The votes are in, and not only have metal roofing materials ceased to be considered as stark, industrial and boring - they’ve become the new architectural style-staple, while also being favored by those looking to diminish their carbon footprints, save electricity and improve the fire rating of their homes.
Indeed, aside from reflecting heat off of homes and lowering their reliance on watt-hungry air-conditioning systems, metal roofing is also much more easily recycled than any other type of roofing material. And, for the penny pincher, it’ll be good to know that due to the fire, hail and wind resistance properties of residential metal roofs, the average insurance company will discount a policy on your home by as much as 25%.
You’ll be pleased to find that, since metal roofs moved from factories to top the most desirable suburban homes, residential metal roofing materials have come a long way in terms of their design aesthetics, as well as their functionality. You’ll even find metal shingles treated and colored to resemble all manner of traditional products, including clay tiles and wooden slats.
But if you’re keen to go for what has become to be the modern era definition of architectural definition of beauty, then you’ll be well pleased at the range of metal roofing panels, which can be found in shiny aluminum, the ever-robust stainless steel, and even copper, well known for the way it weathers to a beautiful and quaint-looking green patina.
If you’re looking for the most solid, durable design, that of the standing-seam metal roof is a good way to go - these panels clip together to be virtually water tight, while still having enough flexibility to endure the stress place on them by swelling ice and, by some accounts, hurricane-force winds. The best material to look for is Galvalume, which consists of a Zinc-Aluminum alloy that’s laid over galvanized sheets steel. It’s corrosion resistant and reflects light even better than standard metal roofing materials.
How long will it last? Well, manufacturers are notoriously conservative in how they issue warranties, and the average metal roofing material manufacturer issues a forty year warranty on properly installed roofs. Scientific estimates of how long modern built metal roofs will last range more to the sixty or seventy year mark. So invest now, and look forward to a roof that will protect your home as long as you choose to live in it.
For more interesting articles on Metal Roofing Materials check out www.DurableMetalRoofs.com.
- Ryan McCall