I plan to use shingles, but I want a unique look. Although they are more expensive than standard thin asphalt shingles, many of them have from 40-year to lifetime warranties.
Architectural shingles are twice or three times as thick as ordinary shingles.
By laminating several layers of shingles together and using various tab widths, exposures, colors, etc., rich deep shadow lines are created. Some look like real weathered cedar wood shakes from the ground. Heat buildup in the roof is more a function of the shingle color and the exposure to the sun than the shingle thickness. Unfortunately, common colors, other than white or light gray, convert most of the sun's rays to heat. With adequate attic ventilation, this heat does not create any problems for the underlying roof structure.