Didn’t have to reinforce mine, but I double-checked the specs since my house is older. The weight was close, but still under what the rafters could handle. I’d say it’s worth running the numbers—surprises get expensive fast. And yeah, rain’s a bit louder now, but nothing that keeps me up at night.
Interesting about the rain being louder—I was kinda worried about that since I’m a light sleeper. Did you notice any difference with temperature inside after switching to composite? My place gets pretty toasty in summer, and I’ve heard some roof materials can make that worse or better. Just trying to figure out if it’s worth the trade-off for me.
Did you notice any difference with temperature inside after switching to composite? My place gets pretty toasty in summer, and I’ve heard some roof materials can make that worse or better.
- I switched to composite a couple years back (live in SoCal, so summers get brutal).
- Noticed it’s a little warmer upstairs, but honestly, nothing wild—maybe 2-3 degrees tops.
- The attic got hotter, though. Ended up adding a vent fan, which helped.
- On the plus side, no more worrying about cracked tiles or moss.
- Rain noise is definitely up, but I got used to it... kinda like white noise now.
- If your place already bakes, maybe look into extra insulation while you’re at it? That made a bigger difference for me than the actual roof material.
Interesting you mention the attic getting hotter—I've seen that a lot with composite, especially in sunnier spots. I swapped to a cool roof coating last year (on top of my old shingles) and it actually helped drop the temp inside by a few degrees, more than I expected. If you ever get tired of the extra rain noise or heat, maybe look into reflective coatings or even a green/vegetative layer? Not for everyone, but it made my place way more comfortable in summer. Insulation definitely helps too, but sometimes it's wild how much the roof material itself can change things.
I hear you on the attic heat—my place baked after I switched to composite, especially during that July heatwave last year. Ended up adding a radiant barrier and it made a bigger difference than I thought. Haven’t tried the coatings yet, but I’m tempted. The rain noise is real though... sometimes feels like living inside a drum set.
