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We need a new roof. Since the roofer has given us a price for a metal roof that is very little more than shingles, we're seriously considering metal this time. One reason the price is similar is because we asked him to remove the asphalt shingles before putting on new asphalt ones, but he says it will be fine to leave the old roof in place if we're putting on metal.

We're interested to know if any of y'all have changed from asphalt shingles to metal and, if so, what comments would you have about it (e.g., like or don't like; noisier or not; any denting problems; over shingles or not; do this or don't do this, use this brand of metal or don't use this brand, etc).

Thanks for any tips.

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The person with too many names...
Mary E./ME/Emmie Fisher/Daniel/Daniel-Fisher
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Out in this area, call Walker Brown roofing and get them to come quote it and tell you what they think you should do. They've been good to me. If you can't find a number let me know and I'll get it for you.

I have a lot of metal roof, but all mine has gone on new structures, so I have no idea on metal over shingles. I really think typical metal over shingle might end up looking like ass since that metal *will* deflect some if there are surface irregularities. But that's just my thought on it, no actual evidence.


--Donnie

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Just as an aside, you are allowed to shingle over 1 layer of roof, after that they need to be removed. However, doing this means that you won't be able to do roof inspection and see where there may be leaks that need to be repaired etc.

Rob

What did you end up doing? I'm seriously considering a metal roof in the near future. I'm attracted to the heat rejection claims and am about do dive in and research. I've yet to price out the difference between shingles and metal but from what I've read it may be 2x the cost. With tax rebates, reduced energy bills and potential bump in house appreciation the difference may be palatable.

Who did you receive quotes from?

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We haven't done anything yet.

We've talked to several roofers, but only 1 (Paul Wilson from out our way) about the metal as he's the one who set us onto that path of investigation in the first place saying it wouldn't cost us much more for him to do metal vs asphalt shingles due to the cost of removal of the old shingles (i.e., we'd take the old shingles off to add new shingles, but would put the metal over the old shingles).

We recently visited Triad Corrugated Metal in Asheboro to "lay hands" on their product since, unless we specified otherwise, this is the place Paul would get the metal. Color is our (mostly my) hold up. Some new colors had been added to the Energy Star list, but the color I'd prefer is still not there. As I understand it, the tax credit would be $1500, so that's a significant consideration in my book. Plus, even if we didn't see that much difference in actual energy savings, who knows if having an Energy Star rated roof might not bring other discounts in the future since we'd likely have this thing 40+ years.

We also learned from our visit that the AG profile panel will cover 36" and the 5V panel will cover 24", but they both cost the same. Guy said it was due to the way they have to cut the metal. Seems most you see are 5V, but we've been inspecting roofs more closer now and have noticed some AG and don't yet see any reason not to choose the AG profile. Since we think we'd like to have the 26 gauge (as opposed to the 29 gauge since we live under a lot of trees that can "plink" stuff off onto our roof), we're hoping the coverage savings of AG vs 5V might closely offset the cost difference of the gauges. The website shows an R profile, as well, that is 36" in 26 gauge, but we didn't get info on that at the time.

I also called a guy that sells the products of Classic Metal Roofing because I thought some of their products were attractive. But, it sounded like he was thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of $25K for our house, and it's not nearly worth that to me for a new roof.

I'll post more if/when we learn it and please do the same.

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The person with too many names...
Mary E./ME/Emmie Fisher/Daniel/Daniel-Fisher
(& some others not suitable for posting!).
Help support our habits; BUY http://virginiabreeze.us !

My father was a roofer. He would have never put metal over shingles especially in this climate. That would be like putting the shingles in the oven for years, imagine what that would do to them. If your shingles are still in decent condition (no water swelling or moss/mildew) you can shingle over them with another layer. Why do you want metal? Like the appearance, need the fire resistance, longevity? They are significantly noisier, and don't breathe so hold in more heat/humidity, but the local squirrels learning to ski jump can be somewhat entertaining It dents (worse if over shingles) from walking on it, falling branches and even large hail and the dents remain and are obvious just like with your car. The look can be attractive on the right style house, looks kinda dumb on a 50s-60s ranch style IMHO. Fire resistance may earn you an insurance credit (?) if in a rural area. As far as durability: metal is more durable if applied correctly and maintained, but likely to need repainting in the future to extend it's life, not an easy job.
The average economy shingle typically carry a 20 year warantee and HD shadowline shingles may be waranteed for 30+ years. Let's face facts, how many of us seniors are still going to be around 20-30 years from now for extended longevity of our roof to really be a concern?

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

Don't be afraid to ask a larger roofing co. for a quote. They need the work as bad/worse than the small guys to keep their crews busy, and they have the economy of scale, equipment, workers and experience on their side. Also don't be afraid to dicker the price, just get all the specs in writing to be sure they aren't going to cut corners to cut the price. DON'T assume ANYTHING! It's better to have a contract that has too much info than not enough. DON'T pay ANYTHING more than a TOKEN deposit until they have the needed materials on your property and you have checked that they are what was spec'ed. Don't pay more than 50% until the job is completed to your satisfaction. Too many smaller companies are in cash flow trouble, they want a large percent deposit, then go belly up before any work is started or start then disappear when they get a higher profit job. It is not unheard of a company dropping off a load of materials (may not even be anything for your job), asking for a payment then coming back that night and picking them back up to deliver to another unsuspecting homeowner the next day. Secure the materials in a garage or shed if at all possible if delivered in advance of starting. You are responsible for them once they are on your property.
It doesn't take a good crew long to roof a house, so they will bring the materials to the job the morning they start without requiring you to "finance" their purchase and likely finish and be cleaned up before dark the same day.

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

I cringe everytime that I see someone hanging vinyl siding over existing siding. Especially that mess that likes to absorb humidity and swell around the nails.

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In need of car.

Metal on shingles is also more likely to dent, I'd think. If it's flat metal against flat wood, well, no problem. Flat metal against shingles? Depends on where you hit it.


--Donnie

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...speaking of metal roofs, mine's leaking. Doesn't anyone have a good recommendation for roof repair/patching.

I saw a local ad in the Indy for $199, they'll repair leaks and a few other quirks. I'm thinking about giving them a call.

It's not good when you wake up at 3 and there's water leaking out of the bedroom light.