Conscious Choice: Metal Roofs

June 2001 | Sensible Home

Metal Roofs

by James Dulley

Dear Jim: I need a new roof again and I am considering a lifetime metal one this time. I saw them on the most expensive houses on a new homes tour. Does a shake-style metal roof make sense for someone on a budget? — Paul T.

Dear Paul: A metal roof does cost more to install initially, but since you will never have to reroof your home again (transferable fifty-year to lifetime warranties), metal roofs make long-term economic sense for any home. Since metal roofs are fireproof, you also may get a discount on your insurance.

Another money-saving advantage of installing a metal roof is lower air-conditioning bills and better comfort. Metal roofs reflect much of the intense summer sun’s heat as compared to asphalt shingles that absorb the heat. The sound of rain on the roof is no greater than on a shingle roof.

You have many options in styles in metal roofing. Many people prefer styles that simulate cedar shingles or shakes, tiles, slate, etc. From the ground, they look like any other roof. Others prefer a style, like standing seam, that definitely looks like a metal roof, for a distinctive, elegant look.

Installing a metal roof is good for the environment. Each year, billions of pounds of old asphalt shingles end up in landfills. Well over half of the materials used for metal residential roofs is recycled. Most of the aluminum roofing materials are made from recycled soft drink cans.

For the greatest reduction in your summer electric bills, choose an aluminum roof with a new special heat barrier paint. This paint technology was developed by the Army so tanks could escape infrared heat detection.

Since the metal roofing has a formed shake, tile, etc., contour, there are many air gaps between it and your old roof. (It can be installed over your old roof without an expensive tear-off.) These gaps allow air to naturally flow through and carry away the intense heat from the afternoon sun.

There are many options as to the type of finish. Some manufacturers offer up to twenty standard colors. To provide an authentic look, some metal roofing has a multilayer paint process with real sand granules embedded in the final layers. Most use extremely durable Kynar or Hylar finishes.

Since installing real tile or slate roofing requires major structural upgrades to support the weight, metal roofing is often the only feasible option. Even the heaviest steel roofing weighs only 5 percent as much as real tile.

The higher material costs of metal roofing is somewhat offset by the rapid installation. Much of the contoured metal roofing is formed in large panels. It requires only about twenty-five panels per hundred square feet of roof to cover.

Write for (or instantly download) Update Bulletin No. 782, buyer’s guide of seventeen manufacturers of residential aluminum, copper, steel roofing listing styles, colors, finishes, weights, features and installation details. Please include $3.00 and a business-size SASE. James Dulley, Conscious Choice, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244.

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