# Need help on chooseing Roof material



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

As some of you know im building my first real loft,( Junito loft), i finish the framing , now i need to choose what type of roofing material to use, so i need help from your guy who are great builders of the loft that are posted on loft designs section .what would be best for my area,where it rains alot , im only a mile from the ocean, and the sun could really do a number, Also what Exterior paint do your guys use to paint the wood outside of the wall for the loft??? need something that will last ??
on the roofing what work best ? plywood ? galvanize steel panel? asphalt corrugate roof panel or the pvc or polycabonate panel you see at homedepot?
remember need something that could take on hurricanes force winds also since we on the path with them.


----------



## orock (Mar 28, 2011)

I used plywood and rolled roofing and regret it,only last about 5 years from what I hear. wished I would of used a metal roof.


----------



## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Hmm, well if it rains a lot, I'm assuming its also cloudy on most days and there is little sun? If this is the case, I used clear roofing on the newest loft I built. British Columbia is known for its rain, rain, and rain. The clear roofing did help a lot since I don't use a light in this loft at all since it lets in natural sunlight. In the summer however, it gets pretty hot in there so make sure you have good ventilation. During the hottest time of the day I cover the clear roofing with large white fabric which eliminates the sunlight going in and keeping the loft cool. In the morning, and after about 4 PM the cloth isn't used.


* Clear - lets the most light through, but could make staying underneath hot in the summer
* Bronze - similar to the clear, but tinted to a bronze hue. It adds protection, but as with any other tinted glazing, will shed an odd light on all underneath it
* Opaque - It lets in a bit less light, but can be used even during the hottest summer days. The top layer is coated with a reflective layer, to add protection from the UV rays


Thing with a plywood roof + shingles is that they don't allow a lot of sunlight but are also much stronger. So it's really your call. You could save yourself some money with a clear roof by not needing to use light.


----------



## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

I used corrugated asphalt (Ondura brand) because its very easy to cut and mount. So far I cant say anything bad about it, except its very textured, so if you plan on letting the birds hang out on it, it might get hard to clean. But, its light, looks nice, and is supposed to hold up well.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

THANKS FOR THE REPLY GURBIR
MAYBE I COULD USE BOTH PYYWOOD AND IN THE MIDDLE ONE OF THE CLEAR PANEL LIKE A SKYLIGHT I REALLY DONT WANT TO USE THE galvanize steel panel Because the ones that they sale on the island are very thin almost soda can thickest like .going to check on all my option in home depot 
wonwood you have a sweet looking loft there, great for a group of racers and tipplers if my loft get too crowded in the future i will copy your loft , as for the asphalt i check in home depot here to see if they carry it.lot of pigeon keeper might not know this but pigeon could see the color red spectrum best like human best color is green , i said this because you have alot of red on your loft and im planing to paint the roof and the landing pad on the loft red,this is from i read in alot of sites , here a cool site about the pigeon vision and eyes
http://mumtazticloft.com/PigeonGenetics7.asp


----------



## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Glad you like my loft, I love how it looks also but I could use a bigger loft  I never knew that about the red spectrum with pigeons, it was just the color that stood out the most so I figured it would be easier to see from the sky!


----------



## rpalmer (Mar 10, 2011)

wonword said:


> Glad you like my loft, I love how it looks also but I could use a bigger loft  I never knew that about the red spectrum with pigeons, it was just the color that stood out the most so I figured it would be easier to see from the sky!


This is true ... Guys around here would paint a target on the roof. I thought is was a bomb joke when I was a kid. The the "old man" told me those guys raced pigeons and the target was for the birds to see.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

lol, Im going to put some flashing (red ) light on the roof for the night when every i get my hands on some tippler so they could see where home is ,when they are flying through the night, In fact i think tippler will be the pigeon of choose soon because it one of the few bird that will fly at night and hawk cant attack because they sleeping and cant fly at night' for those of use who like to let the birds fly THAT IS


----------



## korge7 (Nov 21, 2010)

*The roof*

This is the best I found for me. After 4 lofts currugated plastic or vinyl roof is the best choice for what I want. Allows light, can handle the snow, and with a combination of clear and solid keeps the loft temp good. Clear only could be very hot, not a problem if plenty of air coming in.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

your right korge7 i just brought one corrugated panel to try out , this one http://www.homedepot.com/Building-M...Id=10051&catalogId=10053&superSkuId=203073243 so far it look nice ,and easy to install,and look like it could take a beating from the hot sun here, rain and high winds


----------



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

We've always had metal roofs. And that clear plastic stuff on top of the aviary if the roof doesn't hang far enough to keep the rain out.

