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I need a new roof on my house ~ Anyone have a steel roof?

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Probably NEXT year I'll be putting a new roof on my home. The current roof is asphalt shingles, 1 layer. Its right at 16 years old and the original roof. Parts of it are in very good shape, but there are parts, like over my front porch, where there is a wall that reflects sun/heat onto part of the roof, where the shingles are bubbling from heat, curling a bit on the corners, etc. These are "25" year shingles, which means that any pro-rated warranty is pretty much gone after 15 years.

So I'm thinking about one of the metal roofs. Not sure about them, but I'd like to learn more. I sort of like the look but I do have reservations.

Anyone have a steel roof on their home?

Any downsides? Any advantages?
I know they are a bit more expensive, but they are also supposed to be good for roughly 50 years so I'd never replace the roof again if I do this.

Thoughts?
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Probably NEXT year I'll be putting a new roof on my home. The current roof is asphalt shingles, 1 layer. Its right at 16 years old and the original roof. Parts of it are in very good shape, but there are parts, like over my front porch, where there is a wall that reflects sun/heat onto part of the roof, where the shingles are bubbling from heat, curling a bit on the corners, etc. These are "25" year shingles, which means that any pro-rated warranty is pretty much gone after 15 years.

So I'm thinking about one of the metal roofs. Not sure about them, but I'd like to learn more. I sort of like the look but I do have reservations.

Anyone have a steel roof on their home?

Any downsides? Any advantages? I know they are a bit more expensive, but they are also supposed to be good for roughly 50 years so I'd never replace the roof again if I do this.

Thoughts?

I,m not sure if you are considering putting metal over your exsisting asphault shingled roof or not . But if you are You might check with your insurance agent first .

I looked into putting metal over our exsisting roof & its done all the time by running 2x2 wood stringers crossways first I beleive thats what they said . The problem is in doing that in case of a house fire it makes it very dificult for the fire dept to put out because the shingles will catch fire & they have no way to access them to put it out . My insurance agent advised Me not to do it . Allthough He didn,t say it wouldn,t be covered it may raise my insurance rates a lot more then I,d like . Just something to think about :smile:
 

daedong

New member
Bob I can't compare asphalt shingles to steel as asphalt is not used in Australia. We use cement, or clay tiles, and steel (colorbond). The advantage of steel over the other two is reduced total weight, meaning less structural support, steel will be noisier in the rain.
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
I have a steel roof - 16" between standing ribs.
if you do this, and go with a non-heat absorbing" color, it can count as an energy credit for your taxes.
yes, they are durable.
yes, they can be noisy in the rain if you don't put some sound deadening insulation under it. OTOH, they also shed snow pretty quickly due to lack of friction.
I think ours is worth the extra materials cost.
They're considered "hailproof" and fire resistant, so may qualify for home insurance deductions.
The other neat thing about them, there are companies making "peel and stick" amorphous solar films that fit between the ribs and tie together under the ridge cap, so it's an easy way to add a solar electric system to your house without adding bulky panels that can be damaged in thunderstorms.
 

Adillo303

Diesel Truck Fan
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know if cash is a concern to you, you can put a new roof right over the one you have and not incur the cost of a rip and disposal of the old one. If you get another 16 or better yet maybe 20 with newer materials, you might not even be living there any more.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
I have steel roofing on all three of my homes .I would not have anything else . I would pull the comp shingles off before installing the steel . Snow does slide well and there is a little bit more noise in heavy rains , but very little .If you can order the lengths of metal so it will be one continous piece from overhang to ridge .I think I just paid $2.18 a running foot for the material .Goes on fast . Make sure you use the proper screws that the roof manufacture supplies .

We have been real happy with the roof and the color has stayed the same with very little fading .
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
I was thinking of getting steel for my garage at our cabin. But with all the trees and falling branches I have second thoughts. Still debating on it.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
I was thinking of getting steel for my garage at our cabin. But with all the trees and falling branches I have second thoughts. Still debating on it.

Its a heck of a lot tougher than you think . If your solid sheated under the roofing you will not have any problems at all .
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
We get some pretty high winds off the lake and have some pretty good size branches fall off trees. Won't they leave little dents in the steel?
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Probably NEXT year I'll be putting a new roof on my home. The current roof is asphalt shingles, 1 layer. Its right at 16 years old and the original roof. Parts of it are in very good shape, but there are parts, like over my front porch, where there is a wall that reflects sun/heat onto part of the roof, where the shingles are bubbling from heat, curling a bit on the corners, etc. These are "25" year shingles, which means that any pro-rated warranty is pretty much gone after 15 years.

So I'm thinking about one of the metal roofs. Not sure about them, but I'd like to learn more. I sort of like the look but I do have reservations.

Anyone have a steel roof on their home?

Any downsides? Any advantages?
I know they are a bit more expensive, but they are also supposed to be good for roughly 50 years so I'd never replace the roof again if I do this.

Thoughts?

Ok this I might be able to help with a bit. First galvanized type standing seem roofs will last 50 years as a rule. So they will out last a normal roof. I have a metal roof on not only my apartment but also on the 465 storage units we have on our property.

Now here are some of the draw backs to it. First insulation for colder climates and damp climates as well as noise is a must. Differences in outside and inside temperatures will cause condensate in most cases, so insulation is a must have.

Standard interior insulation will last a while but the best stuff I've found is a spray foam that is applied to the exterior with a sand over in our case. It is the same foam as they use for insulating the interior but is difficult to apply in an existing building due to dry wall etc.. In my case the ceilings would of all have to of been removed to apply it. That does stop and lower heating and cooling bills year around though so it costs can be offset somewhat. It cost me $9,000 to do a 24' x 45' exterior roof on our apartment but took 2 days to complete. It also is very quite so it sounds proofs as well. Now it possibly can be sprayed if you have an attic something with space that can be accesses which I don't have. We did find a company locally that sprays it on in a 2 day process. Also if you do it from inside the fumes are pretty strong for about 2 weeks so it isn't advisable to stay in the attic for at least 2 weeks if ventilated or much longer if not.

