Metal Roofing FAQ

A Metal roof could very well be the last roof you will ever put on your home, business, barn, and shed or hobby shop. Most manufacturers offer 40 year warranties on the finish of course the steel will last much longer. We have come across several steel roofs that have lasted over 100 years. Corrosion resistant substrates and long-life finishes ensure long-term performance, minimal maintenance and energy cost savings.

Other roofing materials have varying degrees of wear and weather-related problems that lead to breakdown and replacement. Metal roofing by far outlasts other materials by retaining its appearance and durability for a life time.

Roofing materials are offered in a wide range of quality levels which will affect the price. A good rule of thumb is that Steel will cost almost double the initial cost of Asphalt shingles. However, although initially, metal roofing may cost slightly more than some other roofing types upfront, the life cycle costs of metal roofing are substantially lower and most customers agree that the value it brings to their home far outweighs the difference in price. Traditional roofing materials have a limited life expectancy before the expense of repair and/or replacement is required. No matter what kind of metal roof you choose you should never have to worry about replacing it again. Most customers who choose a metal roof wish they did this after they had to replace the Asphalt Shingle roof much earlier than they anticipated.

Metal/Steel roofing reflects the majority of the sun's rays, so it doesn't retain as much heat as Wood, Asphalt shingles, Tile or Cement. This means a Metal roof could help your attic stay cooler longer. The bottom line is that you could lower your energy bills which are important especially if you live here in Ontario where the cost of energy has been increasing at an alarming rate. This will also help provide you a longer lifespan for your cooling equipment.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about Metal roofing. People tend to think of an old barn roof where the steel is visible to the interior of the structure and installed on an open frame. On a residence, the Metal is often installed over a solid substrate. The attic space, insulation and drywall ceilings further serve as additional sound barriers. Research has shown that Metal isn't any noisier than other traditional roofing products.

A Metal roof can withstand decades of abuse from extreme weather like high winds, heavy snow, hailstorms, and even wildfires.

The wind and uplift resistance of metal exceeds most building code requirements.

In areas with heavy snow, Metal roofing has been the choice of homeowners for years. It easily sheds snow, which protects the structural integrity of the roof and can eliminate ice damming at the eves, so water can't back up and collect under the roof causing a leak into your home.

While hail can cause serious damage to traditional roofing materials by breaking, splitting and causing tear-off damage, it cannot penetrate a Metal roof.

In areas prone to wildfires, Metal roofing can protect your home should burning embers land on your roof.

No. We get asked this question all the time. A Metal roof has no greater chance of being hit by lightning than any other type of roof. Lightning is attracted to the highest point, regardless of what that object is made of. A Metal roof can actually be beneficial in the event of a lightning strike due to it being a non-combustible material which helps with reducing your insurance rates.

Snow can slide more easily off Metal roofs, but this is simply handled by installing snow guards/stops which come in a variety of aesthetically pleasing colours and styles. They can easily be installed where necessary to help break up snow and guard against potential snow fall damage and sliding onto driveways or over doors, decks etc. The snow guards come in different styles but for most roofs the most common ones we install are shop formed ice guards which are made out of the same colour and material of your roof and manufactured in our sheet metal shop. As well, we find the clear snow gems also work well. For commercial properties we can provide other solutions such as engineered ice guards.

Not only is Metal roofing great for your building, it's great for the environment. From the production of the steel to the installation and reuse, a significant amount of recycled content is used with Metal that is far superior to asphalt. In addition, a metal roof can often be installed over your existing roof, helping to reduce the billions of pounds of shingle waste that fill our landfills each year.

If you are installing a Metal roof over an existing Asphalt roof, strapping should be applied on top of the Asphalt shingles. This will ensure your Metal roof is installed on a solid, level surface and reduce abrasions.

We are often asked if we can install Ribbed Steel or Steel Shingles over an existing Asphalt shingle roof. The answer is both Yes and No.

If your roof has a sound deck and there aren't multiple layers of old shingles on your roof and the architecture is such that we don't foresee potential ice damming than absolutely we can install Steel over your existing Asphalt Shingle roof. For Ribbed Steel or Standing Seam we generally strap the roof with 1' x 4" strapping solidly fastened over the shingles. For Steel shingles we cover your complete roof with a titanium underlay before installing the steel shingles.

If we suspect that you may have some deck problems or any potential for ice damming issues we would in this case recommend stripping the roof completely so we can make any necessary deck repairs as well as install Ice and water shield to protect against ice damming plus titanium underlay for the utmost protection.

Absolutely! We are open 12 months of the year and have completed several significant projects over the winter. In fact, this is what keeps us busy most of the winter along with roof snow removal and ice damming issues.

Even if there is snow on your roof and the weather is less than favourable we have loads of experience carefully removing the snow and installing steel panels or steel shingles. Call us to book an estimate.