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TOPIC: Roof Pitch

A 1/2 inch angled

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I have a flat roofed house with a 1/2 to 1" slope in Gotha Florida just west of Orlando. I'd like to change that to a little more slope as the angle isn't enough to roll the tree limbs & branch debris off; it is under two 70 foot oaks which have withstood even Hurricane Charley, thank goodness. In the near future I will be doing an addition on the back of the house but I need to replace my roof's outer barrier sometime soon. It was rebuilt in 2000 originally in a felt with gravel & some sort of sealer but I have 70 foot oak trees & when they ...divest themselves... during wind events...it can get a little interesting. I haven't seen any positive indicators of actual problems but feel that this winter, being my 3rd in the house; would be a good dry time to invest in a nice metal roof... I'm partial to greek or european tile like looks but at the moment you can't SEE my roof so I'm amenable to other suggestions although I desire a GREEN colored roof for my banana yellow cement house... One of the other things that I'm interested in doing is adding some pcv soft solar panels to the places on the roof of the house & the shed where sun actually spends some time; in order to create an off the grid in case of emergency electric supply for the well & the fans & perhaps for the freezers...we won't even mention the computer... I look forward to contact from someone who might be able to walk me through the steps of doing the work here. I'm not horribly flush but I'm interested in doing the right thing by my small snuggery. However, my address is IL Cuore del Mele- the herb farm 1929 Lake Pearl Drive Gotha, FL 34734 My phone number is 407-342-5801 & my fax number for information is 407-656-6334. If you want to know something about me & the house & my businesses that I run there; you can check out http://www.ladygray.com and http://www.theherbalcupboard.com EnergyWorks! magazine will be published again some time in October 2004. Thank goodness your association advertised in Southern Living; I was beginning to wonder how I'd find experts in my kind of housing. Thanks for being there...experts! Jacqueline G. Emrys
Guest User

8/14/2004
Jacqueline, Thanks for your very nice posting. Roof pitch is measured in terms of rise over run, in relation to 12. For example, a 2:12pitch roof rises 2' for every 12' it goes back horizontally. Most residential metal roofs require a 3:12 pitch. There are some vertical seam panels suitable down to a 2:12 pitch. Lower than that, you must use a vertical seam roof which is field seamed, meaning that the panels are seamed with a mechanical seamer or crimping tools after they are installed. To raise the pitch of your roof, I strongly suggest getting a structural engineer involved to do some analysis to make sure your home can handle the weight of framing, etc. The good news is that metal roofing is low weight. Some metal roof panels can be installed over purlins or battens but others will require a solid deck such as plywood. There are many metal roofs available in green and there are many metal roofs which resemble various types of tile. Most of those will require a 3:12 pitch. If you add pitch and create an attic of sorts, I strongly suggest doing what needs to be done to achieve soffit vents as intake and ridge vent as exhaust to help vetilation. This will help keep the attic cooler in summer. Also, there are some metal roofing manufacturers producing products with coatings on them which have reflective pigments for additional energy efficiency. On the following website, you can register and dowload a Homeowners Guide to Metal Roofing which I believe you will find to be helpful. www.classicroof.com Do not hesitate to ask more questions. Todd Miller Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

8/14/2004