Roofing Question

Which Roof should Ned install?

  • Metal roof

    Votes: 19 59.4%
  • Three tab

    Votes: 11 34.4%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 6.3%
  • Roof,? He don' neeeed no steenking Roof!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .

Ned Bulken

Member
Messages
5,529
Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
Ladies and Gents,
I was in the Borg at lunch today, looking at ladders since the high work is about to begin, and right next to the ladder I was kicking the tires on was a rack of metal roofing.
I figured out that if I were to put that on instead of shingles, there could be a cost savings. I'm all for that of course, If I did my math just the metal sheets would run me about $400, plus fasteners and felt paper. (I'm presuming that felt paper would still help even under metal roofing). It will still be going over plywood, which Is already in the yard under tarp.

What other hidden costs or procedure am I missing here? Presuming that I will need to:
  • lay plywood sheathing
  • install ice control sheeting
  • put down felt paper (30#)
  • cut and install metal sheets
  • install ridge vent

putting up 30 odd large sheets of metal 'sounds' easier than however many pieces in 6 square of three tab. Some of the steps are the same of course. If it were your shop and you didn't mind either choice, which would you do?

I'm in that last camp, I wouldn't mind three tab, and I'm fine with metal roofing. Especially considering it comes with a comparable warranty (25 years).


p.s. woohoo this was my 700th post!
 
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Here is the draw back to metal roof. SWEAT! Not yours either. Metal roof can cool fast and then water condenses on it. Dripping onto all your tools. Have you ever noticed that even unheated metal buildings have insulated roofs? In your climate you may never a problem but I don't know.

So, unless you can insulate the metal I say stick with shingles or roll roofing. And metal is noisy as heck when it rains.
 
Ned

Jeff may be correct for an all metal building, but with metal laid over a plywood, tarpaper deck I don't think that condensation will be a problem at all. If any does form on the underside of the metal, it will be trapped by the tarpaper. But I don't think that is going to be a problem because the roof deck is going to keep air circulation on the underside of the roof to an absolute minimum.

I vote metal!

Jay
 
I live in the south but I came from the north. I think in an unheated or sometimes heated shed/shop, metal is the choice. Can you say snow load, I knew you could. Although sometimes even a metal roof can't shed the snow fast enough, as I believe at least one of the posters here can attest to. With sheathing and tar paper there should not be a problem with condensation, IMHO.
 
Ned

Jeff may be correct for an all metal building, but with metal laid over a plywood, tarpaper deck I don't think that condensation will be a problem at all.....

I agree, the plywood would keep it from cooling so fast. I was talking about exposed metal with nothing under it. Thats the way barns and outbuildings are typically built here.

A Church I attended had that problem in an addition. Someone thought removing the insulation (due to a leak) wouldn't hurt anything. Then in the evenings it started raining in the attic space above the drop ceiling. Took me forever to convince them it wasn't a leak. Notice the next metal building your in. The roof will be insulated even if it there is no cooling in it.
 
Thanks guys, keep the comments coming!

Jeff,
I am planning on insulating the whole shop 'eventually' (as budget and time allow) I would also put duravent or similar under the decking to keep air flowing, with soffet vents and ridge venting.

Is there anything else that I need to do if I'm going to install it over the decking?
 
My garage has a metal roof. I have never been in it during a hailstorm. Don't plan to. It doesn't sweat. Metal has gained a lot of popularity lately. I'm not sure why. But, if I were you, I would try to compliment the appearance with the house.
 
My garage has a metal roof. I have never been in it during a hailstorm. Don't plan to. It doesn't sweat. Metal has gained a lot of popularity lately. I'm not sure why. But, if I were you, I would try to compliment the appearance with the house.

aye there's the rub, the $64,000 answer is that the house needs a roof too, and if SWMBO likes the metal roof, guess who does his own roof come the fall?
 
Frank beat me to it, but I'll repeat what I was going to say anyway -- whatever you put on the shed should match the house. And, if you're planning on reroofing the house, your options are pretty wide open.

What pitch is your shed roof going to be (and the house too for that matter)? Is the house presently 3-tab?
 
One thing I don't like about metal roofs on a house is that, at least around here, they don't have a good way to flash the vent pipes, chimney or anything else that comes through the roof. Not an issue with you shop.

I have only inspected a very few homes with metal roofs and none of them leaked, but it's still fairly new fad here. But I am betting 10-15 years down the road we are going to see problems with leaks. Around vent pipes and the rubber gaskets under the screws holding down the metal. The rubber products don't have a 40+ year life and are going to deteriorate.

If your considering putting a metal roof on your house, look at it pretty close. The roof will probably out last you, but I have some serious concerns about the flashings and fasteners. I could be wrong and hope I am. But I am not the only one with concerns about this.
 
I've got to agree with Jeff about the flashing problem, though I still voted for metal. Three tabs will probably last you plenty long in New York (you're in NY right?:huh: ), I remember they did seem to last forever when I lived in Maine. Out here I find it hard to recommend any asphalt product, though its not as bad in NM as in AZ where the roofs get so hot that shingles last about 15 years IF you don't walk on them and your cooler doesn't leak. I've seen the cheap ones under leaky coolers last on the order of 5 years. Hard to go wrong with metal, properly installed and vented.

