A home at the North End of Virginia Beach featuring an asphalt roof and, over the porch, accent roofing of standing seam metal. (Glenn Bashaw)

Designing a roof is like most everything else in life: There are pros and cons to virtually every decision. While most homeowners are not apt to change the design of their roof unless they are adding a second floor, converting an attic, raising their ceilings or adding a covered porch, replacing a roof is a necessity of home maintenance.

Though roofs don’t involve the sexiest of design decisions, they are workhorses performing functions related to shelter, durability, weatherproofing and energy efficiency. And getting it right — however you define right — is critical to the overall look of your home, whether it’s cottage, colonial or contemporary chic. But there is also your wallet to consider: material, installation and maintenance costs on the debit side, and property value on the credit side.

Let’s start with some of the materials available. For many people, there are two choices: asphalt shingles or the increasingly popular standing seam metal. The former (strip, architectural or luxury, in order of ascending cost) — generally with 20- to 30-year warranties — are good selections if heat absorption, flexing and relatively low cost are your primary considerations, along with ease of replacing individual shingles.

Standing seam metal roofs are handsome, fully fireproof, longer lasting than asphalt, and recyclable. They also require specialized installation skills.

While “standing seam” has become a household term, it is not the only heat-reflecting metal game in town. Metal shingles or shakes, whose advantages and costs are similar to those of standing seam roofs, are the chameleons of the roofing world. These stamped and finished shingles can take on the look of asphalt shingles, wooden shakes, or even slate or clay tiles. There are also copper roofing and corrugated steel to consider.

Speaking of shakes and shingles, the wooden versions of these are beautifully warm and organic, and pricier than asphalt. They have much greater longevity if installed in a dry climate and properly maintained. They are poor choices for locales prone to excessive moisture or wildfires.

Glazed or unglazed ceramic tile is an excellent choice for salty air in hot climates; hence its popularity in southern coastal regions. It is expensive but, as we know from century-old villas, it has an impressive life span. The same is true of slate roofs. Gorgeous, pricey and requiring highly skilled installers, these roofs will outlive their homeowners.

If your home — or budget — can’t support the weight of true slate, rubber slate tile is an inexpensive option that looks surprisingly authentic from ground level. It carries warranties of up to 50 years.

For the eco-minded wanting to make an environmental statement, green roofs are the most unorthodox. They require specialized knowledge to install and maintain. But the payoff is in removal of pollutants from the air, reduced runoff, thermal insulation and a unique brand of beauty.

Modern and contemporary flap-top or low-pitch residential roofs are generally sheathed with membrane roofing. Low-cost and long-lasting, membrane involves seaming large sheets of one of a number of materials: neoprene, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), chlorinated and chlorosulfonated polyethylene, and polymer-modified bitumens. A friend who recently designed and had built a hybrid midcentury/industrial-modern home on the Outer Banks chose membrane for her low-pitch shed roof. But to avoid noticeable seams over her front porch, whose roof is more visible from the street, she chose standing seam metal for that area only.

We recommend doing some of your own research, as the list of roofing materials continues with the likes of concrete and bamboo and endless combinations. Plus, you will want to consider a wide variety of finishing touches, such as cornices — horizontal decorative molding — and roof ridge caps, which range from barely noticeable to subtle yet striking to highly decorative.

Once you’ve chosen a material, color is next, and that can be tricky. If you want your home to appear larger, generally a lighter color will do the trick. If you want to direct attention to other aspects of your home or property, a darker color might be in order. Keep in mind, though, that the darkest colors create considerable visual weight and can seem to “bear down” on a home. In terms of utility bills, colors’ ability to reflect and absorb light and heat is a consideration: Which is more important to you in which season?

Generally you will likely want the color temperature — cool or warm — of your home’s exterior and roof to be the same — for example, a gray roof on a blue home or a tan roof on a brown home. But there are always exceptions, and sometimes those are the most exciting — say, a charcoal gray roof on a red-brick home.

We advise looking at lots of homes in appealing neighborhoods and online: If you misstep, you have made an expensive mistake that you will have to live with for a long time. With an estimated average of 40% of your home’s visible exterior devoted to the roof, it is worth taking the time to make a very calculated decision.

Chris Ettel, founding partner of VB Homes, is a member of the Coastal Virginia Building Industry Association.

Have questions? Send to chris@vbhomesliving.com