Elizabeth Taylor found Hollywood success in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. If you are in the market for a new roof, consider taking your cues from the feline in the movie’s title, who had a preference for a nice, warm metal roof. Your metal roof won’t garner you any Academy Award nominations like Taylor and her co-star Paul Newman received, but it could still leave you purring with pleasure at the outcome of your choice. Here, we will examine metal roofing to help you decide if it may be just what you seek. Let’s look at seven factors to keep in mind when considering metal for your roof material:
1. Longevity
Metal is one of the longest-lasting roofing materials. If properly installed by an experienced roofing contractor, your metal roof could last 70 years or more. Many metal roof materials come with 30- to 50-year manufacturer’s product warranties. Compare that to asphalt shingles, which may last 15-20 years. That’s alright, but it doesn’t give you the same peace of mind as a metal roof. Thanks to the material’s hard-wearing surface, you can feel confident that you won’t have to consider another roof replacement for several decades.
2. Environmental Considerations
Conventional asphalt shingles are made of petroleum, which is derived from fossil fuels. They are also replaced every 15-20 years, leading to a great deal of waste that frequently ends up in landfills. As consumers are more aware than ever of environmental considerations, these factors are causing many home and business owners to look for more eco-conscious materials like metal.
Because metal roofs last so much longer, they lead to less waste. One study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that more than 6,000,000 pounds of asphalt roofing material waste was generated in one year. That’s a lot of material ending up in landfills.
Metal offers an alternative to this. Most metal roof products contain at least 25% recycled content. When you replace a metal roof after many decades, it is also completely recyclable into new roof products or other metal goods.
Metal roofing is also a smart choice for homeowners considering solar panels to reduce their carbon footprint. Removing panels to replace a roof is expensive and may cause warranty issues with the solar panel system. If you install panels on a long-lasting metal roof, you won’t need to worry about removing them for future roof replacement for several decades. Your metal roof may last longer than your solar panels, which tend to have a 20-40-year lifespan.
All of this means that for eco-minded homeowners, metal roofing is well worth considering.
3. Reflectivity
Most metal roofing materials have a higher reflectivity rating than asphalt, wood, and other roof options. The amount of light a surface reflects is measured by the Solar Reflective Index (SRI). Materials with a high SRI reflect more light. To understand this, consider the white lines painted on a black street surface. The lines will be cooler than the blacktop because they reflect rather than absorb the sun’s light. When you apply this principle to your home, a roof that reflects light rather than absorbing it keeps your home cooler in the summer. That can mean lower energy bills with your new metal roof than with less reflective options.
4. Impact Resistance
Your roof has to withstand a great deal of stress. Metal roofing has a high impact-resistance rating. That measures how much force it takes to damage the roof material. A highly impact-resistant roof can withstand blows from hail, wind-blown debris, and whatever else mother nature–or the neighborhood kids playing baseball–have to throw at it.
5. Beauty
One top reason to consider metal for your next roof is its striking appearance. Metal roofing can help your home stand out in a sea of more conventional roofing materials. Metal can work with any architectural style, from traditional to contemporary. This material can increase your curb appeal, home value, and the sense of pride when you stand in front of your home and its beautiful metal roof.
6. Fire-Resistance
If safety is a driving factor in selecting roofing materials, metal may be precisely what you seek. Metal is used in many applications where fire resistance is a concern. Consider the metal cooking implements used to cook over a campfire. You can put a metal pot directly over or even into a flame, and it won’t burn. Your metal roof’s fire resistance is similar to that pot. It will not ignite or spread flames, even if hit with a lightning strike or faced with a wildfire.
7. Expense
Yes, metal is one of the more expensive roof material options. Not only is the material more expensive, but the labor to install a metal roof is often more intensive. More labor hours from your residential roofing company mean higher installation costs.
However, many people still find it worthwhile, considering all the other benefits of metal roofing. When you consider the price per year of use, the price of a metal roof comes closer to the price of other materials. You pay more but get more years of use out of that expense. A less expensive option may not save you money if you have to replace it twice as often.
Additionally, you may see more of an increase in your property value if you install a metal roof than from other materials. That means you may recoup some of the extra expense when you sell your home.
Metal roofing is an outstanding option for residential roofing projects. Its long-lasting, low-maintenance surface will last for decades. Metal can keep your air conditioning costs and carbon footprint low. Metal roofs aren’t just beautiful; they are high-quality products made to last. Consider all the factors we’ve discussed to decide whether metal roofing suits your project.