In the current context where the construction industry is constantly striving to maximize cost-effectiveness, the choice of roof

underlayment materials has become one of the key factors. Recent research and practice have shown that synthetic roof

underlayment demonstrates unique advantages in terms of economy and life cycle costs, posing a strong challenge to the

traditional asphalt felt materials.

Although the initial purchase price of synthetic roof underlayment may be slightly higher than that of traditional asphalt felt, its

subsequent performance is remarkable. Thanks to its excellent durability, synthetic underlayment has a longer service life and

can provide stable and reliable protection for buildings over a long period of time. Meanwhile, it has extremely low maintenance

requirements, reducing the input of manpower and material resources for regular inspections and repairs, and significantly lowering

the maintenance costs. More importantly, synthetic underlayment effectively reduces the risks of water leakage and structural

damage, avoiding costly repair expenses and potential building safety hazards caused by these problems, and greatly reducing the

total cost during the life cycle of the building in the long run, with a relatively high return on investment.

On the contrary, the low initial price of traditional asphalt felt often attracts the attention of many builders. However, as time passes,

its drawbacks gradually become apparent. Its shorter service life means that the material needs to be replaced more frequently,

and each replacement is accompanied by additional costs such as labor and transportation. Moreover, asphalt felt is more prone to

water leakage. Once this occurs, it will not only cause damage to the interior of the building but also trigger a series of secondary

problems such as dampness and mildew, resulting in high repair costs. In addition, under extreme weather conditions, the instability of

asphalt felt further exacerbates the risk of damage, causing the overall ownership cost of the building to increase significantly without

people noticing.

In general, synthetic roof underlayment shows outstanding economy throughout the entire life cycle of a building. Although asphalt

felt has a low initial cost, considering the long-term maintenance and replacement costs, its cost-performance ratio is far inferior to

that of synthetic underlayment. This finding provides an important reference for the material selection decisions in the construction

industry and is expected to prompt more builders to prefer synthetic roof underlayment in future projects, promoting the construction

industry to develop in a more economical, efficient and sustainable direction and achieving a win-win situation for building quality

and cost control.