Shingles vs. metal roof and other housing options

When we purchased our home in 2007, we were pressed for time and money so we installed a shingled roof. $4000 later, I truly wish I would have opted for a metal roof. Live and learn...

RVcook

At the current price of shingles Id go metal .
I am bidding on a 55 square building the owner wanted the price for shingles ,painted metal and Galv metal . the galv metal was $400 cheaper than the 30 year shingles while the painted was $400 more than the shingles.
all material including trim screws,ice blocks and flashings
3500 for galv
4300 for painted

I've worked with fiber cement siding a few times, it's no fun at all to handle. It is brittle, floppy, and dusty. All that goes away once it's up. It is stable, it won't warp, crack, or split. If installed too tight it might buckle when it expands and contracts. It takes paint beautifully, it won't blow off in a big wind, and it won't catch on fire ( as in your gas grill won't melt it )

All our buildings, old and new, have metal roofing.

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The best of men is only a man at best.

DH wants a metal roof, but I like the look of a shingled roof. Now that I read all of your posts I think that the metal roof is the best way to go. I didn't even think about the fire resistance as a benefit. We do live 10+ miles away from the fire dept and if there was a fire, chances are the house would be gone by the time they got here.

I am also trying to talk DH into solar power and did not think of the ease of installation . Good point.

Paul, I do like your idea for a berm home, but because we are close to the water table and there are no hills on the property it just would not be feasible. This is another reason why we are going to build on a slab.

Everyone has great suggests. I appreciate them all! Keep them coming!

When you install a wood stove pipe. Most folks end up using a triple-walled thimble which starts at $250. The reason is because there will be wood nearby, either a wooden roof, or wood braces, or wood trusses.

Our roof being steel has no wood. No wood trusses, no wooden bracing. The only wood is the wood grain paneling that I hung as a ceiling. but it does not make contact with the stove pipe.

So I was able to use a single-walled stove-pipe and single walled thimble. Our thimble and top piece cost me $40.

It is something to consider.

If you like re-roofing, high maintenance, leaks and paying over and over then definitely go with shingles.

If you're going to buy a conventional roof I would suggest metal. Properly done it will last a lifetime or more.

I built my own barrel vault roof made of high density fiber and steel reinforced concrete. I anticipate it will last several hundred to thousand years. I don't like doing maintenance.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

We just replaced the original 35 year old shingle roof on our home with - shingle. We never really had problems with the old roof, it held up well.

Tin Roof:


Steel Roof:

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I see a very dark cloud on America's horizon,
and that cloud is coming from Rome.
- Abraham Lincoln

We have a metal roof and love it. The roof is like a chalet type and the snow slides of easily. Of course you don't want to be standing there when the snow comes down as you might not be found until Spring.

RenieB

We've never had a maintainance problem with shingle roofs. My Parents have been in their house now for 44 years and we've re-roofed it twice, last time was a complete tear off. Yes, the tear off was a lot of work but the previous reshingling wasn't hard. I did it for a living for two years and it's not a big deal. We barely even looked at the roof in between reshingling and no repairs were needed.

That being said, I would probably go for a metal roof if I built a house. I just reroofed my house and had no money so I bought the shingles and put them on myself. I did consider metal but didn't have the money. I like the look of metal and the fire resistance and, even though I don't mind reroofing shingles, you can't argue with a 100 year lifespan of the roof.

If I'm still in this house in 20 years I will use metal.

were I to have unlimited funds to build a home the roof would be slate with all soldered copper flashings. short of a tornado or softball sized hail it would last a few hundred years.
metal or asphalt shingles will need replacing , it might be fifty years down the road if they were installed properly but they will need replaced.
a concealed fastener standing seam steel roof will out last an exposed fastener metal roof .
There no reason a properly installed shingle roof shouldnt last 30 years.
The reason most shingle roof fail is improper ventilation and installation.

The thing is often times people try to go as cheaply as possible when it comes to their roof . They fail to consider that the roof gets the worst of what nature can throw at the house , They also fail to realize that if the roof is bad there will be damage to the entire house .
Its real simple if a house has a solid foundation and good roof everything in between can be easily fixed . but if it has a bad foundation or roof its already in very bad shape .