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TOPIC: Leaking

Several Questions in One

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We are going to build a home in the future in Corpus Christi, Texas. I have a few questions about metal roofs. I had a roof contractor come to my existing home and in the process I asked him about metal roofs and his response was that he didn't bother to install them because they always leak. No exceptions. How true is this? Second, we are obviously in a hurricane area and are subject to hurricane wind regulations....how do metal roofs hold up to hurricane force winds? Third, what kind of warranties do they carry? (e.g. length, labor, maniufacturer defects, installation?) And lastly, are there spanish tile shaped and coloured metal tiles available? How much do they avergae in cost per square foot of roof? Thank you.
Guest User

12/2/2001
We are going to build a home in the future in Corpus Christi, Texas. I have a few questions about metal roofs. I had a roof contractor come to my existing home and in the process I asked him about metal roofs and his response was that he didn't bother to install them because they always leak. No exceptions. How true is this? Second, we are obviously in a hurricane area and are subject to hurricane wind regulations....how do metal roofs hold up to hurricane force winds? Third, what kind of warranties do they carry? (e.g. length, labor, maniufacturer defects, installation?) And lastly, are there spanish tile shaped and coloured metal tiles available? How much do they avergae in cost per square foot of roof? Thank you.
Guest User

12/2/2001
Metal roofing is extremely proven in terms of water resistance and wind resistance. As you have seen on the Metal Roofing Alliance website, there are many products available from which you can choose. There are barrel tile profile products available. Some of the MRA members producing tile profiles are ATAS International, Dura-Loc, Gerard, Metro, and Decra/Tasman. Many metal roofing products are approved for use in wind-prone Dade County. Additionally, in your own state of Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance has a program for approving roofs for coastal application. I suggest that you contact them or their website for a list of approved products. You will see that many of those products are metal. In order to not jeopardize your homeowners' insurance, you should look into choosing one of the TDI approved products. Good luck. All Best. Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

12/3/2001
What about the leaking issue? I also asked about warranties since no website seems to mention them. And the cost avg. per sq ft of roof on barrel spanish look tiles. Thanks for your help!
Guest User

12/4/2001
Metal roof systems are designed to be watertight. Proper installation, however, is essential to getting a roof that won't leak. Make sure that the contractor you choose is experienced with the type of roof you choose. Talk to past customers and look at jobs they've done. I can assure you that there are plenty of properly installed metal roofs performing wonderfully around Corpus. That said, there are variances in quality between different metal roof systems, just as there are with virtually any tpe of product. There are steel, aluminum, and copper roofs. There are roofs with exposed fasteners and roofs with concealed fasteners. Roofs with through-fasteners and roofs with clip fasteners. Roofs with Kynar/Hylar paint systems, roofs with other paint systems, roofs with reflective coatings, roofs with stone coatings, roofs with powder finishes, and mill finish roofs. Vertical seam roofs, shingle-look roofs, shake-look roofs, and tile-look roofs. You name it, it's probably available in metal. Feel free to contact any metal roofing manufacturer to discuss their products and what they have found is best for your climate. Warranties also vary. There are warranties up to the lifetime of the initial owner and transferable warranties up to 50 years. Again, the best thing you can do is contact individual manufacturers for more detailed information. As for price -- because the Metal Roofing Alliance is an association of competing manufacturers, our Antitrust Guidelines prevent me from discussing pricing in this forum. If you contact individual manufacturers, though, they'll be able to direct you to their dealers and distributors who can discuss pricing. Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

12/6/2001
Should steel roofing be flush with the facia or should it hang over the edge at least 1/2inch like a asphalt roof does. Thank you for your help.
Guest User

11/1/2002
It really depends upon the product you choose and the installation instructions given out by that particular manufacturer. Also, certain building codes do require an overhang. If you're in an area where you must pull a permit and have inspections, you need to check and see what they require as well. Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

