I'm Getting A New Roof - Anyone Have American Building Components SL-16 Metal Roof

[BoylermanCT]

In May 2018, a severe thunderstorm rolled through NW Connecticut with tornadoes, high winds, hail and rain. At the time, I did not see any damage to my roof. At the advice of a family friend, I just had a roofer inspect my roof and he determined that I did have hail damage, and I should contact my insurance company. They sent out an inspector, and he agreed, and my insurance company approved $28K to remove and replace the shingles on my house, garage, barn and shed. Total roof is 65 squares. 30 on house, 24 on barn, 8 on garage and 3 on shed. Roofs on the house, barn and garage are all very simple open gable. No dormers and no valleys. Slope is shallow, I can easily walk on all of them. Shed is a gambrel roof. Insurance gave me $6K for tear off and $22K for materials and install.

I'd like to take the opportunity to do the re-roof right, and ideally get a roof that lasts 40 years or so. For the house, first choice is a dark green standing seam metal roof. I've been looking at ABC American Building Components SL-16 hidden fastener roofing. It has a 40 year paint warranty against cracking and peeling and 30 years on fading and chaulking. I like the hidden fasteners so there should be no opportunity for leaks. Has anyone had one installed or installed it themselves? I'd like your opinion.

For the garage, shed and barn, I was thinking of an exposed fastener metal roof like ABC's Imperial Rib. I actually have that on my 15x15 chicken coop roof, and wouldn't you know it, it was the only roof on my property to have no hail damage! It also has the 40 year / 30 year warranty. I would plan to do the roof on the barn, garage and shed myself.

If I can't afford to do metal, I would consider a high quality architectural multi layer laminated asphalt shingle. I know they claim 40-50 years on some of the newer shingles. Was looking at GAF Timberline HD.

Would be interested in anyone's advice and recommendations, and specifically any experience with ABC's metal roofs and Timberline HD shingles. Thanks!

Here are the 4 roof lines. Note, we will be removing the skylight on the house. The barn roof is sagging. It was built in around 1800, and many of the rafters are sagging. They are chestnut and much smaller in size than we would use today, about 2"x5", so I hope to install a ridge beam and replace the rafters with whatever 2x? is appropriate for the span.

 

[Tompet]

I'm working finishing a 30 x 46 barn now (8/12 with loft). I did go with the least expensive standing seam hidden fastener roof (16" Meridian) from McElroy metals. Like you, I didn't like idea of hundreds of holes in the roof. But on some barns, I probably wouldn't hesitate to use exposed fastener for budget consideration.

I hired a crew to put up posts, set trusses, deck roof, synthetic underlayment and roof panels to get it under cover December 2017. Pretty easy install of metal panels on a clean deck. Screw clip to deck every couple feet and snap next panel on seam. So not a true crimped standing seam, but pretty nice IMO and so far so good. A couple pieces left over I'll cut for small porch over double man doors.

Your plan sounds good if metal doesn't work out going to architectural shingles...easy to place. On my house I used certainteed hatteras oversized tab shingles. But if doing over, I would probably go with something along the lines you're thinking.


Btw, your house and salt box barn look nice!

 

[Turbys_1700]

I re-roofed my house about 20 years ago of so with 30 year architectural shingles. They have held up well. I know folks that have gone with the metal roofs and while they have a longer warranty they are much more expensive. Keep us update on your associated costs and project.

 

[BLSXJ]

do you have a plan to handle the snow coming off the roof of the house?

I'm in a similar situation ( 8 years in on a 20 year roof) and I'm considering a hidden fastener metal roof. on my shop I plan on a small gable over the man door, just to deal with sliding snow

 

[gsganzer]

I looked into a metal roof. One issue with your homeowners insurance that you might need to be aware of. They may make you sign a cosmetic damage waiver. This means if you get hail damage and the roof looks like it's been pounded with a ball peen hammer, they'll only replace it if it's functionally damaged (leaking). With a composite roof, if you see damage, it's typically also functionally damaged. With a metal roof, this isn't always the case. You'll also pay higher insurance costs, because of the higher replacement value.

Here in NE Texas, we have a decent risk of hailstorms, so a metal roof wasn't a good choice for me.

 

[KennyG]

I think your buildings would look good with metal roofs. ABC is a good company and their product is as good as any available metal roof. However, metal roofs are very dependent on the installer. I would do a little research to make sure you can get an experienced installer with good references.

 

[EddieWalker]

As a remodeling contractor, I deal with roofers and bad roof jobs all the time. After foundation repairmen, roofers are the most dishonest people in the industry. It's very hard to find one that doesn't take advantage of clients, or cuts corners to get the job done as fast as possible.

