Metal roofing has been getting a lot of attention lately. It’s supposed to be a permanent roof. In many ways it makes sense, but you should approach your project thoughtfully.
Balance all of the pros and cons. Here’s a list:
The Pros
- In hard-to-ventilate roofs, metal can allow air flow like no other roof. Depending on the style, air can sometimes flow from a lower portion all the way up to the top without the need for traditional internal baffles.
- Metal roofs can last a long time.
- Some of the stamped designer metal roofs are beautiful. They can look like slate or cedar shake at about the same cost but last longer.
- Ventilation for the purposes of extending the life of your roof doesn’t matter as much since metal can heat up without reducing its longevity.
- They are mostly safe if your entrance is on the gable side of the house.
The Cons
- Standing seam roofs can look like they belong more on a gas station or a fast food restaurant chain rather than a home.
Metal roofs aren’t practical or smart for many homes. Their installation can be cookie-cutterand
- Ice builds up and massive heavy sheets can rip your gutters off as they break free. There are work-arounds for these. Ice-breaking or retaining bars and ice-diamonds that attempt to hold the ice on the roof can be effective. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about heavy water flows on just one part of the roof.
- They are dangerous if the entrance to your home is on the eve side of the house. Ice can break free between those slalom type channels and hundreds of pounds of ice could come crashing down on an unfortunate soul entering or leaving your home at just the wrong time.
- Gutters are at risk. When ice sheets break free, they can slam into gutters, loosening them or tearing them off completely. Those problems can be lessened by having gutter protection that allows the sheets of ice to slide right over the top of them.
Posted in Roofing