Being likely to do your own house roof when the time comes, you can head off potential problems with flashing by doing a little extra work, if possible, and consolidating and moving your roof penetrations to keep them to a minimum and up near the peak. That way you can lap the ridge cap over the top of a standard flashing designed for a shingle roof. You can even do the same in the middle of a metal panel with a little fore thought and some fancy cutting. I wouldn't ever install most of the flashing products I've seen that are designed to go on a metal roof, as they are sure to start leaking when the rubber or adhesive gets old.

We also did some really neat low profile venting at the peak, using a product called Coravent (I think thats how its spelled). Its basically a plastic product that looks like layers of corrigated card board. If you're doing a corrigated metal roof, this stuff won't help, but if its one of the panels with ridges and a flat field, you can stuff the venting material in between the ridges, flush with the edge of the cap and run the screw through the whole thing. No big metal boxes or whirly dealies needed.
 
I'd say metal too.

Here in Japan, the cheap option is metal, the tin is fairly thin, and is all bent and formed on site, but the roofer.

The old house we had was a tin roof, it was built that way from the start, as the tile roofs were just too expensive for my wife's family back then. The house was 48 year old and had not had a lick of maintenance done to it in all that time :eek:

We had one small leak in one corner of an upstairs bedroom, and it was only a "Leak" if it rained hard for several days in a row, you would notice a wet area on the ceiling (which was thin cedar pieced about 1/8" thick by 12" wide and maybe 8' long, overlapping). I went up on the roof and found a row of holes, about 12" apart and 8' long, two or three of the holes were leaking, the other were all patched up with tar. Seems when the roof was installed, some one goofed and nailed a piece on in the wrong spot or something, they pulled the nails, patched the holes and used the piece anyway, lasted 40+ yeas :dunno:

One thing, you GOT to work on calm days, WIND is your enemy! :D
 
check on the accessorys for a metal roof, unless you go with galvanized barn tin the trim package could easily exceed the cost of the roofing and fasteners. most fascia is bent onsite to match the roof metal, then you have end caps, w or z mould if there are any hips, valleys or interesceting rooflines.
30 yr three tabs worked out to be less than half of metal for our house.
tod
 
one other thing ned

in my parts you cant anchor the steel to just osb,,,you must have at least 1.5 solide material for the fasteners..so in yur case either use 2x4 perlins running horizontal or blocking between the rafters which would be a pain..purlins usally go on with no osb on the rafters.
 
Quite a few local people getting steel roofs on their home. It's their $$$ and their decison. Personally I think metal roofs belong on barns. My dad was thinking of re roofing his home with steel....I said hope you have someone in mind, cause I don't do steel roofs on homes. I realize they have come a long way with all the accessories, colors, styles, etc......

One neighbor has a old farmhouse he wanted a very bright red steel roof on, not a big house by any means. Maybe 1500 square feet of roof, the company quoted him 32,000 dollars :eek: for them to do it, that's a lot of jing in my book for a roof vs. maybe 3-4 thousand for a 50 year shingle dimensional shingle.

Now if you really want to get technical, metal roofs have been on homes for a very long time, I drive around the countryside a lot and notice those old farmhouses with the standing steel seams are still on, so my own opinion of steel only should be on barns is obviously a bad one.

Now here is my "opinion" of a great long lasting shingle I have had great success with.

http://www.elkcorp.com/RoofingCenter/index_asphalt.cfm

50 years is a long time, and you can match up the shop and the house Ned.

Best of luck, whichever way you choose.
 
HI Ned,

Tod and Steve Ash make some very good points.

Back in 2000, when I was building a new store I looked at steel roofs. The cost was ALOT more expensive than good old asphalt roofing. In the end we chose an Architectural Shingle styled Asphalt roof. Looks good.

Also, you may not be out there in a hail storm, but I bet you will be out there in the rain. Even a drizzling rain, will/can sound like a severe thunderstorm.

BTW: what does this steel roof look like. Corrugated or the kind with the seamed and crimped flashing (hope that makes sense)?

Joe
 
What I saw yesterday was just the basic pressed panel, not quite corrugated, but similar. Basically it had a couple of wider 'valley' sections. I hadn't thought about edging, and matching up the house to the shop. That might be the straw that broke the tin roof's back right there. While Lori and I aren't moving any time soon, we do still want to move in a couple of years, so I may just let her pick the shingles out and go from there. I'll 'go to school' on the shop roof, and then do the house when the war chest is filled again.

No decision made yet though, so Chime in if you have any ideas.

And of course, Thank you to all who have helped!
 
I looked at metal roofing for my house. I was concerned about the rubber washer that seals the screw against the metal deteriorating over time. I priced a standing seam roof which has no exposed fasteners. The cost quote was 12000 bucks! I decided to go with a 40 year architectural that I installed. The cost was about 3500. The roof was around 40 square.
 
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