Has anyone on this forum put a metal roof on their house?

[Mulligan]

After dealing with a mysterious leak on my 10 yr roof that was supposed to last 25 years, I have been looking into putting one of these on. They have been starting to pop up around town. I have talked to a few owners and they like them. The 50 year warranty intrigues me (but no one has had it that long to verify)along with the tax credit and savings on utilities and home insurance. I have found a well referenced person who installs them with quality products and I am surprised they are just as cheap as an asphalt shingle job is here ($6500 for complete job for a 1500 sq. ft home). Anybody like or regret their decision?

 

[pb4uski]

I don't have one but would big hail dent them like it would a car?

 

[seraphim]

Nor have I, but I'd be curious about the noise during a hard rain...

 

[Mulligan]

Nor have I, but I'd be curious about the noise during a hard rain...

The people I have talked to do not notice the sound at all. They had theirs installed over the top of existing shingles, so that may allow enough buffering to occur to prevent the noise. I have read that the 24 gauge metal is very resistant to hail. Of course if it comes down in sizeable chunks I would think all bets are off. The cheap 29 gauge metal available at commercial hardware stores is very susceptible to hail storms from what I have read.

 

[bld999]

I have used the thin, corrugated galvanized stuff on a cabin, and I think the rain noise is a little like fine music.

I would want to research whether your particular climate needs special treatment prior to actually applying the metal, and would definitely use a type without exposed fasteners.

In my neck of the woods, roofs are usually composition, which is about the best bang for the buck here at least. Any material can leak and cause trouble if not installed correctly or maintained, so beware any outrageous claims based on material.

 

[W2R]

I have never had a metal roof, and have two concerns about buying one.

(1) I live in hurricane country, and have heard that hurricane force winds can tear off the metal and create a formidable missile slamming into other parts of one's home or nearby homes during a hurricane. Don't know if this is true or not.

(2) According to this link, the average time living in a particular home is 13 years. I have already lived in my home for 11+ years, so a 50-year roof seems like overkill to me. Also, if I am still alive in 50 years I would be 115 years old....

 

[FIREd]

I have used the thin, corrugated galvanized stuff on a cabin, and I think the rain noise is a little like fine music.

I agree.

 

[ERD50]

I've seen some of the standing seam metal roofs around here, and while they seem very practical, I've never cared for the look. Too industrial and stark for my liking.

Then I saw the ones in this link:

http://www.metalroofing.com/

I like the alternative ones, tile, 'natural', shake, slate, etc. I don't know if those are more expensive?

...

(2) According to this link, the average time living in a particular home is 13 years. I have already lived in my home for 11+ years, so a 50-year roof seems like overkill to me. Also, if I am still alive in 50 years I would be 115 years old....

But it can add value when you sell. Buyers don't need to factor in a roof replacement in X years.

-ERD50

 

[Jack_Pine]

We have metal roofs on our cabin and barns in Wi.

the cabin roof is very well insulated and you can't hear rain at all. The barns have no insulation and a minor rain sounds like it is really coming down.

When we build our house up there it will have a metal roof. We like the way they look,

 

[tinlizzy]

They had theirs installed over the top of existing shingles.

On my route, this is what I've seen - installation over existing shingles. One almost Kelly green , one bright blue and a brown. I'm not a big fan of the blue or green.

 

[Jack_Pine]

Cabin..................

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[haha]

I've seen some of the standing seam metal roofs around here, and while they seem very practical, I've never cared for the look. Too industrial and stark for my liking.

I have one of these on my former house. Had it about 10 years. Excellent roof in every sway. I loved the way snow just slid off. Every years with heavy snows a few people in my small community would get badly injured climbing up on the roof to shovel off snow and avoid collapse.

Regarding sound, I loved it. I grew up listening to hard Southern rains on a tin roof right outside my bedroom. Mine was installed after cedar shakes were pulled off, and plywood sheathing applied.

If you do it, I would consider running any chimney up the side of house, and having no piercings of the roof. You will never have a leak.

Ha

 

[harley]

We've got metal on part of the roof, and shingle on the majority. It looks great. The house is over 5 years old. When I go out the upstairs balcony and look down on the metal it looks brand new. Not even any significant dirt. I guess is washes off whenever it rains. We're on the coast, and there's a fair amount of salt in the air at times. No build up. Sadly, I can't really hear the rain or hail on it, but I used to love the sound at my grandmother's house many years ago.

Around here, after about 10 years the fungicide wears off of normal shingles, and mold starts to build up, creating black streaks. I doubt we'll get anything like that on the metal.

 

[Jack_Pine]

Thats a great post about the snow sliding right off. Dose not take too much sun for the roof to be clear of snow.

