Metal vs. Shingles

["Jacob Robinson"]

This topic was somewhat covered in my other thread about a new shop, but I wanted some more opinions.

While I have helped build a couple barns none of them have had metal roofs

I was wondering which is preferred, I know that you would need double the trusses (2' OC instead of 4') and then sheet it but then threre is no risck of condesation (indoor rain as some call it) I don't know how bad the condensation problem can be since I have never used a barn with metal roof.

Which would you go with: metal or shingles??

[Dave Lessley]

Jacob,

It really is a preferance and I suppose you could make a case for every roof type out there.

I prefer a metal roof and have had the advantage of having one that was 35 years old. It was the older style with the ringed nails and rubber washers. After 35 years it had two leaks and was still completely in color (white). It was faded a little chalky and no rust.

You can see pictures of it being torn down at the beginning of this thread

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=85623

You can also see pictures of the new roof a little further on in the same thread.

Condensation and the building not worth investing in spray foam insulation is why I chose to tear it down and build a stick built building. Again a personal preference and very subjective but it's the way I chose to go.

I stayed with a metal roof but I sheeted it with 5/8" OSB and used roofing felt before I put the metal down. The same could be done on a standard pole building. The newer metal roofing with the snap seams hides the screws from the weather and will probably last the rest of my life. It took the guy about six hours to do the entire roof and most of that was cutting and flanging the top edges and fitting the gable trim pieces. I like white because it helps reflect the heat in the summer.

DaveL

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a neighbor whose shop has a metal roof and it has held up well. Only shortcoming.....After his had been up a while it became extremely slick so getting up on it to clean the gutters is nearly impossible. Too slick. His walls are 14' high so he cleans the gutters from a ladder.

[Gary Max]

I have a metal roof on the shop and house. If I had the shop to do again---I would use white PVC roll insulation under the metal before I put it down.
It gets hot fast in the summer-------outside of that I am happy.

[David G Baker]

As was mentioned, a metal roof over OSB or wood sheeting with roofing felt will prevent the condensation or in-door rain. I never thought of the sheeting or I may have gone with metal on my pole barn roof. If the building is heated, ventilation will still be required to prevent moisture problems.
The slick risk is very high and I have snow avalanches off of one of my buildings that does have a metal roof on it. I end up with a 20' long by 6' high by 10 feet wide mountain of snow that slides off every year. The only way to prevent the snow slide is to get those things that fasten on to the roof to prevent the snow slide and hold the snow until it melts.

[Gene Michael]

Metal! The house we had for almost thirty years went through three roofs due to wind and hail damage. Pieces of shingles were torn off each time and we had water damage to the ceilings. Our new house sits atop a mountain and fifty mph or higher winds are common during storms. We've only had a little hail. Three plus years and counting with no damage at all.

[Steve knight]

look for the big rolls of moisture barrier. I found the generic tyvek was only 90.00 a roll 9'x120' was less a sf then roofing paper. a hell of a lot easier to deal with too.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

IMHO laminate architectural shingles fair much better in adverse weather than all but the most expensive metal roofs. I assume you are not looking to install a commercial metal roof which is 3 x the cost of shingle roofs.

Do you have significant hail activity in your area? Laminate architectural shingles are much more resilient to hail impacts than metal roofing. I definitively would NOT recommend 3 tab shingles. Architectural laminate shingles perform so much better in adverse weather and the raw material cost is not significantly different.

Do you have significant ice/snow activities that result in lots of ice layers also known as ice damns? Valentine’s day 2007 was an absolute disaster for commercial and residential properties in PA when we had incredible ice buildup. When these huge formations of ice slid down the roofs they sheared every single screw off of the roof causing hundreds, even thousands on large commercial properties, of small holes which allowed melting ice water to flow freely throughout the buildings. Not good for cast iron! LOL!

Oh above I mentioned raw costs of material, note that some major roofing manufactures have announced significant price increases in roofing material 10/01/08. If you can make a quick decision and buy this week you will likely save yourself some $. Last quarter (Q2-08) the roofing industry saw a 18% price increase material costs and 1.9% labor rate increases. I would not be surprised to see continued price increases. A side from petroleum increases, there is huge demands for roofing materials due to an unusually high number of catastrophes all year.

[David Freed]

There is a multi-million dollar company near me that builds metal-covered buildings from the rockies to the east coast. Their standard way of putting a roof on is - trusses every 8', 2x4's on edge over the trusses, insulation (if there isn't an insulated ceiling), moisture barrier, then the metal. They rarely, if ever, use decking.

I have the original shingles on my 25 year old house. when I re-roof, it will be metal.