Whether you’re building your first home or remodeling your old one, roofing materials are an important part of the process. In this article, we’ll look at one popular option – bourbon roofing shingles – and what makes them so great for both older and new homes alike. We’ll also touch on the benefits of working with roofers during your home-building or remodeling project, no matter what kind of material you use on your roof.

What are they?
They’re called bourbon shingles because they’re made with a bourbon barrel extract. So, what’s in that extract? The manufacturer doesn’t say. But I bet it isn’t bourbon—the amount is probably negligible. Here are my guesses about what it might be: Oak extract. Wood flour. Isopropyl alcohol (to help it dry faster). A few other chemicals (to help bind things together and make up for volume loss from evaporation). None of these should have any negative effect on humans or animals (or plants), but if you’re curious/paranoid, you can contact an industrial chemist and ask him to run a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis on your roofing shingles before laying them down. I bet he will decline.

How do they compare to other materials?
Compared to asphalt, metal, and slate roofing materials, bourbon shingles actually have a fairly short lifespan. The good news is that they don’t require any additional maintenance during their lifetime. Asphalt roofs will need to be re-shingled occasionally to ensure longevity; metal roofs tend to corrode in certain climates and thus require painting every few years; and slate roofs are expensive (though beautiful) and will degrade over time.

What do they cost?
You may ask yourself, How much are bourbon shingles? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve got your answer right here. We typically don’t cover prices of our roofing materials on our website, but bourbon is an exception to that rule! Check out these numbers on average costs for bourbon barrel asphalt shingles $49-$59 per square, depending on how many bottles make up a single square (usually 2-4). For example, a 400 sq. ft. two-story home will run you $1604 – $2048; including labor and cost of supplies like fasteners and metal flashing. That’s only around five bucks per square foot… not bad at all!

Where can you buy them?
You can buy bourbon shingles from any qualified roofer. A quick search on google helps you find a qualified roofer. For example if you are located in Dallas, PA type into google “roofing companies near dallas, PA”. Creating a search like this one will help you find the best contractor nearby. Furthermore these types of roof are easy to install and come in a variety of sizes and colors. While they’re not cheap, you can be sure that your house will look amazing with these shingles on top! Not only do they make your house look good, but they also help insulate it, keeping it cool in summer and warm in winter! Before you decide which type of roofing material to choose for your home, give bourbon shingles a second look! Your friends will thank you.

Who should install them?
Bourbon Shingles are designed to be installed by an experienced and licensed roofer. Though homeowners can install these shingles themselves, it is a dangerous and extremely complex process. If you’re looking for new roofing materials, talk to your local roofer. Your roofer will have a wealth of knowledge on all types of shingle materials, including bourbon shingles.