Wood shake and shingle

Typical lifespan

20–40 years

Installed cost per square

$800–$1600estimate

Weight

200–350 lb per square

Fire class

Untreated wood is not Class A. Pressure-impregnated fire-retardant treatment is required to reach a class rating

Impact class

Not typically rated

How does wood shake and shingle actually work?

Wood shakes are split from a log and wood shingles are sawn, which makes shakes thicker, more irregular and more textured, and shingles flatter and more uniform. Both are usually western red cedar, chosen because its natural oils resist decay. They are laid over spaced sheathing or over a breathable underlayment rather than tight to a solid deck, because a wood roof needs to dry from both faces — trap moisture underneath and the roof rots from the inside while looking fine from the street. Untreated wood carries no fire class at all; reaching one requires pressure-impregnated fire-retardant treatment, and that treatment is the first thing to ask about because many jurisdictions now require it or ban wood outright.

What drives the cost?

Grade drives price more than anything: heartwood, edge-grain, thickness and length all separate a shake that lasts forty years from one that lasts twenty. Fire-retardant treatment adds cost and is frequently mandatory. Installation is slower than asphalt and the crews who do it well are fewer. And the honest cost conversation includes maintenance, because a wood roof is the one common covering with a genuine ongoing upkeep budget rather than an occasional one. Worth pricing separately: a wood roof laid over spaced sheathing needs that sheathing built, so converting from a solid-deck covering adds framing labour before any cedar arrives on site.

What separates a good installation from a bad one?

The critical detail is ventilation of the shakes themselves. Spaced sheathing or a purpose-made breather layer lets the underside dry; laying wood tight onto solid deck and felt is the classic way to build a roof that rots early. Correct exposure for the grade and pitch, stainless or hot-dipped fasteners that will not stain or corrode, and generous flashings all matter. Interlayment felt woven between courses is standard on shakes because their irregular thickness leaves gaps that need backing up.

Where does wood shake and shingle work well?

Best climates: Dry temperate climates with good air movement

Worst climates: Humid, shaded, or wildfire-exposed. Also anywhere an HOA or insurer restricts it

What maintenance does it need?

This is the covering that asks most of an owner. Keep it clear of debris and moss, keep branches cut back so it dries, and expect periodic treatment depending on climate and on whether the wood was factory-treated. Split, cupped or missing shakes should be replaced as they appear rather than accumulated. In damp shaded conditions a wood roof can be visibly failing on the north slope while the south slope still looks new, so it needs looking at as two roofs rather than one.

What fails first

Splitting and cupping on the sun side, moss and rot on the shaded side, often on the same roof

When should you choose it?

Choose wood when the look is the point and the climate cooperates: dry temperate conditions with good air movement, on a house where cedar is architecturally right. Choose it knowing it is a maintained roof rather than a fitted-and-forgotten one, and check the fire-retardant requirement and any homeowners association or insurer restriction before falling in love with it.

When should you think twice?

Avoid wood in wildfire-exposed areas, in humid or heavily shaded settings, and anywhere an insurer will surcharge or decline it — that last one catches people after the contract is signed. Check the local code before anything else; a growing number of jurisdictions restrict or prohibit wood roofing entirely, and finding that out late is an expensive way to learn it.

What ratings does it carry?

Common mistakes

• Not checking the local code first. A growing number of jurisdictions restrict or ban wood roofing, and finding out after the contract is an expensive lesson.
• Laying it tight on solid deck and felt. Wood needs to dry from both faces; trapping moisture underneath rots the roof from the inside while it looks fine from the street.
• Assuming it carries a fire class. Untreated wood does not. Reaching one requires pressure-impregnated fire-retardant treatment.
• Not asking the insurer before buying. Some carriers surcharge or decline wood outright, and that conversation is much better had beforehand.
• Treating it as a fitted-and-forgotten roof. It is the one common covering with a genuine ongoing maintenance budget.