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.
On the environmental, carbon-footprint front, metal roofing materials are the preferred roofing constituents for two reasons. Metal reflects light and heat, unlike heat-absorptive materials like asphalt and fiberglass. They consequently lower the amount of air conditioning a home will need to use to stay cool in summer. Add this to the fact that most insurance companies will give you anything up to twenty-five percent off on a policy for a home with a metal roof, and the long-term payoffs are considerable.
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.
If, however, you’re more keen on moving into the modern era of architectural beauty, you’ll find no end of variety and gorgeous design, with panels in everything from stainless steel and copper (which weathers to an enchanting green patina) to gleaming, chrome-like aluminum.
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.