Anyone have a metal roof put on their home recently?

[YY1]

A few months ago, one of our skylights started leaking (I know, but it's a dark room and they really help).

The roof is coming up on 14 years old, so we got estimates.

17K for shingles (12-20 year life expectancy)

26K for metal, without removing the existing shingles

30K for metal including removal of existing shingles

I've done a little research and there seems to be a trade off of pros and cons regarding leaving the existing shingles on.

Pro- adds heat insulation. That could be a big deal in FL. I've recorded 130 degrees in our attic.
Pro- adds sound insulation. Also could be a big deal with all the torrential downpours we get. I've heard some rain on tin roof and it IS loud.
Pro- saves $4,000

The biggest con seems to be not being able to inspect and/or replace the wood decking.
I totally get that.

Anyone done this recently?

Which did you do, and did you run into any other issues.

It almost seems like a no-brainer to go with the metal. For less than 1/2 the price of shingles, the life expectancy is more than double and could be triple or more.

 

[toolmanmike]

A couple years ago. It was costly though and the 100 year old original clay tiles were saved and sent to Chicago for reclaiming and reuse. We removed 60,000 pounds of tile. I'm sure my old house breathed a sigh of relief when that load was lifted. It was not cheap. So far so good though.

 

[not so famous bob]

A few months ago, one of our skylights started leaking (I know, but it's a dark room and they really help).

The roof is coming up on 14 years old, so we got estimates.

17K for shingles (12-20 year life expectancy)

26K for metal, without removing the existing shingles

30K for metal including removal of existing shingles

I've done a little research and there seems to be a trade off of pros and cons regarding leaving the existing shingles on.

Pro- adds heat insulation. That could be a big deal in FL. I've recorded 130 degrees in our attic.
Pro- adds sound insulation. Also could be a big deal with all the torrential downpours we get. I've heard some rain on tin roof and it IS loud.
Pro- saves $4,000

The biggest con seems to be not being able to inspect and/or replace the wood decking.
I totally get that.

Anyone done this recently?

Which did you do, and did you run into any other issues.

It almost seems like a no-brainer to go with the metal. For less than 1/2 the price of shingles, the life expectancy is more than double and could be triple or more.

I went with a metal roof , best thing I`ve ever done to this place .
Easy to repair yourself if need be , has been so long I dont remember . 2'' styrofoam board underneath , over 2 layers of existing composite shingles...so long ago , I dont remember .

 

[YY1]

I went with a metal roof , best thing I`ve ever done to this place .
Easy to repair yourself if need be , has been so long I dont remember . 2'' styrofoam board underneath , over 2 layers of existing composite shingles...so long ago , I dont remember .

Thanks.

What kind of "repairs"?

 

[RemCharger]

If you want heat insulation you need to blow in some fiberglass insulation in your ceiling. Then vent the attic. Made a hell of a difference in my garage. And I did it mainly for winter.

 

[not so famous bob]

Thanks.

What kind of "repairs"?

back when we had the big ice storm , trees came down and punched holes in it , ins. co. paid off great , I fixed it myself ...

 

[70 sublime]

Dad got his roof done with steal this summer
It had aluminum roofing on it for the last 50 plus years and it was time to do something again
The shingles were still under the old roof
There was a couple soft spot in the wood that needed some new plywood added but it was not hard to do

 

[Timothy]

A few months ago, one of our skylights started leaking (I know, but it's a dark room and they really help).

The roof is coming up on 14 years old, so we got estimates.

17K for shingles (12-20 year life expectancy)

26K for metal, without removing the existing shingles

30K for metal including removal of existing shingles

I've done a little research and there seems to be a trade off of pros and cons regarding leaving the existing shingles on.

Pro- adds heat insulation. That could be a big deal in FL. I've recorded 130 degrees in our attic.
Pro- adds sound insulation. Also could be a big deal with all the torrential downpours we get. I've heard some rain on tin roof and it IS loud.
Pro- saves $4,000

The biggest con seems to be not being able to inspect and/or replace the wood decking.
I totally get that.

Anyone done this recently?

Which did you do, and did you run into any other issues.

It almost seems like a no-brainer to go with the metal. For less than 1/2 the price of shingles, the life expectancy is more than double and could be triple or more.

I would add that I also heard that when going over an asphalt (shingle roof) "if" a fire would start and the shingles catch fire it is harder to put out with a metal roof over it.

 

[hdwrench]

i got a metal roof installed on my addition and love it . that and when building we opted for spray foam insulation. love that too . now my remaining house is standard shingle which i plan to replace w metal soon . the existing house is not insulated as well as spray foam but i plan on adding foam board insulation under the metal roof increasing the R value with out invasive construction….all the research i’ve read said to go over a shingle roof as it is a vapor barrier, added protection and some r value….

 

[PlymCrazy]

We had a local reputable company do a complete tear off and eliminate our (2) skylights in 2021 for $9k. Asphalt architectural shingles on our 2000 sq. ft. Colonial. The old asphalt roof lasted 26 years. At that rate, we expect to do at least (1) more roof replacement before our kids bury us. We got quoted just under $30k for the metal roof. We couldn't justify spending that kind of money, especially with all the uncertainty surrounding the nonsense going on in the world at the time.
We had a metal roof put on our 36' x 48' shop when we built it in 2020. It was all part of the construction package we selected. It is very loud when it rains, however I have no ceiling or insulation in it yet. More and more folks are going with metal roofs in our area.

