The first roofs were simple and functional; they kept out the weather. Any available material was used in the effort and some of the first sod roofs and thatched roof systems were born.

As time passed, the quality of roof systems increased, using quarried materials and wood slats.

The present assortment of materials includes the time-tested quarried material (slate), wood slats (shingles), and as well as manufactured products such as organic asphalt shingle products, modified asphalt products and metal. These systems have been developed to meet modern requirements such as aesthetics, architectural considerations or performance characteristics.

Since the advent of manufacturing, products have changed dramatically in the industry. Hot tar roofing using wood fired kettles and rag felts were the first low slope or flat roofing systems. This new possibility for flat roofing split the array of roofing choices into two styles: either a shedder or collector. Collector roofs were popular as roof coverings for warehouse type buildings where size would not accommodate the height required for a peeked roof. Shedder roofs would include barns and other agricultural buildings built using sloped roofs but able to utilize the upper spaces such as hay lofts. Often, the slope of the roof was so extreme water would never be able to linger, providing an effective system to weather protection. Most modern roof systems are derivatives of these hardy designs.

Carbon banks, oxygen production from rooftop gardens (intensive and extensive), and products with an increasingly neutral environmental footprint are looked upon as the future of  our industry.