 

[meierlde]

I live in the Tx hill country. I inherited my folks house, they at lived there 16 years in 2002 and replaced the roof twice due to windstorms. I persuaded my father to put a metal roof on (cost about 2.5x a traditional roof). If you are willing to not have the insurance pay for dents (that don't leak) you can save 20% off the insurance due to the roof. Since the metal roof was put on, a storm came thru and all the neighbors had to put new roofs on but the metal roof just kept on chugging. With a 1% deductable (which is required in Tx) that started with a savings of 1/2 of the difference in 2002. then add the difference in insurance about $300 per year and over the 12 years the roof has just about paid for itself. It is a standing seam roof, and I do believe it also reduces the AC load in the summer.

 

[Mulligan]

I live in the Tx hill country. I inherited my folks house, they at lived there 16 years in 2002 and replaced the roof twice due to windstorms. I persuaded my father to put a metal roof on (cost about 2.5x a traditional roof). If you are willing to not have the insurance pay for dents (that don't leak) you can save 20% off the roof. Since the metal roof was put on, a storm came thru and all the neighbors had to put new roofs on but the metal roof just kept on chugging. With a 1% deductable (which is required in Tx) that started with a savings of 1/2 of the difference in 2002. then add the difference in insurance about $300 per year and over the 12 years the roof has just about paid for itself. It is a standing seam roof, and I do believe it also reduces the AC load in the summer.

I hadn't checked on actual insurance savings, but I knew there was one. 20% yearly reduction would be almost $200 a year in savings for me. The standard answer I hear on utility savings is 20% summer, 10% winter. That could be $200-300 yearly savings also. Throw in the nearly $500 tax credit, it wouldn't take too many years for the savings to pay for the $6500 roof cost. Concerning a previous poster comment, my roof and most of my neighbors are 10 years old. We are all starting to have those black streaks now. I didn't know what that was until now.

 

[clifp]

I metal roof on this year. The look takes some getting used but I like it.
They are well insulated and the rain is either the same or more quiet than with my shingle roof. Another advantage is is super easy to attach PV panels to a metal roof, you can just use clips instead of drilling holes.

The cost was about 30% more than a good quality roof and perhaps 50% more than cheap roof.

I wasn't aware that tax credits were possibly available I'll have to check into that.

 

[Badger]

After dealing with a mysterious leak on my 10 yr roof that was supposed to last 25 years, I have been looking into putting one of these on. They have been starting to pop up around town. I have talked to a few owners and they like them. The 50 year warranty intrigues me (but no one has had it that long to verify)along with the tax credit and savings on utilities and home insurance. I have found a well referenced person who installs them with quality products and I am surprised they are just as cheap as an asphalt shingle job is here ($6500 for complete job for a 1500 sq. ft home). Anybody like or regret their decision?

I have a similar problem with a 13 year old roof that was supposed to be a 35+ shingle that never sealed properly so the shingles lift and develops leaks that are difficult to find the origins.

I thought of a metal roof but we have some old and very peculiar roof situations with half the roof in Homosote (an insulation sheeting kind of like dense cardboard over an exposed beam ceiling) and the other 1X6 decking.

Our home is the same sq. ft. and $6500 sounds like a really good price. I have been quoted much higher prices. Can you give a little more detail on the type (standing seam, V, etc.), guage of metal, tear off shingles or instal over existing roof, use furring strips or lay directly on the shingles, Manufacturer, etc.?

Cheers!

 

[Walt34]

Then I saw the ones in this link:

Residential Metal Roofing Resources | Metal Roofing Alliance | Metal Roofing Information

I like the alternative ones, tile, 'natural', shake, slate, etc. I don't know if those are more expensive?

That's good to know. We may be having to replace the roof in the distant future and I'd wondered if they made metal roofing that looked like asphalt shingles. The HOA covenants require an asphalt roof but since the HOA here is pretty reasonable they'd probably approve one of those if it maintained the same appearance.

 

[spncity]

Does a metal roof affect cell service? MiFi service?

Kindest regards.

 

[Lcountz]

I had a metal roof installed in 2011....burgundy on a house with light gray siding and white trim.

It looks beautiful, is self cleaning when it snows ( you need to have the installers put on the little snow holders that can hold the snow back over areas where people will be hit by sliding snow. Even six inches of snow can weigh a ton when it slides off, and it DOES slide off all in one big pile!!!!

When it rains HARD, I can hear the rain, but because the roof is installed over the existing shingles ( which they said can be done over up to two layers of asphalt shingles), it si not that loud or noticeable. .Mine had one layer.

My house has a southern exposure, and very few trees around it. Sun hits the south side all day...and I swear in the summer the house is cooler and in winter my house is the ONLY house on my road that doesn't have icicles growing off the roof in winter ( although that was the case before the metal roof as well.)

