In the Market for a New Roof? Consider Metal
If you are looking at roof materials, consider installing a metal roof. Metal roofing has seen an uptick in popularity due to its many benefits including aesthetics, fire safety, durability, long-term savings and energy efficiency.
Benefits of Having a Metal Roof
• Aesthetics – Metal roofs come in a wide variety of colors – Dark Grey Charcoal being the most popular in Hope Ranch. You can also have your gutters made out of the same prefinished roof material for an exact color match.
• Fire Safety – A metal roof will not ignite during a wildfire or lightning storm. There are no openings in the roof for embers to enter as with a Spanish tile roof.
• Durability / Longevity – Metal roofs can last anywhere from 40-70 years (even longer than Spanish tile which have a life expectancy of 30-40 years). The lifespan of a metal roof is based on the gauge of metal selected. Metal roofs are also wind and impact resistant.
• Energy Efficient – Metal reflects sun (different colors and finishes have different reflection factors) which can save 10-25% in cooling costs during warmer months.
• Environmentally Friendly – Metal roofs are made of 25-95% recycled materials depending on the source, and they are 100% recyclable at the end of their life cycle.
• Rainwater Harvesting – Per Ken Radtkey, FAIA owner of Blackbird Architects “On another sustainability note, metal roofs offer the highest rainwater collection efficiency, and can also capture condensation (dew) resulting from our nighttime marine layer.”
• Low-Maintenance – Metal roofs do not require the costly maintenance of traditional roofs and they are easy to clean with a leaf blower (like all roofs, required maintenance depends on nearby trees). Metal is also impervious to termites, woodpeckers, and rodents.
• Easy Solar Panel Install – If you install solar panels on your roof, the system clips right onto the ridges so there are no penetrations in the roof.
• Insulation – Since it is easy to add rigid insulation boards under your metal roof, you can have open ceilings inside or convert an attic to useable space.
A Few Tips
• Energy Savings – Make sure you consult the California Title 24 Energy Standards before you select your roof color and texture, to make sure it’s not reflecting or absorbing too much heat.
• Aesthetics – If you have a large roof, the narrower the space between ridges, the busier the roof will look. The most common distance between ridges is 16”-18” with 18” being the most universal. On small roofs like a shed, closer ridges are more appropriate. Most residential projects use 24-gauge metal.
• “Oil Canning” – Can appear on a metal roof (which looks like rolling waves or humps). This is caused by the expansion and contraction of the metal. To avoid this, you can specify striations in the metal or go to a thicker gauge metal. For example, a more industrial roof with 22-gauge (in metal roofs the lower the number the thicker the metal), will be more expensive but will have a longer warranty and is ideal for factories and industrial buildings.
• Walking on the roof – Metal roofs are easy to walk on, but this should be done only by people trained to walk on them. A homeowner can merely instruct the person accessing the roof. Metal roofs are slippery when wet, so practice caution when walking on your roof in wet conditions.
Local Recommendations
We are using Wicks Roofing and Solar for the new home we have under construction. Wicks has been in business since 1985 and currently 30% of their jobs are metal installations with many in Hope Ranch. A special thanks to Chuck Hunt, Project Manager for Wicks in Santa Barbara for his help with this article. According to Chuck, Taylor Metal Products is the largest metal supplier in the U.S. and they also happen to have the best variety of colors. For our home, we selected Taylor Metal color: Charcoal Grey, 18” between ridges!
Happy roof hunting!
Trudi
