Home Guide to Metal Roofing

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When a new roof is in your future, you have a variety of choices and decisions to make. If you opt for metal roofing, you’ll have several key advantages that will make your roofing project successful and beneficial for your home.

As you are contemplating and planning a roofing project, visit the Energy Star website for a comprehensive guide to choosing and installing the best roof for your needs. There are a variety of factors and situations to consider and you want your roof to last for many years.

As you strive to make a roofing decision, a home guide to metal roofing will convince you of the many different benefits you will enjoy with a metal roof installed on your home.

1. 1.Metal Roof Cost

   All roofing materials are increasing in price, including fiberglass and asphalt shingles. Although a metal roof will cost more than a standard asphalt shingle roof, it will cost less than some of the specialty architectural roofing materials available for residential application. A metal roof has a longer lifespan than a standard asphalt shingle roof; however, so the price comparison isn’t equal.

Once you understand all the advantages of a metal roof, especially the projected life of the roof, you may wonder why anyone would install asphalt shingles anymore.

2. 2.Damage Resistance

   A metal roof resists damage more effectively than standard roofing materials. While hail commonly causes significant damage in asphalt shingles, a metal roof resists hail impact more effectively. In addition, metal roofs have the ability to withstand significant winds – even hurricanes – up to 120 miles per hour. Contact your insurance company and ask about reduced homeowner’s rates for metal roofs. Don’t stress about lightening either with a metal roof – it doesn’t attract lightening any more than other roofing materials.

3. 3.Fire Safety

   When you install a metal roof on your home, you have the peace of mind that comes from having the most fire safe roofing material available. Because metal has a noncombustible roofing material classification – “Class A” – you may enjoy reduced homeowner’s insurance rates for a metal roof.

 

4. 4.Life of a Metal Roof

   Most metal roofs have a protective coating over the sheet metal to inhibit and eliminate the development of rust. With this coating in place, a metal roof will resist rust and corrosion for up to 50 years. In addition, paint added over the rust coating contains anti-weathering properties that resist fading. If you want to make sure that the paint layer on your metal roof lasts as long as possible, spray it with a garden hose from time to time and you’ll wash any environmental contaminants away easily.

5. 5.Energy Efficiency

   Homes with a metal roof reflect heat away from the interior of the house. This translates directly to reduced cooling costs during the cooling season. By contrast, homes with asphalt shingles absorb the heat and make it more difficult to cool the house. In the winter, heat inside the house reflects away from the underside of the roof, returning the warm air back down to the interior of the house. This makes a metal roof advantageous for reducing heating and cooling costs year round.

    

   Although you may have heard tales about unpleasant sounds on a metal roof from the wind and rain, metal roofs are no noisier than standard asphalt shingle roofs in a storm. Once you understand all the advantages of a metal roof, especially the projected life of the roof, you may wonder why anyone would install asphalt shingles anymore.