Roofing materials

[mietla]

just talked to one guy who is pushing metal roof technology. It's a sheet of steel covered with "stone". Obviously he convinced me that this is the best thing since sex.

Any one of you guys has experience with that type of the roof?

[SFRT - Frenchy]

u got mail

[eagl]

Careful about the weight.  If the roof structure isn't beefed up, it could sag badly and look terrible.  A next door neighbor of mine replaced standard shingles with tile but didn't beef up the roof structure and it sagged really badly.

That can add quite a bit to the cost of the project, but the roofer might not tell you until it's too late or might not tell you at all and then one day you notice that your roof looks like a taco.

[Vudak]

We just got one up at the lake house...  If it lives up to its hype then I'm all set and my kids can worry about replacing the darn thing.

They don't look that bad either...  Or at least this one doesn't.

[mietla]

eagl,
One of the selling points is that this type of roof is very light, so it can replace a wood shingles I have without adding any more weight. The tile is 6 times heavier.

[Nilsen]

Originally posted by Vudak
We just got one up at the lake house...  If it lives up to its hype then I'm all set and my kids can worry about replacing the darn thing.

They don't look that bad either...  Or at least this one doesn't.

Found it!

[rabbidrabbit]

I have a metal roof on my house.  Its about 10 years old now and I have had no problems.  It goes up fast and easy and lasts forever from what I know.

[FBplmmr]

Originally posted by mietla
just talked to one guy who is pushing metal roof technology. It's a sheet of steel covered with "stone". Obviously he convinced me that this is the best thing since sex.

Any one of you guys has experience with that type of the roof?

I'm thinkin' most folks in here know way more about roofs than sex!:p

[stantond]

Metal (steel) roofs last as long or longer than asphalt.  They are considerably lighter than asphalt roofs.  They cost more though, which is why most people use asphalt shingles.

They are fairly common on some older (i.e. late 1800's early 1900's) houses because of their lighter weight.  Also, I don't think they had asphalt shingles back then.  They called them 'Tin' roofs.  I always consdiered them inferior to asphalt roofs because they were on old farm houses and such.

Now, they are the latest rage.  Copper roofs (which are metal) last about 300 years, but are very expensive.  Most people use asphalt because its cheap and you can get 'south of the border' cheap labor to have them installed.  


Regards,

Malta

[ROC]

As a builder and not knowing which brand you are considering, I'd suggest looking at how the metal roof affects your attic insulation value.  

I do know that in Sacramento Valley with some cold but not snowy winters yet Blazing hot summers, those roofs are about as inefficient as you can get.  Might be gaining a long term maintenance saving for an immediate energy cost increase.  Really depends on the climate you are in though, but a good idea to at least ask that question.

[john9001]

i prefer a thatched roof, i has that traditional look to it.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Oh ... it's for your house? If you have wood shingles, u might want to have a look to composite shingles. They are immitation of wood shingles, and I think they 50 year+ manufacturer warranty.

Depending on the slope of your roof, and the style, I like this type of stone looking composite shingle :

[rpm]

All metal construction is huge here. I have an addition to my house that is all metal and it's much tighter construction.