Last updated on July 10th, 2021 at 09:16 am
Why Metal Roofing? Costs, Pros and Cons In 2020
Replacing your roof is perhaps the single most important investments you make in your home — and if it’s done right, that investment can pay dividends for decades to come.
Residential metal roofing is one of the most progressive trends in the home improvement sector. Homeowners who have upgraded to metal roofing from outdated asphalt shingles are benefitting from long-lasting rewards that only high quality aluminum or steel roofing can offer.
Aluminum or steel roofing will not only enhance your home’s immediate curb appeal, but also boost your resale value, save energy, and protect your home for a lifetime.
With a proven performance expectation of 40+ years, homes that are protected by premium quality metal roofing also beautify their neighbourhoods. With distinct architectural profiles and long-lasting finishes, a steel or aluminum roofing system instantly enhances the look and increases the property value of your home.
From a practical point of view, the well-known benefits of metal roofing are many:
- Longevity: Metal roofing systems are designed to last a lifetime. Depending on the brand, an aluminum or steel roof could provide you with lasting protection for 40, 50, even 60 years or more! This is in stark contrast to asphalt shingles, which are designed to be serviced on a regular basis (usually annually to replace broken shingles) and replaced entirely every 12-20 years.
- Durability: Metal roofing is designed to withstand even the nastiest Canadian weather: wind, snow, hail, the works. In fact, metal roofing is the roofing system of choice for areas prone to hurricanes, hail, and forest fires. No matter where you live, you can count on steel or aluminum to protect your home from whatever nature throws at it.
- Energy Efficiency: Both aluminum and steel roofing systems are dramatically more energy efficient than asphalt shingles. Metal roofing doesn’t absorb radiant heat the way asphalt does; instead, it bounces the heat from sunlight back to keep your cooling costs low. Metal roofing also helps to keep the heat in during winter.
- Appearance: Metal roofing comes in a variety of colours and styles to match any architectural style, and unlike asphalt shingles, it won’t flake off in pieces during a storm. With powerful anti-rust coating, your roof will look just as beautiful as the day it was installed for years and years to come.
- Environmental-Friendliness: Not only will your metal roofing system last a lifetime, it will never go to the landfill. Steel and aluminum roofing systems are 100% recyclable.
Cost of Metal Roofing In 2020
Given its temporary nature, asphalt roofing has a lower installation cost on average ($24,700) than metal roofing ($40,318). While metal roofing does cost more than asphalt shingles upfront, buyers who plan to stay in their home through at least 12-20 years will see a substantial financial benefit from an aluminum or steel roof that will not have to be replaced or significantly repaired during that time.
What’s more, metal roofing increases the resale price of your home by an average 61.2% of the roof’s value — and a report from The National Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) shows that new roofing provides the greatest value at resale compared to other remodeling projects!
There’s a Metal Roofing System For Every Home
Not all metal roofing systems are exactly alike. Classic Products Roofing Systems offers a selection of high-quality steel roofing and aluminum roofing systems in a wide variety of colours and styles. The choice of either aluminum or steel roofing will depend on your specific needs, preferences, and budget.
Every roofing system offered at Classic Products, whether steel or aluminum, has been chosen for its outstanding build quality, beauty, and warranty coverage. All our products are made in North America and built to CSA standards.
Learn more about the differences between aluminum and steel roofing.
The Environmentally Responsible Choice
The environmental benefits of aluminum and steel roofing is something to feel good about.
Classic Products aluminum roofing is made of up to 95% post consumer recycled materials with a minimal carbon footprint. Armadura steel roofing is also made from recycled materials. And at the end of its 40-60+ year lifespan, both steel and aluminum roofing is fully recyclable.
Metal roofing can also reduce your carbon emissions at home. Classic Products aluminum roofing has a 500® or Hylar 5000 hI-R coating to reflect radiant heat and cut energy costs by up to 30%. Attic temperatures are reduced by up to 34% and “dead” airspace blocks heat transfer by conduction. Similar energy-saving benefits are offered by Armadura steel roofing.
