Metal Roofs
Metal roofs, while not a particularly wide-spread choice among home owners, for the standard standing seam roof can prove to be a valuable and cost effective investment. The standing metal seam roof is simple in beauty and has a wide variety of colors. It is a gorgeous roof and one the consider if money isn’t an issue. One of the reasons why people are deterred from getting metal home roofs is the price, as metal home roofs tend to be about three times the cost of standard asphalt-shingle roofs. This extreme price difference can be attributed not only to the fact that metal roofing materials are more expensive than asphalt-shingle roofing materials, but also because the installation process of a metal roof is far more technical and requires more time and more high- skilled laborers. In this post we’ll dive a little bit deeper into the reasons why a metal roof may or may not be the best choice for your home.
Life expectancy and durability of metal roofs
We briefly touched on some of the draw-backs of metal roofs, including the fact that they are far more expensive than standard asphalt shingle roofs, and due to the technical nature of the installation process they also tend to take far more time to install than the standard asphalt shingle roof. However, one of the reasons that many home owners decide that installing a metal home roof is the correct decision for them, has to to do with the life expectancy of metal roofs compared to asphalt roofs. Metal roofs typically last two to three times longer than asphalt shingle roofs, the average life-span being anywhere from 40 to 60 years. Compare that to the average life-span of an asphalt shingle roof which ranges from 12 to 20 years. Going hand-in-hand with the long life-span of metal roofs is another advantage that is gained from that same durability; less frequent repairs. In fact, most high quality metal roofs almost never are in need of maintenance. These reasons are why many homeowners who plan to be in their home for many, many years decide that a metal roof is that best option for them.
Insurance Cosmetic Clause for Metal Roofs
I think many of the metal roofs that are available today for residential properties are simply beautiful. The biggest downfall for a Colorado resident to a metal roof is what happens after a hailstorm? The recent trend in the insurance industry is to not pay for cosmetic damage to a metal roof. Now, if you have the money and you can take a financial hit from a hailstorm and your able to pay for a new roof out of pocket, skip this part. Most people in Colorado will factor this truth into their grid for considering whether or not a metal roof is worth it. Most roofing companies in Colorado Springs have witnessed the shock when a homeowner gets a report from the insurance adjuster that the roof will not be replaced after a hailstorm. The cosmetic clause in an insurance policy will not pay for aesthetic damage to the metal roof system. What this means is a metal roof can appear as though someone beat the entire surface with a baseball bat and the insurer would technically not owe to replace the roof. Another way to describe this is by taking an opposite approach. The insurance adjuster assigned to a hail damage claim will look for functional damage to the metal panels or metal shingles. This is understandably just because the language the insurance policy clearly states that they will only owe for functional damage. Here’s the catch, it’s unlikely that most metal roofs that go through a hailstorm in Colorado Springs will be damaged. The reason is functional damage to a metal roof must be such that it diminishes the roof systems ability to shed water or it significantly decreases the life expectancy of the roof system. Neither one of these will occur from an average hailstorm. In order for the roof to an experience potential leaks the hail stone would have to punch through the surface of the metal. The other potential is that the hail stone would cut, tear, puncture or rupture the metal roof system. On metal roofs the seams could be functionally damaged from a hail stone that is around the size of a baseball. So, there you have it! Take this information into consideration before purchasing a new metal roof on your home. The brown metal roof to the left is an example of cosmetic damage. This roof wouldn’t qualify for roof replacement because of the cosmetic clause.
Aesthetic variety
Metal roofing materials come in a variety of shapes, colors, and styles, which makes them an attractive option for home owners seeking a unique look for their roof. Metal roofing panels are available in steel, copper, aluminum, zinc or terne metal, and all of those materials can actually be press-formed or pre-painted to appear similar to slate, tile, wood shake, or conventional shingles. This variety of appearance is extremely attractive to many home owners, as they are able to achieve the look that they want, and at the same time reap all of the practical benefits that go along with metal roofing. There are several roofing companies in Colorado Springs that are willing and able to install a designer product that is named Decra. Integrity Roofing and Painting will occasional install this product. Debra is another one of the metal products that looks exceptional stylish, however the insurance companies typically have a cosmetic clause on their policies.
Over the past few years we’ve installed several metal roofs and they turned out gorgeous. I personally appreciate the appearance and variety of metal roof products on the market today. If the insurance companies took a different approach in writing insurance coverage on metal roofs we would install many more of these roof systems. As it is the insurance companies will not reverse their decisions, therefore we will personally recommend to our clients to consider allowing us to install a class 4 hail impact resistant shingle on their home. One of the things that we’ve been doing for our clients that our set on metal roofs is to mix some metal products with asphalt which makes for a striking roof.
At Integrity Roofing and Painting we offer a variety of roof options. We are one of the roofing companies in Colorado Springs that occasionally installs metal roofs. Contact Integrity Roofing and Painting, we make roof replacements easy!