Metal Roof Question

[gbw]

Our home has a standing seem type metal (painted steel) roof approx. 16 years old. It seems to be in good condition except some of the screw are backing out. It's a steep pitch (12/12 or so), so it's beyond my ability to repair.

Local roofing company, who are supposed to be reputable, say it should be 're-screwed', which means replacing the old screws with new.

Cost $2000, this is a 3300sf, 2 story, 3 dormer home, sort of a T shape Creole style if that helps.

I know nothing about metal roofing and need help.

Is re-screwing a common maintnenance need on steel roofs?

Is the price reasonable?

Thanks to everyone. I don't post much but read the forums religously.

 

[horsinaround]

Our home has a standing seem type metal (painted steel) roof approx. 16 years old. It seems to be in good condition except some of the screw are backing out. It's a steep pitch (12/12 or so), so it's beyond my ability to repair.

Local roofing company, who are supposed to be reputable, say it should be 're-screwed', which means replacing the old screws with new.

Cost $2000, this is a 3300sf, 2 story, 3 dormer home, sort of a T shape Creole style if that helps.

I know nothing about metal roofing and need help.

Is re-screwing a common maintnenance need on steel roofs?

Is the price reasonable?

Thanks to everyone. I don't post much but read the forums religously.

Does the roof have exposed screws? Any standing seam roof I have seen does not have any exposed screws. How do you know the screws are backing out?
At first glance, if they have to remove every sheet of metal, re screw it and put it back on... $2000, doesn't sound too bad.
Make sure that you are clear on who supplies material. If they damage a piece removing it, are you buying more, or are they? Also, if they have to put new sheets on, beware that they will not match what you have, as the color is likely no longer available, and is certainly not faded to match.

 

[ohio farmer04]

get amish

 

[westbrooklawn]

A neighbor was having metal roofing installed on their house, and I stopped by to talk to the contractor about scrap pieces (ended up getting 3 free pieces about 6'x3' which i used for a treestand!). Anyway, we talked some about the metal roofing "craze", and he mentioned that the only maintenance issue was that the manufacturer recommended replacing all the screws at some interval... 10 yrs. if memory serves me right. That surprised me... I didn't get clarification, but I would imagine you would use the same holes in the metal, but probably with a larger guage screw? It seems like using the same size screw would cause pull outs. Again, just speculation on my part. Oh, he also mentioned that he had never done the "re-screw" process, and he had several roofs that had been installed way over 10 years with no problem.

 

[MotorSeven]

They can back out depending on many factors. Type of purlins, length of screw, type of scew/gasket, ect). My metal guy recommended the 1.5" screws over the 3/4 because he had seen the shorter one's back out on a couple of jobs. Expansion and contraction of the steel unscrews them very slowly over the years.
I would go ahead and replace all the screws & think about using a different type and maybe longer ones. $2K is way too much to replace screws, shop around as it's all labor.

 

[gbw]

Thanks to everyone!

Maybe I used the wrong name. The panels are painted steel about 3' wide and run from the ridgeline to the eves, with raised ridges spaced 1' or so apart. The screws are exposed, and I can see that many of them have backed out somewhat, i.e. there is no compression on the gaskets.

No deck under the roof, it is screwed to the purlins, it is ~17 years old, withstood Hurricane Katrina and a couple of others without damage so overall I have to be quite happy with it.

This is in the deep south and the roof gets very hot and cold, so it seems possible that backing out would occur over the years.

Price seemed high to me too but getting anyone who knows what they're about is becoming prohibitively costly any more. I will keep looking around. Also the comment to be sure to use larger and longer screws makes perfect sense.

If anyone has any other information or tips I'll sure be glad to hear them.

 

[yelbike]

I'm not one that likes to over pay for things. But if your sure this guy is reputable and trust worthy go with him. Pay a little more and it will be done right no issues. If his needs to come back for warranty he'll be able to afford it. He's likely not trying to retire on your job, just charging you what he thinks its going to cost him.
In the grand scheme of things, imagine the cost if your roof failed.

 

[SSdoxie]

I don't think the contractor is that far off. If he is offering a decent warranty on his work. Based 2 roofing jobs I've done for myself the cost of new screws will be about $500 for rood that size. With that steep pitch there is no way to stand on it without saftey tethering so that means for each man running a screw gun there another maning the tether rope, twice the man power.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sounds like a reasonable price for that size and pitch of a roof. What is more important is if the contractor has a good reputation of coming back if there is a problem. With that many screws, odds are really good that they will havea couple fail on them. Especially screwing into unknown wood. The condition of the perlins is what will decide if the screws hold or not. It doesn't take too many years of leaking water to ruine the wood that you are relying on to attach the screws.

Wider, longer screws will cost a few hundred bucks. Labor is probably going to be pretty close to that price. The warrantee will be priceless.

I always tell my clients to talk to at least five contractors. NEVER hire anybody on the spot, and always talk to everyone on your list, no matter how much you like the first guy. A really good salesman does not mean he is a good businessman or contractor!!!!!!

Angies List is a decent source for finding contractors. The metal supplier has a list of guys they recomend. Driving around and talking to people with metal roofs is also a good source to find somebody. NEVER hire a friend, relative or some combination of that to do the job without doing your research into their other jobs. NEVER accept a story of why they are not busy as being the truth. The good contractors are busy!!!!!!

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[clemsonfor]

This is what the guy who put my shigle roof on did not like doing metal. He knew that at some point he was going to have to come back for leaks due to screw backing out or gaskets failing. Yea the metal may last your lifetime but that little rubber grommit under the screw wont last that long when it gets 150F in the summer and the Uv light hitting the edges.