the same and covered with the same material in the past. Now, we’re seeing architects, roofing contractors, and homeowners experiment with slopes and colors. A keen eye may pick out three, four, or even five materials, colors, and pitches…all on the same house!

The idea that a “high-end” roof is copper-colored, red, or green is old news. Trending roof colors today include black, silver, gray, and bronze. While any color combination can be attractive, today’s style calls for the roof to offer contrast; usually, dark if the walls are light and vice versa.

Though many new homes are designed with sleek, contemporary lines and materials, this style doesn’t fit every home.

“A mid-century modern or contemporary roof design doesn’t work on a Victorian home no matter how hard you try,” says Miller. We’re seeing many existing homes taking advantage of roofing materials and styles that have survived the test of time.”

Asphalt shingles are seen as ‘disposable material’ by homeowners who intend to stay in their homes long-term. Instead, those homeowners are seeking out timeless styles for sustainability and long-term durability for their roofs.

Two timeless styles popular today are slate and wood shake. These have been around since the advent of housing and are still popular today. Like multi-colored metal panels, new manufacturing developments create a similar style with the durability and energy-efficiency of metal.

When homeowners choose a slate or shake style, they choose timeless beauty, adding value to their home and increasing curb appeal.

The bottom line: Don’t compete with architectural style; complement it.

“Today’s technology trends impact not just the materials and designs available but also how consumers buy a roof,” says Miller.

Technology has brought new patterns and colors to roofing materials, especially metal. New finishes provide the multi-hued tones of slate or wood roofing.

Another advancement is reflective coatings that reflect radiant heat, cool homes in hot weather, and reduce energy costs by up to 20%. As these advancements happen, so do changes in the buying process. Many homeowners research roofing online now and prefer virtual meetings with their contractors.

“We also see roofing manufacturers responding to severe weather trends with tougher products built to handle hail, high winds, and fire,” noted Miller. The performance testing of roofing materials and the prescriptive codes for housing are at an all-time high. As 2020 was full of natural disasters, protecting a home for tomorrow starts with the right roof.

Homeowners, architects, and contractors increasingly seek out solar-ready roofs or roofs with a built-in solar collection system. More homeowners see solar power as the future, and the roof is the perfect real estate for solar collection. Pre-installed solar brackets and roof re-enforcing are becoming common. “Choosing a solar-ready roof adds little cost now but can save you money later when you add a solar collection system,” says Miller.

Aside from these trends, roofing contractors and manufacturers adopt satellite imagery to measure your roof without setting foot on a property. There are also visualizer tools available to “try on” different roof colors and materials to find the perfect fit for your home. Isaiah Industries Roofing Needs Profiler and Choose Your Roof tools can help you discover your “roofing personality.”

According to Miller, these trends will rise in 2021 and remain popular for years to come. Miller says, “As roofing materials become more durable, it’s important to choose a roof on the cutting edge in style and performance. Timeless trends like slate and wood shake styles and colors like black and bronze are here to stay. Metal roofs lead the way with their design flexibility and proven resilience, driven by the creativity of roofing manufacturers everywhere.”

The right roof choice brings a classic beauty to the house and satisfaction to the owners.

To learn more about current roofing trends and find the right roofing solution for your roof replacement or building project, contact us now.