First, talk to at least five different roofers before hiring anybody. The bigger companies rely on super friendly sales people to get you to sign a contract. It's proven that most people sign with the person they like the best. Some times you need to talk to more then five. There are a lot of roofers out there, which means there are a lot of crooks out there.

If you go with metal, be sure to get the thickest metal that you can. There is some stuff out there that is as thin as a soda can, and there is some out there that will still be keeping out water 100 years from now. Be sure that all your bids are for the same thickness of metal. And then make sure that's what they are installing when they start the job!!!

When getting the bid, make sure that everything is removed down to the decking. Some will want to leave the old tar paper on and then cover over it. The decking has to be inspected and repaired where needed. Know what type of decking you have. Solid pine 1x6's and other sized is very common in older homes. It's always full of voids that need to be fixed. There is always some boards that have broken and need to be replaced. If it's plywood, make sure it can be used again. Plywood likes to blow out on the underside and a lot of the time, it's a one time use material. It needs to have another layer put over it if it's really bad, or the bad pieces need to be replaced. OSB can usually handle a second or third roof pretty easily since the nails only poke throw it and don't tear it apart like they do to plywood. It should still be inspected because if there was a leak anywhere, it's the worse at falling apart.

All of the flashing and vents need to be removed and replaced. A ridge vent is by far better then any other type of vent. The higher the vent is in the roof, the more air it moves and the dryer your attic will be.

If going with metal, be sure to double check with the manufacturer on what type of underlayment is allowed under the metal. There are options and the only way to get your warrantee is to use what they say has to be used. Do not rely on the installer to use the approved material. Same thing with shingles, but they are usually more easy going and just about any standard underlayment is fine with them.

If using shingles, make sure that the nails are at least an inch and a half. I personally use 1 3/4 inch nails. The nail has to go all the way though the decking to hold the shingle in place. It's the shaft of the nail that holds it in, and if they use short nails to save a buck, the shingles will fall off in a wind storm. Staples are even worse and will tear the shingles. Never, EVER allow staples to be used on shingles. Also be sure to look at the package to see how the nails are to be installed, and how many. Sadly, most install crews don't speak or read English and they are told to use as few nails as possible. It's a small thing, but these guys are crooks and if they can do the job with one less box of nails, they will.

Valleys, vents and chimney flashing are where most leaks start. Skylights should be thrown away and sealed up. They always leak, it's just a matter of when. Depending on what you use, be sure that a proper valley is installed before the shingles or metal are installed. Be sure to have this in writing on the bid!!!

The bid needs to have everything in writing. What they like to do is give you a price. Lets say it's $20,000 to do the job, but it doesn't actually say new flashing, new vents or 1 1/2 inch nails. Or anything else that I mentioned. They just give you a price and it's better then the other guys, and the salesman is super nice. Then when the crew shows up, they do what they want and you never know what you are getting. Five or ten years from now, the roof fails. They blame something else for the problems and you are stuck with a bad room that will need replacing again. Crooks are great at not fixing what they do wrong. Get every single step and material used in writing, and be sure to inspect everything that they do. I've been hired to inspect roofs as they are being installed because this is such a common issue. Even with me there, I've caught all sorts of issues that they tried to cover up.

Lastly, do not feel pressured to hire anybody right away. Time and research is your friend. Only commit when you are 100% sure that you have found the best company to do this.

 

[kcflhrc]

We have a Mansard Style roof, very steep pitch. My roofer I went with suggested Owens Corning for this type of roof because they have a reinforced nailing strip called Sure Nail Technology. We talked about metal but in the end he convinced me to go this route. Glad I did, it looks great.

 

[BoylermanCT]

do you have a plan to handle the snow coming off the roof of the house?

I'm in a similar situation ( 8 years in on a 20 year roof) and I'm considering a hidden fastener metal roof. on my shop I plan on a small gable over the man door, just to deal with sliding snow

I'm counting on the snow coming off! I have had to shovel my roof a few times in the past - that was a heart attack waiting to happen! I now use a Minnesnowta roof rake (works awesome, I highly recommend). I am looking forward to the snow coming off on its own! I may have to install the snow tabs on the panels right above the front door.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I looked into a metal roof. One issue with your homeowners insurance that you might need to be aware of. They may make you sign a cosmetic damage waiver. This means if you get hail damage and the roof looks like it's been pounded with a ball peen hammer, they'll only replace it if it's functionally damaged (leaking). With a composite roof, if you see damage, it's typically also functionally damaged. With a metal roof, this isn't always the case. You'll also pay higher insurance costs, because of the higher replacement value.

Here in NE Texas, we have a decent risk of hailstorms, so a metal roof wasn't a good choice for me.

I'll have to check with my insurance on paying more. I thought I would cost less since a metal roof is fireproof. So far they have been very good to deal with. Time from claim to check was 8 days.