An experienced construction professional, Thomas E. Tate serves as president of Tate Builders, Inc., a respected design-and-build company on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. As president of the company, Thomas “Tom” Tate helps clients lessen their environmental impact by building homes using sustainable materials, such as cedar shakes and shingles.

1. CEDAR ROOFING - A SUSTAINABLE
CHOICE
Thomas Tate

2. INTRODUCTION
 An experienced construction professional, Thomas E. Tate serves as
president of Tate Builders, Inc., a respected design-and-build company
on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. As president of the company,
Thomas “Tom” Tate helps clients lessen their environmental impact by
building homes using sustainable materials, such as cedar shakes and
shingles.
A natural and beautiful roof covering, cedar has been used on homes
throughout New England for several centuries. Today, cedar shakes and
shingles are a popular choice among homeowners looking to improve
the look and durability of their roofs while enhancing the sustainability of
their homes.
Unlike other roofing materials that only last 15 to 20 years, wood shakes
and shingles have an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years, and they have
been known to last much longer with proper care and maintenance.

3. CEDAR ROOFING
 This means that some homeowners will never have to replace
their cedar roof in their lifetimes and more waste will be kept out
of the world’s landfills. Also, because cedar is a natural product, it
is 100 percent recyclable and can be turned into garden mulch or
chips once its life as a roof has ended.
Homeowners considering cedar shakes or shingles can also rest
assured that cedar roofing products require minimal energy to
produce and are typically sourced using responsible practices
that promote the health of forests and the planet as a whole. This
is not the case with more common roofing materials like asphalt
shingles, which are manufactured from a nonrenewable resource
and require a significant amount of energy to produce.