Putting on a new roof.

[Big Cliff]

Well, it is getting to that time, our roof is 12 years old (so much for 25 year shingles LOL). It doesn't leak yet and I am told that they MIGHT be ok for a couple of more years but the last thing I need in my life is to wake up in the middle of the night in a rain storm and find water coming into my house.

 

I got a couple of quotes; 57 bundles of shingles (50 + caps and starters), strip the old stuff off, two rows ice and water shield, tar paper the rest, new gutters (2) $4600.00 all in.

 

Then I got a quote from a local guy (good reputation) to do it in steel. Snow guards and all $5200.00 and he (swares and guarentees) that it will never leak and will last many times longer than shingles. I wanted black, (our house is grey) Sue wantes charcoal grey (she is afraid black will fade over time)

 

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

 

 

 

[2 tone z71]

Steel all the way ..never worry about it again ..we do many roofs a yr ..some prefer the heavier laminate shingles..steels quick fast durable

[Sinker]

Steel for sure.

 

Lifetime, no shingles to get rid of, and no shingle in the landfill 20 yrs from now either.

 

My last place had a steel roof....I miss it.

 

I'd pick charcoal over black. Black will fade for sure......great for melting snow off though! My old place was red....never faded either.....and never held snow. Only put the snow stops over your door ways....or anything else that might need protected. Let the snow slide off. A charcoal coloured steel roof will melt off even on a real cold day.

 

 

 

S.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Sinker

[irishfield]

Yep... I've got 19 years on my Steel Tile roof (simulated clay tile) come October and other than needing to get up and tighten a few screws up this summer I'd never do shingles again (especially on a 12/12 pitch.. why I did steel in the first place!). It's gonna outlive me... even if I make it to 90!

[misfish]

 

 

It's gonna outlive me... even if I make it to 90!

 

Not if you keep picking yer nose with those rods.LOL

 

Cliff,I,ll send you a PM in the morning about our steel roofing company. We have a sister plant that stamps and installs. So there,s no middle man.

 

I remember when they started and I was stamping out the panels.

 

The owner is the same man/family, that I work for today.

 

http://www.allsteelroofing.ca/

Edited April 25, 2014 by Misfish

[Bernie]

Sick and tired of shingles. They don't last and getting rid of the old ones is a pain in the behind.

Going steel at my cottage this summer.

[Fishwilly]

Big Cliff

 

I'm a general contractor and I'd suggest you go with the steel roof. Black or charcoal up to you. Woulnd't go with shingles as they only lasted 12yrs. That being said 12 yrs is pretty low for 25 yrs shingles. I'm thinking you might need better venting or insulation. Make sure they use the Maxxi vents and that your soffits have sufficient air flow. Lastly make sure you have styro vents in the attic at the wall transition to let air circulate and escape at the peak. I've seen plenty of older homes where the siding crews would install perforated soffits right over the old plywood soffits.

[bushart]

I've seen many Black metal roofs after some years---wouldn't be my 1st choice for colour

[dracokaos]

I have steel at the cottage, awesome roof. The only thing I would have done differently was insulate the roof before install. Not to keep it warmer but in a rain storm what a racket it makes lol....I don't know whats worse, the constant slow dripping after a rain as it drips from the trees, or the roar of a waterfall during a good storm...

 

But in the end steel all the way, almost %100 worry free

[wormdunker]

Cliff - Where did you buy the 25 year shingles that only lasted 12 years? I had a similar situation with Home Depot. My 25 year shingles from Home Depot only lasted 12 years. I sent pix, paperwork etc, ended up getting 55 bundles for free. PM me if you wish - for ALL the details.

 

$5200.00 for steel giddy up - git er done!!!

[Maverick]

That price for steel, no brainer. As some have said here, the black steel does fade, a nice charcoal would look really good though.

[NAW]

I need a few quotes for my roof as well.

 

I'm 95% sure it will steel.

 

But I also thin my roof will be more like 15 to 20 grand....

[mcdougy]

Big Cliff,

I have a few questions for you that will help me give you my professional opinion. As there are a few things that can make a steel quote very different.....Whats your pitch? Do you have many valleys?

What preperation were they doing to existing roof before applying steel? Was it a sheet type metal or individual tiles? Whos metal was it? What guage metal was it? was there any mention of paint warranty? Do you have many trees close to your house? Did they discuss what types of flashings and vents they were putting on the metal roof? what material were they going to strap with? How close o/c is the strapping?

Not trying to hinder only help, but there are many things to consider besides the bottom line.

[woodenboater]

I'd go with steel as well and am thinking I'll need to do our home in the next little while. Question I have is can they install steel on gambrel style roofs or does it it need straight run ?

[mcdougy]

I'd go with steel as well and am thinking I'll need to do our home in the next little while. Question I have is can they install steel on gambrel style roofs or does it it need straight run ?

Steel can go on anything, anywhere really...your roof style would not be a problem. The biggest thing to consider as a installer is... the water runs so darn fast on a steel roof...valleys are tougher to seal due to how fast the water can run. I will pass on some roofs that are not suitable for steel IMO mostly the ones with 25' valleys on a 12/12 pitch. If you went with RED and put a yellow M on the side yoou could sell 4 billion hamburgers tooo.

 

I only deal with sheet type metals, the"shingle type " metal I have stayed away from, only a personal choice. There are alot of different "shingle types" out there.

Edited April 26, 2014 by mcdougy

[dhickey]

Steel without a doubt.

