metal vs shingles

av-geek

I am looking to replace the roof on my house soon, and want to go metal. The options for steel roofs look very good, with many having 35-50 year warrantees on them. How much more does the material cost over shingles? I am thinking about installing the metal roof myself. It looks like much less labor than installing shingles, and in fact, one site showed the metal roof being installed right over top of the old shingles with horizontal boards simply placed over the shingles and the metal roof sheets attached to that. I am figuring that the amount of money I can save by installing the metal roof myself will offset the cost of the metal roof over having a roofing company come in, strip the old shingles off, and install new shingles that will, of course, need replacing in another 15 years. Any of you all have experience with this? Is it really as easy as it is made out to be?

Windows on Wash

No.

That is the short answer.

Can it be done, sure. Learning on your home and it being your first crack at it is not typically where you want to start.

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mae-ling

I have installed many metal roofs and no longer recommend them for houses, if you are talking the kind which are attached with screws with gaskets.

If you have any valleys they are really hard to seal.
Screws will back out as wood dries and cause leaks. OK on a barn or shed but not on a house.

titanoman

There is certainly nothing difficult about metal roofing. The hardest part is being careful where you step.
And it'll cut your hands up if you let it.

seeyou

Asking how much a metal roof costs is about like asking how much an automobile costs. There's lots of variety: Gauge, finish, type fastener, panels or shingles, etc. They are not all created equal.

Lighter gauge material is more susceptible to hail or wind damage. I've seen the less expensive finishes fail in three years. Exposed fastener systems can have maintenance issues with the screws.

I'd do lots of research before taking on a DIY metal roof. I've seen lots of jobs done by professionals that are problematic. I'm not advising you not to take it on, but unless you've got a pretty simple roof, your failure odds are pretty high. It's a lot simpler to fix a leaking valley in an asphalt shingle roof than in a metal panel roof.

If it was "as easy as it's made out to be", I wouldn't be tearing off and replacing a couple of failed attempts a year.

seeyou

Let me guess: You're not a roofer, but you play one on the internet

titanoman

I can think of more interesting things to portray on the internet than a roofer!
I mean really, come on, its a freakin' roof.
You only need to be 2% smarter than the object you're working on, in this case, a piece of metal and a few screws.

seeyou

And to play the flute, you blow in one end and move your fingers on the outside.

What else does one need to know about it?

To build a house you just need some wood and a couple of nails. You only need to be 2% smarter than a 2x4.

titanoman

You are ignorant to think you have a clue about my abilities. The messes I make? You don't know me. Who the **** do you think you are, you little pansy?

bob22

Time to back off on the testosterone supplements!

titanoman

Sorry. Was just arguing with my neighbor right before and had to unload on somebody.
I'm all better now.

ParagonEx

Shingle warranties are now the same as metal. Will they last as long as they say? I doubt it.

Why not use asphalt? The cost of a roof is extremely cheap. It's one of the cheapest home improvements you can do and it's still the most important.

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cibula11

First off, I'd ask what makes you think that shingles will only last 15 yrs? Most shingles, especially architectural, last a minimum of 30 yrs....and you can get nicer ones that have 50 yr. warranties.

As far as aesthetics, the only time I have ever thought metal looks good on residential homes, is if the home is an older style farm house....but that's just my personal preference.

If you've never done a metal roof or asphalt shingles, hire it out...period. Maybe you can tear off what's there now, but being inexperienced and doing your own roof is not something I would recommend.

Windows on Wash

I just spit my coffee all over my monitor.

The newer metal systems out there look better than asphalt when you ask most customers.

That not withstanding, good metal is an investment for certain.

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Ycreek

If you've got a standard gable roof with one ridge, even someone who "plays a roofer on the Internet" can successfully (and precisely) install a metal roof. If you've got hips, valleys and upper and lower gambrels, hire it out. Oh, and by the way, good luck on getting 20, 25, or 30 years out of ANY asphalt roof. It can happen but it's rare.