Time for a New Roof

BeccaOH

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My current shingled roof was put on in 1996. It is wearing fast and the south side looks to have hail damage. I'm getting my second estimate today.

What I'm trying to decide is if I should go with meal roofing this time. What are the benefits and faults? Seems it will last longer, but what about any upkeep?

It appears that there is a tax credit for asphalt or metal roofs installed this year that are Energy Saver.

The first guy said if he puts on metal, he'll leave the current shingles on as an insulation layer between the plywood and the metal, so less labor and less mess.

Either way I have to settle on the color of the new roof. :rolleyes:
 

patandchickens

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Can I piggyback another question onto yours? When you have a metal roof, how do you get UP on it, e.g. to check the condition of the chimney cap and suchlike? How much of a Project is it to be able to get onto the roof?

Pat, facing a similar decision in the next few years and like you seriously interested in metal
 

xpc

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I almost went with a metal roof when I replaced mine last year but being twice the cost and the fact I was gonna sell I decided on singles but would of went metal if I were staying. For my house I used 15 squares of shingles and cost me about $1000 doing it myself. You can put metal over shingles as long as you don't have too many layers already on as the weight would decrease the snow load. Ribbed metal can be walked on but can be slippery, they have special boot soles that are sticky just for that purpose.

There are only a few roofing materials that meet the energy credit and believe white is the only one for asphalt, metals have more choices because it is not the color as it is the coating that reflects the heat. Even the cheapest shingles tend to have a 25 year warranty and 15 is not bad but I would check your attic ventilation if it is looking real bad in that time span.

edit: I only say twice the cost only in materials, It may not be much of a difference for a complete install from a contractor as labor is the big number there.
 

Javamama

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I have always wondered if metal roofing creates more sound with rain? I do love the looks of it on houses I have seen. If our house wasn't so suburban looking, that's probably what we would use. It just would not look right.

And, why is it that 1996 doesn't seem like it was that long ago :p
 

xpc

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Rain doesn't seem to make any noise as some people may think, both my neighbors have metal roofs and have no issues with noise. Most of the million dollar homes on nearby Kentucky lake have metal roofs so they are good for any area.
 

BeccaOH

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Great info XPC.
I had also wondered about walking on the roof.
My current roof only has one layer of shingles.
First estimate was very similar in price between the two due to not having as much labor on the metal.

But how would attic ventilation effect shingles. Mine seems very good with full ridge vent and side vents. You can feel are movement. I have considered renewing the insulation, though.
 

Lesa

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I put a metal roof on my last house. I highly recommend it! I had one layer of shingles on the house, which they went right over. With your ridge vent- you should be fine ventilation wise. I lived in the house for 5 years and never had to go up onto the roof. I did the porch roof in matching shingles, because I wanted to be able to stand up there for painting, and hanging my Christmas wreaths. I choose a reddish/maroon color, which I loved. That was all about 10 years ago. When I go by, it still looks great.
Since the house was a work in progress (when I was living there) I had some uninsulated space. The rain was loud in that area-though not unpleasant. In insulated areas, no louder than shingles...
 

xpc

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Yep, if you have a continuous ridge vent and by side vents mean soffit then that is all you can do. In a well insulated non conditioned attic it should follow the outside temperature within 10-20 degrees, it may go higher during the high heat of the day but should cool rapidly once the sun goes down.

I put in a few powered roof vents for people while in Florida and don't really think they helped that much and would probably not do it again except in extreme cases.
 

BeccaOH

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xpc said:
Yep, if you have a continuous ridge vent and by side vents mean soffit then that is all you can do. In a well insulated non conditioned attic it should follow the outside temperature within 10-20 degrees, it may go higher during the high heat of the day but should cool rapidly once the sun goes down.
Yep. That is what I have. Gets quite hot in summer up there. There is space for storing stuff, but we don't put anything valuable up there. Candles melt. ;)
 

ksalvagno

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My only suggestion is to make sure the people you hire to put up a metal roof knows what they are doing and don't do short cuts. We had a metal roof that we had all kinds of problems with including major leaking problems and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Turned out that it was installed incorrectly and there wasn't even a way to "repair" the problems. I would also really look into the maintenance because we found out that a metal roof should get a new coating of stuff (can't remember what it is called) about every 5 years. One of the guys who gave us estimates for replacing our roof said he loves metal roofs because that is his bread and butter with repairing leaks and putting that coating on for people.
 
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