 

Like any thing ells there are details you should be aware of.

 

And venting is extremely important because it helps stop the freeze thaw cycle inherent to steel roofs and that's what does damage.

You should also make sure that when the snow slides off it doesn't hit your eavestrough and do damage to it.

Another thing I would strongly recommend is cover the entire roof with ice and water shield on top of your substrate (plywood or God forbid aponite} because metal moves with temperature changes (winter/summer) as well as the freeze thaw cycle during fall winter and spring and don't forget the wood framing structure supporting your roof.(it moves independent of the steel.)

Thus the ice and water shield creates a flexible waterproof seal between the steel and wood over your entire roof not just the first 3 feet above your eavestrough. (VERY IMPORTANT)

If you can post a picture of your roof and that would give us a better idea of material cost(aprox) labour and time is easy to figure out.

 

Its hard to judge a price without seeing the roof but on average it seems a little on the low side for a roof that will never leak?

 

Don.

Edited April 26, 2014 by saltydawg

[captpierre]

I gotta say I've seen some pretty ugly steel roofs. I'm sure steel will last longer but

 

I like the look of asphalt shingles. Should last 20+ yrs.

[Gerritt]

I would go one step further Don and suggest blue skin so I would never have to worry about it again.

[bigugli]

I've put up a few steel roofs on farm houses and barns some 20 odd years back. Many are still looking like new, and the one at my buddy's farm still don't leak. It's been a long time since I've seen a shingled roof last as long as a manufacturer claims.

[Old Ironmaker]

Cliff, 12 years on shingles is very poor performance. As suggested there is something going on here that isn't kosher. I re shingled 2 years ago. All the quotes for steel came in at least 30% higher than shingles. There were a few reasons we didn't go with steel, primarily the only steel my wife wanted was more than double the price. If my wife doesn't want something it ain't getin done. Plus we have a cathedral ceiling and sound could be an issue. We stayed at a friends place and slept upstairs and it rained and not hard and we never slept due to the definite sound. I have to add it was a low pitched roof that might add to the sound factor as there would be less space between the ceiling and roof sheathing.

 

Steel is a no brainer at that price but be sure to ask for a few numbers and addresses of customers they have done work for and call them for feedback. Call before the guy leaves. Drive by to look for yourself, you wouldn't believe how many contractors give you testimonials from family members that never had work done. Tough to do when we are talking a steel roof, easy to talk about a kitchen reno when you never get to see the kitchen.

 

I am very cynical aren't I. It's saved me money over the years.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Old Ironmaker

[DRIFTER_016]

Planning on a steel roof on my cabin.

Not only for looks and longevity but for fire resistance, being nowhere near fire fighting services.

[Big Cliff]

Big Cliff,

I have a few questions for you that will help me give you my professional opinion. As there are a few things that can make a steel quote very different.....Whats your pitch? Do you have many valleys?

What preperation were they doing to existing roof before applying steel? Was it a sheet type metal or individual tiles? Whos metal was it? What guage metal was it? was there any mention of paint warranty? Do you have many trees close to your house? Did they discuss what types of flashings and vents they were putting on the metal roof? what material were they going to strap with? How close o/c is the strapping?

Not trying to hinder only help, but there are many things to consider besides the bottom line.

I don't know what the pitch is, it isn't very steep but it isn't what would be classed as a low pitch roof I don't think. If I had to guess I would say it probably drops about 1' in 3'.

There are 2 valleys no chimney 2 roof vents for plumbing.

They said something about cutting shingles back from the edges a couple of inches all around the edges to allow for trim apart from that strapping the existing roof. It will be sheet but I didn't ask what gauge it would be, they are getting it from the local Menonites "Stoll Metal Products" which seems to be the supplier of choice around these parts.

I haven't asked about what material the strapping would be but it is 1 X 4, didn't ask about spacing, I guess I just figured they knew what they were doing.

 

No big trees close to the house but I do have a row of cedar trees running along one side of the house that go about 15' above my roof line.

 

Flashings and vents. Ridge vents, snow guards on all slopes, not just over the doors, drip moldings and trim (caps) on all outside edges. The comapny we got the quote from is Elite Roofing Systems in Bobcaygeon his name is Jayson Doucet. Seemed very professional, and sat down with us and answered any questions we had and no pressure what ever.

 

I didn't think to ask about paint warrenty, Stoll have been around these parts for quite a few years and seem to have a good reputation. He did say that any color would fade to some degree given enough time and that is why we chose charcoal grey rather than black.

 

Hope this is enough to help.

 

Cliff

[Big Cliff]

Cliff - Where did you buy the 25 year shingles that only lasted 12 years? I had a similar situation with Home Depot. My 25 year shingles from Home Depot only lasted 12 years. I sent pix, paperwork etc, ended up getting 55 bundles for free. PM me if you wish - for ALL the details.

 

$5200.00 for steel giddy up - git er done!!!

I have no idea who the supplier of our shingles was and the contractor that did the job has since passed away. My shingles aren't compleatly toast yet, I could probably get another couple of years out of them but I would rather be sure and safe than sorry.

[lew]

 

I didn't think to ask about paint warrenty

 

Might be worth looking into Cliff, a neighbor had a beautiful red roof installed on his place about 4 years ago and after the 1st year or so the paint started coming off in big patches, as if it wasn't properly primed.

 

He's now got a red roof with ugly grey patches all over it.

[Big Cliff]

I will be calling him in the next hour Lew. Thanks!!!!!