The Deal

• $99 for $1,000 toward roof replacement

The Roof: A Safety Helmet for Your Home

A roofing professional helps your roof keep your home warm, dry, and owl-free. Read on to uncover all the layers it takes to do that, from the rafters up.

Rafters: the supporting beams atop which the roof is laid. Residential rafters are typically made of wood, although steel and aluminum can also be used.

Fascia: the boards connecting the rafters at their ends, ultimately used to support gutters and drainage pipes.

Decking: a firm surface laid on top of the rafters like a lid over a pot, usually plywood or another sheet material.

Insulation: dense material, usually fiberglass, laid between the rafters against the inside of the decking to keep heat from escaping the home.

Underlayment: water-repellent material placed on top of the decking, usually made of paper or fiberglass mat melded with tar or asphalt.

Shingles: the roof’s outer skin, usually decorative as well as protective. Shingles can be made from a variety of materials, including metal, wood, stone, and asphalt.

Flashing: Used to prevent water seepage, these pieces of sheet metal are placed around vents, skylights, and any other joints or weak spots on the roof.

Guttering: the system of troughs laid along the edges of the roof, designed to collect rainwater and divert it away from the building. Without gutters, the trickle of rain running down the exterior walls would create quite a bit of damage over time.