As for the costs of installing a metal standing seam roof I don't know as they have been on my place for 26 years now and are still in good shape. We have had two roofs sprayed with a sealer over the last year which is fairly inexpensive and put on quickly (couple of hours) which we do as needed on the storage buildings. We have 7 rather long and wide building and only 2 roofs sealed in 26 years. Mostly due to minor leaks from lost fasteners near the edges.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
I've seen ads for steel roofs that look like traditional roofs. Regular steel roofs look good on some homes, okay on others and pretty bad on some. I'm afraid my home would fall into the 'pretty bad' looking category unless the roof looked different than the ones on my barns. I'd also assume that they use the heavier gauge steel than on barns? I was going to go with the heavier gauge steel on my last barn and they talked me out of it. For the relatively nominal cost difference, I wish I would have gone with the heavier "commercial" material.

I'm not sure what Joe is talking about with exterior sprayed on insulation. I have never heard of that before. It obviously just isn't popular in my area. I do want to have the spray on insulation installed in my new barn, but I need to finish all my electric runs and stash away a considerable sum for the job. Being that Uncle Sam played Robin Hood with me this last year, spray on insulation isn't in the works for the next year or so.

Fortunately, my 18 year old asphalt roof is in remarkably good condition other than the discoloring mold on the north side of the house. My roofing was considered a 40 year roof when it was installed. I don't expect to see 40 years out of it, but so far, so good.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Fortunately, my 18 year old asphalt roof is in remarkably good condition other than the discoloring mold on the north side of the house. My roofing was considered a 40 year roof when it was installed. I don't expect to see 40 years out of it, but so far, so good.

Might want to try a little bleach 25% and water in a hudson sprayer . It will kill that mold .
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I've used spray on insulation on a steel warehouse roof, it tends to stop leaks, etc. Not sure it is something I'd want on a house roof.

On my house I think a steel roof might actually look good. That is one reason we are considering it.

I think the main reason my roof is deteriorating is because it is a multi-level roof that gets a lot of heat reflexion in some areas. The areas that are in bad shape are the areas where there is a lot of heat reflected onto the roof from an adjacent wall. The areas of the roof that are away from the walls are in good enough shape to last quite a few more years. Its just that I don't like the 'look' of the areas that are showing wear/damage and there is no attractive way to do a partial job.

I'm still not sold on the idea of a steel roof, but I've not really heard anything that would disqualify it for me. At least not yet.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
I've seen ads for steel roofs that look like traditional roofs. Regular steel roofs look good on some homes, okay on others and pretty bad on some. I'm afraid my home would fall into the 'pretty bad' looking category unless the roof looked different than the ones on my barns. I'd also assume that they use the heavier gauge steel than on barns? I was going to go with the heavier gauge steel on my last barn and they talked me out of it. For the relatively nominal cost difference, I wish I would have gone with the heavier "commercial" material.

I'm not sure what Joe is talking about with exterior sprayed on insulation. I have never heard of that before. It obviously just isn't popular in my area. I do want to have the spray on insulation installed in my new barn, but I need to finish all my electric runs and stash away a considerable sum for the job. Being that Uncle Sam played Robin Hood with me this last year, spray on insulation isn't in the works for the next year or so.

Fortunately, my 18 year old asphalt roof is in remarkably good condition other than the discoloring mold on the north side of the house. My roofing was considered a 40 year roof when it was installed. I don't expect to see 40 years out of it, but so far, so good.

It is the same type of spray foam they use for the interior on new homes for insulation. It seems the company here due to all of the horse barns with metal roofs came up with an idea of spray it on the exterior instead.

Now if you have ever been around horses at all they get sick from some things we would take for granted. For example the slightest bit of mold on their feed or hay can kill them. Due to the metal roofs and condensation it was causing problems so they set out to stop it.

What they did with my place was spray about a 2" thick layer on top of my roof. Once that is done they leave it over night to cure. The next day they come back and spray an adhesive on it followed by a thin layer of a course sand type surface. This protects it from sunlight, things falling on it or even walking on it. It is the first time I had ever heard of it also.

Now I will tell you this we lived here for 4 years and had the roof redone once. The roof seemed to still be leaking during the winter months only. Well I had a contractor come out and remove the front bathroom ceiling only to find out the old standard insulation had separated from the glue that held it in place. It was like a rain forest in the front bathroom due to the heating in the house and cold air out side. So I started looking into insulation companies and contacted one that sprays the stuff in side. Well when I got his estimate it would of been cheaper to tear the whole building down and build a new one. He said the supplier for him had a new system and gave me their number. They came out and gave me a sample so we gave it a try. It worked instantly by the way as they came across the roof above the bathroom the condensation stopped instantly. It has been on now two years and looks as good as the day they put it on. It also is much easier to heat and cool the place now cutting a lot of my electric costs on the apartment/office. If you wish I can look up the company name and number for you. It did come with a 25 year guarantee also.

They have many different kinds of steel roofs but stainless or copper would be very costly to say the least. The aluminumized steel will last for up to 75 years depending on the gauge of it. My is for a 50 year life which was the best they had 26 years ago but it has come a long way since then.
 

waybomb

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
If you want a metal roof go for stainless steel, it will out last you.


Oh, man, can you imagine an electropolished stainless steel roof? Talk about reflective heat control! I have a new goal in life.....
 

ghautz

Bronze Member
Site Supporter
The tax credit (worth 30% of material cost, up to $1500) expires at the end of this year.
 
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