After a rain, the roof looks brand new ( all the dust is washed off). Sometimes it gleams in the sunshine.

I like it. And would recommend it My roof has crazy angles and porches and so far, no leaks.

I have noticed no difference in WI FI or cell phone signal.

I live in W. Pa, and the winters are very harsh. I live on the top of a ridge, and it is ALWAYS windy up here, and I have not had any damage. The whole place takes a beating in the winter months......

I paid 10,500. included 30x30 attached garage, 26 x 60 house, and two overhanging porch roofs, and repair to one of those roofs that leaked. I also had seamless gutters installed. If you have gutters you MUST get the snow holders installed because the sliding snow will tear the gutters off the house due to weight. The holders slow the melting of the snow so it doesn't rush off the roof in a ten ton mass.

I'm 57 and did not want to get a "20 or 25 year roof" and have to spend this money all over again when I'm in my 70s. I looked at metal roofs for years in my travels and they seem to hold up well and continue to look nice. There are LOTS of them being installed where I live....

Hope this helps!

 

[Mulligan]

I metal roof on this year. The look takes some getting used but I like it.
They are well insulated and the rain is either the same or more quiet than with my shingle roof. Another advantage is is super easy to attach PV panels to a metal roof, you can just use clips instead of drilling holes.

The cost was about 30% more than a good quality roof and perhaps 50% more than cheap roof.

I wasn't aware that tax credits were possibly available I'll have to check into that.

If it is an energy saver type, you get a 10% tax credit for all materials in construction provided it is not a new construction, $500 maximum limit. You will need to get a manufactures certification statement to verify it is one of those types, but most are it appears. It appears to me based on my readings that roof costs are all over the map depending on type you want and location. Although I am having the basic design, the local metal production company appears to be a lot cheaper here than in other locations of the country.

 

[ziggy29]

I don't have one but would big hail dent them like it would a car?

It could, but some are more impact-resistant than others.

We had an impact-resistant metal roof placed on our last house in 2009; it cost a little under $5000 for a 1200 square foot house and we got a tax credit for around $500 as I recall. We got 20% discount on our home insurance for it (signing a waiver that strictly cosmetic dents would not be covered). I for one love the sound of rain falling on a metal roof. We didn't have any problems with wifi or cell phones, but I've heard that if you have a TV antenna in the attic, it could be a problem, especially if you are pretty far from the transmitters.

 

[Mulligan]

I have a similar problem with a 13 year old roof that was supposed to be a 35+ shingle that never sealed properly so the shingles lift and develops leaks that are difficult to find the origins.

I thought of a metal roof but we have some old and very peculiar roof situations with half the roof in Homosote (an insulation sheeting kind of like dense cardboard over an exposed beam ceiling) and the other 1X6 decking.

Our home is the same sq. ft. and $6500 sounds like a really good price. I have been quoted much higher prices. Can you give a little more detail on the type (standing seam, V, etc.), guage of metal, tear off shingles or instal over existing roof, use furring strips or lay directly on the shingles, Manufacturer, etc.?

Cheers!

Badger,I am looking at the basic exposed fastener system. Costs quickly escalate when you go concealed and have a different design. The installer uses a high grade seal with metal washer over when installing the screw. He installs on top of ridge and not in the trough which carries more of the water. He installed his metal roof 15 years ago with same style and has had no leak issues. He also says most people around here go that way. I have read you can replace all existing screws and washers from a contractor for about $1000 here if the concern is ever there to replace them. Installer puts an underlayment on top of existing shingles then furring strips are attached to roof and metal is installed over it. 24 gauge metal used with Valspar WeatherX paint system. The metal company is a local one called B&C Metals which has a website. They have been around 25 years, and I noticed State Farm has them on the list for approved roofs for premium reduction.
Part of the reason it is less expensive, is you do not have to pay for the cost of removal and disposal of existing shingles. Labor is cheaper because it is easier and faster to install than shingled roofing.
I was recently down in the USVI and was amazed at how many buildings now have this type there. The fancier ones you couldn't even detect they were metal roofing unless you knew what you were looking for.

 

[EllisWyatt]

We had a standing seam metal roof put on our two story log house (~2500sq ft) in 1986. House was located in western Virginia. When we sold it in 2012, it still looked very nice, and was a major selling point to the couple who bought the place. We had never had a leak or any problem, except where the "snow eagles" were not put on, and the sliding snow stripped off the gutters.

The roof was put on over 1X6 boards (not plywood or shingles) and could get QUITE load during heavy rainstorms. We really liked going to sleep at night with a light rain on the metal roof, however - very soothing.