Metal
Roofing
Contractors.
Metal roofing is an amazing product.
I've had the pleasure of working with this time-tested material for
many years.
Not only have I personally installed it, it was used on many of my jobs
when I
was still actively building. If you have a metal roof on your home or
business,
you know how durable they are and practically maintenance free. Older
tin metal
roofs need an occasional coat of paint, but more modern metal roofs
have
factory-applied paints that seem to wear like iron.
A sheet-metal roof can
take many
forms. The common style that you may be most familiar with is the
standing-seam
metal roof. This roofing product comes in long sheets and the joint
between
adjacent pieces of the roofing is formed with an interlocking vertical
seam
that stands above the flat area of the roofing panel.
Master roofers can
take flat coils
of tin-coated steel and make a flat-lock metal roof. The seams in this
style
are soldered to make them weather tight. Flat-lock roofing was very
popular in
the early 1900's, and was commonly used on low slope roofs that often
were
placed over large front porches. This style gets its name because the
seams
between pieces is hammered flat. When the roof is complete, it's nearly
flat,
with only minor humps at each soldered seam.
Another very popular
material is
corrugated metal roofing .
This roofing material has a wavy shape and is used on shacks, sheds and
sometimes pole buildings. It's not considered as weathertight as other
metal-roofing materials when subjected to extreme wind-driven rain.
This
roofing is extremely do-it-yourself friendly, and it tends to work best
on
roofs that have steep slopes that shed water quickly. Corrugated metal
roofing
is the only material I would ever suggest a homeowner try to work with,
and
only on some outbuilding.
When you go to install
a metal roof,
you must pay attention to details. The slightest mistake can result in
a leak.
You need special tools to work the material. Most metal roofing can't
be
successfully installed by a rookie. I would venture to say that supply
houses
that sold most metal roofing would not in their right mind sell it to a
beginner.
There are many things
you must do
when installing metal roofing to ensure you don't void the warranty. If
you
intend to have this installed on your home, I would encourage you to
get the
written instructions from the manufacturer and take the time to read
how the
job should be done. Make sure the roofer you hire will do the job as is
called for
in the instructions.
The metal roof cost
estimate you
receive may take your breath away. It's absolutely more expensive than
asphalt
roofing, even the top-of-the-line shingles that come with a superb
warranty.
But keep in mind that a metal roof could last 100 years or more and
offer you
complete peace of mind. In certain situations, metal roofing is a smart
financial choice if you want to eliminate the need to ever have to
install a
second or third roof in your lifetime.
Part of the reason the
cost is high
is that metal roof installation is a somewhat slow process, and you
need
skilled craftsmen working with the metal. When you compare this to the
simple
laborers needed to install regular asphalt shingles, you can see why
labor
costs can be much higher.
If you're considering
a roof like
this and want to get different metal-roofing prices, be sure to compare
systems
that are nearly identical. There can be wildly differing prices when
you look
at a standing seam roof vs. a flat-lock or other metal roof. It also
pays to
study the warranty. Longer warranties often cause prices to be higher
because
better material is used or the replacement costs on future warranty
claims is
built into the cost of the material.
Residential metal
roofing is
appealing to many who look for it to keep them safe in addition to
being dry.
If you live in a part of the USA that is prone to wildfires, you know
that
metal roofing helps protect your home from fires started by glowing
embers that
drop from the sky during firestorms. Those with wood roofs or worn
asphalt
shingles have much to worry about, but if you have a metal roof, you
can rest a
little easier in the event you're forced to evacuate your home.
If you're serious
about using metal
roofing, give standing-seam metal roofing a serious look. This style
has a
classic look and looks stunning on certain homes. This roofing material
is
commonly used as a starter strip about four or five feet up from the
lower edge
of roofs for those who live in areas of heavy snow. The metal roofing
is an
excellent method of stopping the leaks that result from pesky ice dams.
You
won't make a mistake installing it on your home.
article submitted by top metal roofing pro. |
