Weight rules out options before anything else does. Clay tile, concrete tile and natural slate are far heavier than asphalt, and a house framed for shingles may need structural work before it can carry them. After that, the choice comes down to the shape of the roof, how long you plan to stay, and how each material handles hail.
Start with what your structure can carry
Settle the structural question before you fall in love with a material. Natural slate or clay tile on a house framed for shingles can mean reinforcing the roof structure first, and that changes both the price and the timeline.
This is the main reason synthetic tile and synthetic slate have become so common on the higher end streets around Oklahoma City. They deliver the appearance at a fraction of the weight, which removes the structural question entirely.
Asphalt shingle
The default for most Oklahoma City homes, and the default for good reasons. It is well understood, widely available, works on almost any roof geometry, and comes in a range from builder grade three tab up to designer profiles, such as CertainTeed Grand Manor, that read as something considerably more expensive from the street.
Consider it when: you want proven performance, a wide color and style range, and predictable cost. This is the right answer for the large majority of houses.
The hail note: ask about Class 4 impact rated shingles. They are built to handle hail better than a standard product, and some insurance carriers treat them differently. That is a question for your carrier rather than your roofer.
Metal
Metal comes in three broadly different systems. Standing seam is the concealed fastener system most people picture: raised seams, clean lines, modern. Metal shingle is formed to read like shingle, tile or shake from the ground while behaving like metal. Corrugated is the exposed fastener system common on agricultural and industrial buildings.
Consider it when: your roof has long uninterrupted runs, the building takes direct weather, or the architecture suits it. Metal handles wind extremely well when fastened correctly.
Think harder when: your roof is complex. A lot of hips, valleys, dormers and penetrations means substantially more custom flashing work in metal than in shingle, and both cost and risk rise with that complexity.
The hail note: metal can dent. Whether a dent matters is partly functional and largely aesthetic, and it is worth deciding how you feel about that before rather than after.
Clay and concrete tile
The traditional Mediterranean and Spanish profile, and beautiful on the right house. Also heavy, brittle, and completely dependent on the quality of what sits underneath it.
Consider it when: the architecture calls for it and the structure can carry it. On a stucco house with arched windows, nothing else looks right.
Think harder when: you have not confirmed the structural capacity, or when the contractor quoting has not done tile before. This is the material where a rushed installation is most expensive to correct.
Composite and synthetic tile
Manufactured products designed to deliver the appearance of tile, slate or shake at much lower weight and with far less brittleness. DaVinci and Brava are the names that come up most around this metro.
Consider it when: you want the appearance of a specialty roof on a structure that was not designed for the weight of natural material, or when you would rather not deal with the fragility of clay or slate.
Champion Roofing is a DaVinci Masterpiece contractor and was the first company in Oklahoma to install Brava synthetic roofing. These products have become the standard on a lot of the higher end streets here for exactly the reasons above.
Natural and synthetic slate
Natural slate is the traditional material on older and higher end properties. It lasts a very long time and it is entirely unforgiving of a poor installation. It is also stone, with all the weight that implies.
Synthetic slate delivers a very similar appearance at a small fraction of the weight, which frequently makes it the correct engineering answer even when budget is not the constraint.
Consider either when: the house calls for it. On the right property, slate is unmatched. On the wrong one, it looks like an expensive mistake.
In Norman's Chautauqua, Miller and Southridge historic districts, part of the choice is made for you: under the city's preservation guidelines, original wood, tile and slate roofs are kept and repaired in kind. That is specialty work we do.
Wood and synthetic shake
Cedar shake has a texture and a weathering behavior that nothing else replicates exactly. It also demands maintenance and carries fire considerations that vary by jurisdiction. Edmond, for one, allows wood shingles only if they are fire retardant.
Synthetic shake removes both of those problems while getting close on appearance. For most people wanting the shake look, it is the more practical route.
Every material side by side
The same ground as above, in one place. A dash means this guide does not cover that point for the material.
| Material | Weight | Hail | Best fit | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle | Far lighter than tile or slate | Ask about Class 4 impact rated shingles, built to handle hail better | Most Oklahoma City houses, on almost any roof shape | Builder grade three tab; most houses should have a quality architectural or designer shingle |
| Metal | — | Can dent; a dented panel often still works | Long, simple runs and buildings that take direct weather | Complex roofs: every hip, valley and dormer needs custom flashing |
| Clay and concrete tile | Heavy | Brittle | Mediterranean and Spanish style houses that can carry it | Unconfirmed structure, or a crew new to tile |
| Composite and synthetic tile | Much lower than the natural material | Far less brittle than clay or slate | The specialty look on a house not framed for natural material | An installer who has done it before |
| Natural slate | Stone, with the weight that implies | — | Older and higher end houses that call for it | Entirely unforgiving of a poor installation |
| Synthetic slate | A small fraction of natural slate | — | The slate look without the structural question | An installer who has done it before |
| Cedar shake | — | — | A texture and weathering nothing else matches | Maintenance, and fire rules that vary by city |
| Synthetic shake | — | — | The shake look, for most people the practical route | Close to the cedar look, not an exact match |
The questions that actually decide it
- What can the structure carry? This eliminates options before anything else does.
- How complex is the roof? Complexity penalizes metal and tile more than it penalizes shingle.
- What is on your street? A roof that is wrong for the neighborhood affects resale even when it is beautiful.
- How long do you intend to stay? A material with a fifty year life on a house you will sell in six is a different calculation.
- What does your insurance carrier say? Particularly regarding impact rated products.
What we would tell you
Most houses in Oklahoma City should have a quality architectural or designer asphalt shingle, and there is nothing disappointing about that answer. The cases where something else is better are real but less common than the marketing suggests.
Where a specialty material is right, it is worth checking that whoever quotes it has installed that material before.
If you want an opinion on your specific house, our assessment is free and we will tell you when the cheaper option is the right one.