11/4/2002
I live in the same general area as Shelly,(about 50 miles north and 30 miles inland) however I am not in side a city limits so do not have to deal with local codes. The roof on my house is a "nail over". I bought the house about 2 years ago and am planning to replace the asphalt /shake roof with a metal roof. The home was built in the late 1960's and structurally seems very sound. It is a hip-type roof with a 4:12 pitch and 30" overhang at the edges. I would like to take the roof off down to the basic structure and start from the framing out with foil sided OSB or plywood. (solid decking) I would like to ask several questions as I will be using several contractors. One for the carpenter work and one for the metal and trim. Questions are:1) With continuous ridge vents how far apart should the overhang vents be. I am using the 4"x16". The roof area is about 3400 sq. ft..(2 With 20"spacing on the 2x6 rafters will 7/16"decking be adequate? I intend to leave the lathes that the original wood shingles are nailed to intact. 3) The facia is undercut 45 degrees, how much overhang should there be. The choice of metal roof contractors in this area is limited and I need some expert opinion to be able to oversee this project.
Guest User

11/4/2002
1) the ventilation requirements are based on the heated floor space area of the house not the roof area. with equal soffit and ridge venting you take the heated flat area and divide by 150 then put half at the ridge and half at the soffit. Remember these are minimum areas. If you had 3000 sf of heated flat area then yoy need 20sf of vents, 10 each at the soffit and ridge. That equates to 30- 4"x16" soffit vents however add some extra. 2) I am a firm believer in proper ventilation and moisture barriers under the roof along with an air barrier on the inside. I am also a believer in standing the metal off on strapping whenever possible. I don't know what you expect to accomplish with the OSB. I would strap the system vertically over the rafters with 1x4 leaving the old wood furring in place. Then I would install a reinforced underlayment looped over the vertical strapping. Then strap the roof horizontally with whatever the chosen manufacturer recommends. Then I would vent the air space under the metal with vented eaves closure and the ridge with the attic. This will allow you to have darker colours of roof material with good emittance levels and elliminate heat transfer. As well it provides a cool roof roof and elliminates ice daming. 3) The roof overhand is dependant on profile chosen. The building codes call for a drip edge to be provided on all roof products. Our products for example have a drip edge built in. Flat sheets need a separate drip edge and the sheets are to be sealed to the drip edge. The additional overhang helps drip the water off. Normally 3/4" over the drip edge. Having an undercut fascia does not negate the need for a drip edge. Again I can't stress enough to choose a quality system and get the manufacturers details. If they don't have them that is a hint. When you choose a contractor interview him and get referances even if he has limited experience in this field. Check the referances and look for customer service and attention to detail. Then you will have a successful project.
Allan Reid
Dura-Loc Roofing Systems, Inc.

11/4/2002
In reference to your statement you do not know where I am going with the foil backed OSB for underlayment. The foil backed OSB(installed over the shingle laths) is to provide some measure of heat transfer protection for the attic. If I understand your recommendation for underlayment, it would be:3/4"vertical strapping over the laths,reinforced fabric of some sort, Horizontal strapping for stand off of the metal, and finally the metal. Is this correct? If it is, I will have 3/4"(laths),+3/4"vertical strapping,+underlayment fabric or paper,+3/4"horizontal stand off for the metal, then the metal. If this is the case, there would be 2 1/4"+distance from the rafters to the metal. Isn't this a bit much to expect uplift protection? I would think that fasteners which penetrate the basic framing (rafters) would go a long way toward wind protection.
Guest User

11/8/2002
First the foild directly under metal roofing will do litlle. Most of the reflectance is completed by then and as coated metal has emittance of over 85% there is little left. Next is if you put the foild down you are throwing heat back into the attic which you want to vent out. Overall I think you get little value from the expenditure. The vented air space will do substantially more to stop heat transfer. Next is that OSB is not rated for screw pull out, only plywood and screws need a minimum 1/2" for their uplift protection. As to the nails in the rafters there are basic engineering calculations on nail pull out in spruce/fir lumber that are recognized. Basically they are based on a minimum 1" penetration. In high wind areas we must have calculated the conections with nails to meet the code.
Allan Reid
Dura-Loc Roofing Systems, Inc.

11/8/2002
I am looking for a metal roofing product that looks like terra cotta tiles half pipe style
Guest User

7/31/2003
Please go to the "Metal Roofing Styles" page of this site and then click on "MetalTile" to be exposed to manufacturers of the product you're seeking. Thanks! Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

7/31/2003