Metal roof on home

   / Metal roof on home #11  
I'm putting metal on my pole barn I'm building (very slowly), and I am considering redoing my house with standing seam. My existing house shingles are only 10 yrs old (30 yr shingles) and are mildewing very bad and look terrible.
 
   / Metal roof on home #12  
I have been involved in a number of metal roof jobs.

A few observations;
Metal roof should not be in direct contact with, say, a plywood decking but rather on furring strips.
The reason is that the metal will sweat and if in direct contact with decking cause A the decking to rot, B the metal to rust out from the underside.

We have built up metal roofs over (stripped down paper roofs) by adding 2 by stock across the old decking, usually at 16' centers and screwing down the metal in the conventional way.

In many cases this was needed as the houses were underinsulated cathedral ceiling construction resulting in heat loss followed by serious ice damming that resulted in leaks and damaged shingles.
Most often these were converted summer homes now being used all season with owners not wanting to give up the cathedral inside.
We's add, usually 2" of blue foam under the 2X stock for added 'R' value with the 2 X stock providing reasonable ventilation.
Problem solved!

I have stripped metal roof off of plywood decking and always found it to be in advanced state of corosion and in some cases rusted through after as little as 10 yrs.
Metal that can breathe will last at least 40 yrs.
 
   / Metal roof on home #13  
Just remember that the snow and ice that would have stayed on your shingle roof will come down off the steel roof all at once some sunny day. If you are parked under it you will need body-work on your hood and roof. If it comes down onto a deck with chairs or a picnic table that was left out overwinter ditto....Don't ask how I know and yes I would use steel again the next time
 
   / Metal roof on home #14  
One thing I have learned about metal roof is that you will need snowguards if you live where there is snow. On a metal roof, the snow slides off all at once, like an avalance. It took my new and expensive copper gutters with it. If you do not have gutters, then no problem as long as you are not underneath the avalance when it comes down.
 
   / Metal roof on home #15  
Just put a new standing seam metal roof on the old house (rental) a few years ago... good for another 100 years. If I had it to do over again, I would have metal on this new house. Front shingles look new but back side stained terrible (8 year old house).

mark
 
   / Metal roof on home #16  
Does it hail where you live? You may have to live with the pockmarks........
 
   / Metal roof on home #17  
I had a 70 year old slate roof on my last house and when we had our first hail storm in this area in my lifetime it damaged many slate and asbestos shingle roofs close to us but my home was spared. The next month Allstate insurance canceled all their hail and windstorm policies in our area on slate roofs including ours. :( After Katrina damaged our composition roof on our new home, I installed a metal roof over our old roof with 2 x 4 furring strips and 3/4" foam insulation in between. My attic is 10 degrees cooler in the summer now. I had installed a metal roof on our 2 1/2 car garage and a tractor shed and a 10 stall barn a year earlier and they had no damage in Katrina.:)
 
   / Metal roof on home #18  
There are many roofing options, and the choice depends on your pocketbook and particular needs. Lowes is now selling 50 year shingles - not bad (all there was when I first bought a house was 15 year). For most folks, 50 years is fine (yeah, it'll probably be 30 years, and a modest discount towards your next shingle purpose).
The longer lasting shingles are, among other things, heavier and therefore less likely to "peel" in high winds. I'm not getting into slate, tile and the like - great stuff, and can actually survive a hurricane if tied down real well - but if you're going for slate/tile of that thickness (need a very substantial roof structure to support the weight), and the necessary heavy duty fasteners - you're out of my financial league.
I've a metal roof on my soon-to-be retirement home - as I don't want to burden myself, or later my offspring, with much in the way of maintenance. The metal is aluminum, mylar coated, in a standing seam pattern. It's already faced 2 years of wear, and a 130+ mph "breeze" (per national weather service estimate, tornedo spun off a minor hurricane - took out 3 large oaks within 100 feet of the house) - nothing has happened. It's got a line of lightening rods along the top, connected to 3/4" copper wiring that goes down (in conduit) both sides of my house into 8' rods driven into the ground.
So far, so good. I'm told I should paint the roof every decade or so. Almost chose copper - but didn't want to have the staining issues unless the gutters and drain pipes are positioned to comprehensively remove the run-off.
 
   / Metal roof on home #19  
Just did a new metal roof this past year.

Advise in these posts is on the money.

Cost more, done right - little to no maintenance. Watch out for snow, get a reputable installer, shop around for materials.

Oh, it is slippery and hot, change your roof climbing plans accordingly. And it is metal, so it is sharp. Don't drop a sheet or kick it out of fustration. :)

-Mike Z.
 
   / Metal roof on home #20  
shvl73 said:
I don't know the size or type of roof you have but, that is an outrageous sum of money.

My house has exactly 4,500 square feet of roofing material (R-panel), which at $0.78/sf is only around $3,500 for actual sheet metal from a local supplier. Add $1,000 to $1,500 for caps, screws, flashing, etc. and I'm up to say $5,000 max in materials. So where does the other $11-$27K factor in? I don't know and won't be paying it anytime soon.
 

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