But if you put up shingles, they'll always remind you when you're out of grit, LOL. My birds love to peck the rocks off of it, even when they do have grit and are just too lazy to go in the loft to get the good stuff.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

i was thinking about getting the metal panel for my loft but the one they sale here are too thin i will worry about my birds hitting against the edge and hurting them self with it, im also USMC 1976-1981 7th marines


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I used metal and opaque fiberglass panels to add light into the loft as I do not have electric out there... it does a good job of letting light in without it being too harsh.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

i was thinking the same thing spirit wings , for my loft or put more windows


----------



## rpalmer (Mar 10, 2011)

Rafael/PR said:


> i was thinking the same thing spirit wings , for my loft or put more windows


Do both and have more light and ventilation.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

rpalmer if you look closely at my plans you will see that the roof will be open for a huge amount of ventilation and at the bottom


----------



## korge7 (Nov 21, 2010)

Yes and Yes. I don't have power to the loft, I could run power to the loft but don't needed with the clear roof. I had tin roof, shingles, solid color plastic corrugated and clear and I like the combination of clear and solid color. The birds like it more too, the look around thru it. The key is to over lap each panel at 4 inches to prevent bloowing rain to leak thru.


----------



## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

Here is my roof and I also live in a hurricane zone. Make sure all edges are flashed. The avairy is corragated fiberglass.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

nice bhymer 
that loft look huge ,lol you had spent some money to cover that loft with all those panels


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I have the clear plastic panels on my homer/tumbler loft, with 1/4 inch hardware mesh under it. For my fantail loft, which is in the sun all day, I put 2 green metal panels and 1 clear plastic in the middle to let some of the sun in (if it was all clear...they'd cook in the summer!) with 1/2 inch hardware mesh under that. The plastic panels have stood up against the snow, wind and 1 hurricane


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

msfreebird did you have the clear plastic panel for a while now if you did how are they holding up? is it turning yellow or dull?


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Rafael/PR said:


> msfreebird did you have the clear plastic panel for a while now if you did how are they holding up? is it turning yellow or dull?


3 years and its still clear. Holding up just fine


----------



## korge7 (Nov 21, 2010)

I have had Clear (Great), Smoke color (Good), Semi clear from Lowes it becomes brittle with time and cold. Solid white or tan and the clear are the best.


----------



## Rafael/PR (Sep 8, 2008)

thanks for the info korge7


----------



## Dot (Apr 29, 2021)

Does anyone know what sort of regular (people house) roof pigeons prefer? I have to change my roof which will be disruption enough for the pigeons. I love having them here. They come down to feed and make my life more beautiful. They are used to the standard asphalt roof. If I change it to metal, will they hate that? Is there a roof they like best? I thought if I do go with asphalt again, I could get a lighter grey and charcoal grey shade-patterned one that will help them blend in more and be less visible to hawks. Thank you in advance for any pigeon-friendly roofing advice. I'm so afraid they will leave after I change the roof, but I've put it off as long as I can.


----------



## Benjeon (Mar 25, 2021)

Hello Dot,


Dot said:


> I love having them here. They come down to feed and make my life more beautiful.


They love having someone to regularly feed them...


Dot said:


> They are used to the standard asphalt roof. If I change it to metal, will they hate that?


If the roof was steep and the metal made it slippery it might change their habits where they perch and land, but they should find other places to stay by their hangout. 


Dot said:


> I'm so afraid they will leave after I change the roof, but I've put it off as long as I can.


I've seen some nice metal roofs but I usually prefer asphalt shingles on home dwellings, there are lots of nice architectural shingles these days. As long as you keep feeding them I don't think you have anything to worry about. 

Good luck.


----------