 

[YY1]

I forgot to put in the OP, another con was the possibility to trap moisture between the shingles and the metal.

That's a real concern in FL as well as stuff stays wet for a long time with the humidity.

Another question-

Did you get straight steel, galvanized, Galvalume, or something else?

Rust could also be an issue here in "sunny" FL as the rain can have a pretty high salt content at times.

 

[eldubb440]

my shop has a metal roof..... a few drops of rain sounds like a down pour........ a down pour makes it impossible to hear anything.......it's like a drum

 

[Photon440]

I like the sound of rain on my shop's metal roof. To me it's the sound of staying dry inside compared to the old rotten roof.

 

[eldubb440]

I like the sound of rain on my shop's metal roof. To me it's the sound of staying dry inside compared to the old rotten roof.

I wasn't complaining..... but wouldn't want it on my house

 

[hdwrench]

i agree to the noise , wow !!! if i intend to leave the area metal roofed not insulated i always sheet with plywood or osb before installing the metal , this quiets the rain down …in our addition with the metal roof with spray foam rain is slightly heard ….

 

[Detective D]

Florida is not WI, so keep that in mind....
We did our roof about 4 years ago. Local contractor is one of few national certified to offer a 50 year warranty on the owens corning asphalt they install. It is transferrable ONCE.
My house is such and my job is such we did not plan on moving until we are older. The warranty will have some value when we decide to sell. We WILL sell some time, because our home is not designed for old people(too many stairs)
The roof is good. The install was fine, we kept the documents in the fire safe. I should not have to worry about a roof repair in my lifetime until we decide to move.

Keep that in mind with durability. When I was younger, I was raised on quality first and always looked for things for the home that would last decades.
maybe something will change, but there are so many BS financial games going on nowdays that frankly I don't care much about longevity beyond the length of time I expect to be here. Maybe elsewhere in the country is different. In WI, for the last 20 years, the value of your home comes down to:
Size
Location(schools, work)
Location(country or city, makes a BIG difference)
Whatever the asesment for property tax says your house is worth, because that will give or take tell a bank what it is worth.

That is it. Of the several realotor friends/family friends I have visited with over the years, condition of the home, how recent a remodel was done, carpets vs hardwood floors, whatever: it doesn;t actually matter, other than some effect on ease of sale. Shiny new everything makes a home easier to sell. You will NEVER get the cost of that shiny new stuff, even remotely close, back out of a home because the financial games don't GAF what you did to the property. I had one realtor tell me people that remodel their kitchen and sell within 5 years are doing financial suicide. The banks don't care if the cupboards are from 1940 or 2023. The only time it matters is if something was actually disfunctional.
They also don;t care if you buy a sound proof, $6500 modern fiberglass door, or a Menards $300 no window hollow core steel door. The buyer might, but here is the thing, and this is very important:
The banks don;t care and will lend what they lend and "housing shortages" will get people to buy a home anyway for whatever the bank says it is worth.

So when it comes to a roof:
Will you live there long enough to see the benefit of the longer lasting product? if not, in modern times, WHO CARES, spend less get something functionable and let the next guy worry about it.

Honestly, for Florida- I mean I don't live there but lately I would be more concerned about what the insurance would pay if there is damage for either option than how it affects home value(it doesn't) followed by how long you plan on living there. Your insurance policy will be rated for what it is, if you spend a half million fixing the place up or if you spend $50k in the case of total loss. It is all financial games and BS.

 

[68gtxman]

My asphalt architectural shingles have a lifetime warranty (as long as the proper number of nails were used per shingle). I installed it myself, after ripping the old single layer roof off. Total cost, including hiring three laborers and material was $4K (only 1,400 SF home) In 2013. I would love looking at a metal roof, but not for the extra price it would have cost.

 

[moparedtn]

There's a TON of metal roofing up here; I intentionally made it so.
I installed a metal roof on the 16x24 front porch in 2011; over-designed by me, of course.
Provision was made for that to blend into the main house roofing, which was on its' last
shingled legs from 1999, so that's all one unit now once we replaced the house roofing a
while later as well.

Attached giant carport was done in metal, as was my garage over the years to come.
It's all "50-year" warranted, all done by myself and my friend and all sits on heavy OSB
(the house also has a layer of the usual roofing paper and such).
The goal was to have everything built and roofing installed that would outlast....me, honestly.
(Remember: the goal here is to leave the wife in as good a situation as possible).

Oh...and it's all black, which of course absorbs all the suns' rays. Mercy.
The supplier is very local and the quality of the metal is the heavier of the two common types.
I gotta admit, it all turned out about exactly as I wanted.

Now, as to your prices you're getting....well, none of this out here would have happened had
I contracted it all out to others, so I can't say with any knowledge whether they're good numbers
or not.
I will say they scare hell outta me though. Wow!

 

[Richard Cranium]

We installed a standing seam roof B on our NH home. It completes the Lincoln Log look.

 

[DeltaV]

I would add that I also heard that when going over an asphalt (shingle roof) "if" a fire would start and the shingles catch fire it is harder to put out with a metal roof over it.

Agree and I used to live in Tioga County, N.Y. where they were banning metal roofing installed over old asphalt shingles. They cited the inability to easily extinguish a fire once the roof was on fire. Insurance companies were on board with the County too. This was back in 2010.