Feel guilty about dumping your old, asphalt roof shingles in the landfill? Then there’s more good news about aluminum and steel roofing. Metal roofing systems can often be installed over your existing roof, which significantly reduces waste and disposal costs.
An approximated 1.25 million tons of asphalt-based roofing materials are put into landfills annually in Canada. On average a metal roof lasts the equivalent of 3 asphalt roofing cycles, which could eliminate up to 12 tons of landfill waste for each home that makes the switch to metal roofing!
Want To Know More About Metal Roofing? We’re Here To Help
Buying a new roof is a major event in the life of any homeowner — but it doesn’t have to be complicated. The research you’ve done today will go a long way in helping you make wise investment choices when it comes to your roofing.
If you’d like to learn more about aluminum or steel roofing, please feel free to reach out to us directly. We’re here to help!
Spring Roof Inspection
Spring Roof Inspection
INTERLOCKING DESIGN
The alternative to overlapping panels are panels that actively lock together. These panels do well in wind uplift testing, and they do not present the opportunity for debris or water to work its way underneath. These systems have locking hems on all four sides of the panes, and are actively engaged (hooked) into one another all the way around. This method of connection provides for the highest levels of wind, water, and uplift resistance—the most permanent and storm-proof roofing. Such systems also employ concealed fasteners hidden by the next course or row of shingles.
- actively engaged on all 4 sides
- provides highest levels of wind, water and uplift resistance
- the most permanent and storm proof roofing system
PVDF COATINGS
The finest coating available today uses PVDF chemistry – polyvinylideneflouride. With this coating, the resin is based upon the the very hard, glass-like mineral fluorite; which creates an extremely tight molecular bond. These coatings are known to resist materials sticking to them and for incredible durability in terms of fade and chalk resistance. The fluorite resin protects the pigment and holds everything together. It is well know by architects that the best exterior coating that exists today is based on this chemistry. There is no better colour coating system on the horizon – period.
We are so confident about our colour coating system that we are one of the only metal roofing providers in the world that actually include fade and chalk resistance as part of our lifetime warranty.
CONCEALED FASTENERS
While old school metal roofs had exposed fasteners, design technology has brought roofs with concealed fasteners. The concealed fasteners don’t need the neoprene washers that wear out, because they are never exposed to the weather. Additionally, concealed fasteners, through clip design and sometimes panel design, allow for the thermal movement of the metal. The roof is held secure, but there are ways for it to float incrementally and move with temperature changes without anything breaking down or coming less weathertight with age.
- never exposed to weather – won’t wear out
- allow for natural thermal movement
- permanently weathertight
DIRECT TO DECK
Some metal roof panels are installed on battens while others are installed directly to the roof decking on an elementary level. Battens are rows of 1×2″s nailed to the roof first to provide a racking system for the roof panels to fasten into. This was another installation method derived from old school metal roofs installed over barns; so all panels installed over battens also have exposed fasteners. Putting down battens raises the level of the roof which means gutters have to be raised and the roof level can sometimes get too high on homes with dormer windows – the roof can begin to run into the bottom of the windows.
Metal roofers using wood strapping or battens will often say they use this old technique to control condensation by creating an air chamber to dry the inevitable drip or sweat from the metal shingle. This has proven to be an unreliable practice as the airflow is not adequate to dry the drip or sweat fast enough to prevent dampening and accumulation around the wood strapping. One need not be a construction expert to understand that wet wood rots. Ice in winter from condensation adds the element of expansion and contraction fatigue on the wood strapping resulting in premature rotting of the wood. If exposed fasteners are used on wood strapping this is also an intrusion waiting to happen once the neoprene rubber washers are compromised. With direct to deck install and hidden fasteners metal shingle condensation is a non-issue.
