I am looking at replacing a cedar roof and it is down to either replacing cedar which am not crazy about, a new kind of rubber roof made from recycled tires that is apparently gaining popularity in the North West or a steel roof. Thoughts from anyone? I was told the rubber smells for some time and that the steel is prone to leaks in difficult areas.
I put on a Gerard Roof six years ago. Denver area. Really like it. About the same cost as cedar but the insurance paid it for me.
Also got a 27% discount on my homeowners because of it's hail resistance.
I put on the tile type, Cyprus color. Most that see it can't believe it is steel.
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If you walk on the roof at all I suggest you get the option that prevents denting. Without it, if you step in the center it can pop in. Easy to remove but takes a couple minutes.
One of the guys at work just had a new metal roof put on his house, I think they call it "Galvalume" (sp) or something like that. They have a machine that they bring on site that forms the seams and rolls the sheet ends over the drip edge. It has no exposed screws and comes with a 100 year warranty against leaks / corrosion etc. He had a very reputable local roofing company do the install and while it wasn't cheap (probably about 2-1/2 to 3 times the price of shingles) it does look very good and should be the last roof he will ever need. Unless something better comes along in the next two or three yaers I'll be having the same thing put on my house.
Depending on local conditions, insulation may need to be applied to the roof anyway (icing issues to deal with). Any such insulation will cut down or eliminate noise.
Stone coated Steel shingles which the other poster was commenting on look like regular shingles until you get REALLY close to them. There is NO noise issue with stone coated steel shingles and they come with 40 and 50 year guarantees.
As good as steel roofs are, no roofing system is perfect. Standing seam roofs have problems over time. Repairs are expensive, leaks are difficult to trace.
Most steel roofs have problems if you walk on raised patterns on the surface. You MUST walk only on the part that are directly in contact with the roof deck. On a roof that is styled to look like cedar shakes, there are no such areas. On roofs that are styled to look like 3 tab asphalt shingles, or architectural asphalt shingles, there are flat spots that are safe to walk upon. See
I asked him today about the noise, he said that during heavy rains it is much louder than the shingle roof but not so much as to be a problem to him. Personally I like the sound of rain falling BUT I suppose it could be a negetive, roof style and insulation would have an affect on how noisy it is I expect. That Gerard roof looks REALLY nice...I'll be taking a look at that too. George
No noise problem with mine. When they were installing I asked about adding ventilation and was told that the roof was much cooler than shake.
It can be installed over your old roof.
To get the reduced hail insurance I had to sign a cosmetic wavier. No problem there. I took a rock about the size of a brick and threw it at a panel as hard as I could. No visible dent on top. Turning over the panel you could see a little dimple. They seal very well. Each panel overlaps the one below it and it is nailed from the side into 2x2s fastened to the roof.
These sites show a little about how they are installed:
Darn - I like the look of the standing seam roofs. Do they leak more or the same as a shingle roof? Or is it that they leak much more infrequently, but it's a bear to trace a leak and fix it when they do?
What other problems do they have? How do they stand up under ice and snow? (I thought they were better - no ice damming and the stuff slides off..)
Finally, what are the things that stick out of the standing seam roofs (esp. commercial) that I see about 2 or 3 feet from the eave?
They shouldn't leak at all, unless you somehow get standing water nearly the depth of the seam. The downsides are that they're expensive, and slippery. If you get snow and ice, they tend to shed it all in one big avalanche, so if you have an entry or walkway under the eaves, you should either build a pediment, or put on ice-guards. (Which are probably what you're seing near the eaves.) They transmit heat and noise to whatever's under them better than asphalt shingles, but that shouldn't be a problem if you've got insulation and sheetrock under them.
As I said, no roofing system is perfect. Climates have significant impact on all roofing systems, so what works GREAT in New Hampshire, Stinks to high heaven in Louisiana.
Frequency of repairs is an unknown, frequency of problems is an unknown. The statement came from a commercial building engineer for a large campus.
I have little doubt that a properly installed steel roof will provide a VERY VERY long life, long enough to offset its higher installation costs.
The statement about standing seams still seems valid. If a standing seam roof develops a leak in the seam, unless the back of the steel is visible from the underside, it will be difficult to isolate the leak until it is necessary to replace one or more panels.
Ice and snow is an unknown to me as I live in an ice and snow free zone. In 26 years here, it has snowed once, and we have had freezing rain a couple of times. Once or twice it has gotten cold enough that unprotected pipes in attics froze.
The slick surface of the standing ridge roof SHOULD mean that ice and show do slide right off once he steel warms up a bit.
Dont't know about the eaves feature you are discussing
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