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Buying a house w/Metal Roof- what to look for

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Guest User
7/10/2009
We are in the process of buying an old home with a >6 yr old metal roof. While in the attic (which you can walk in) we saw that the metal roof was put directly on the rafters- there is no underlayment or insulation (well they tried in parts, but its falling down). Is this normal? What questions should be ask about this roof before buying the house? I'm a bit concerned about the installation because, you can see sky and trees through cracks (?)(not referring to the venting at the top). My husband, thinks it's because they didn't use some sort of pieces inbetween the sheets when installing? (We obviously have no clue.) What should we look for when seeing if the roof was installed properly? Also, we are very interested in making place as efficient as possible. So our plan is to seal any gaps, fix the flashing, add insulation in the attic floor, and add gable mounted solar powered attic fans. Do you have any other recommendations? Should we insulate between the rafters under the metal roof? Unfortunately the CAC unit is here, so we need to keep the space as ambient as possible. Thank you!
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.
7/10/2009
As far as the installation itself, there is really too much to look for and too much you need to know for me to try to walk you through an inspection. If you wish, email me pictures of the roof or you may wnat to find an experienced metal person to take a look at it. My email is [email protected] As far as the job being installed on spaced sheathing of some sort rather than decking and underlayment, that is acceptable with many styles of metal roofing. However, it heightens the need for good ventilation in the attic to make sure that moisture does not accumulate there and condense on the cool underside of the metal. I hope this helps.
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