Unfortunately, and all too often, our good old cheap asphalt roofs fails on us when we least expect it! And we used to think that, it could never happen to us… I have been in those shoes myself!

Let’s face it, a roof that is leaking is not a kind or problem that can be ignored. A leaky roof could cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home, and the sooner you take care of your roofing problem, the better off you will be. I know this is not the most exciting moment of your life, but you will have to make some decisions as to what roofing materials you will choose for your house. There are many different roofing options available, and I am going to suggest that asphalt roof is not the option you will want to pick, because they are becoming obsolete. Yes, I said obsolete!

Like it or not, but we live in the 21st century and it seems as though the good old cheap asphalt roof no longer cuts it. Unless, of course, you plan to sell your house in a few years and move out so that the new owner will get stock with the inferior roof. It is estimated that an average lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof is only 15 years. Add a few years in a temperate / good climate, and subtract a few years for Northern and extreme Southern climate such as Florida, Arizona, and Texas. This is not a very lucrative option to know that your roof is bound to fail and you will have to spend your money on re roofing your home all over again. So what is the solution you may ask…

In the last decade, there has been a quite sizable increase in the popularity of metal roofing installations, and I am not talking about the old barn style naked roof that makes the rain drops sound like a machine gun rattle. No, that is not the case, and in fact, modern metal roofing choices have become very sophisticated. They come in a variety of metal roofing colors from white snow to Vermont slate blue, and shapes that will blow your mind. For example, there are metal roofs that look just like wooden shake with unique texture and coloring. If you like the look of slate roofing, then you can get a metal roof that looks like slates.

Whatever your style and color preferences are, metal roofing seems to provide a solution to satisfy those unique needs and desires, from red Spanish tile – stone coated steel roof, to  aluminum shakes reminiscent of traditional Cedar Shakes. But, here is the best part, unlike asphalt roofing that is bound to fail soon, quality metal roofing installations are known to last as long as 100 years. As for the material manufacturer warranty, many modern metal roofing products come with up to 50 years non-prorated warranty.

And by the way, metal roofing can save as much as 25% on the air-conditioning costs. If you choose a white colored, sun reflective metal roof, than your energy savings could be as high as 50%. And did I mention, there is also a 2010 $1500 tax credit available from the government if buy a metal roof.

Finally, as far as cost goes; metal roofing prices, may initially seem as high vs asphalt shingle roofing, but if you stay in your house long enough it will more than pay for itself. Best of luck with your roofing project.

Original Metal Roofing Articles source:

21st Century Roofing Technology

Fuel hungry cars, airplanes, and manufacturing plants are not the only CO 2 / carbon footprint contributors. Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings are also contributing a great deal to overall carbon footprint. Poorly insulated buildings consume vast amounts of energy, natural resources, and contribute to greenhouse gases affect. One of the ways to combat environmental degradation associated with poorly constructed buildings, is to use green building technology in retrofitting of existing buildings and constructing new buildings using green building practices.

Green building practices encourage environmental responsibility through the use of sustainable building materials in residential and commercial retrofit and new construction projects. The roof structure of the building is not an exception when it comes to in green building design. In fact, roof constructed according to green building practices can earn green building credits with the U.S. green building council based in Washington, DC.

Whole Foods Market place, one of the U.S. top organic food retailers has embraced green building technology by building a state of the art store made of aluminum and green building materials. The roof design incorporates vegetated roofing technology by using easy to integrate green roofing containers containing local vegetation. Green roofing design provides energy savings, insulation, and combats urban heat island affect.

In order for a roofing system to qualify for green building credits it must meet solar reflectivity index of a minimum of 78 percents for flat roofs and 29 percents for sloped roofs. Solar reflectivity index is assigned by cool-roof rating council. SRI incorporates solar reflectivity and thermal emissivity.

Metal roofs provide a wide variety of sustainable roofing options including standing-seam roofs made with long lasting and environmentally friendly metals such as aluminum, zinc, steel and copper. Metal roofs contain up to 50% post consumer content and are fully recyclable. Painted metal roofing panels are coated with solar reflective paint finishes that help keep the roof cooler in warm seasons.

The use of metal in a residential, commercial and industrial roofing aides in reducing building’s carbon footprint, and provides long lasting and reliable roofing solution that is also U.S green building council accredited.

In a typical residential re-roofing situation, the cool-roof rated galvanized steel metal roofing system can offer longevity, durability, energy savings, and earn green building credits for existing buildings and new construction. Modern steel shingle metal roofing systems are available in wide variety of cool-roof rated metal roofing colors that literally reflect solar radiant heat, reduce air conditioning load and provide energy savings.

For homeowners whose roof is covered with a flat roof, installing PVC based cool flat roof membrane similar to IB roofs in performance will provide significant energy savings, reliability, and long lasting roofing solution. Yes, PVC and green combination may seem counter intuitive, but PVC roofs can last three times longer than EPDM Rubber roofs and can be recycled when the roof has served its purpose. Certain PVC roofing systems are designed to withstand standing / ponds of water, which means that they can be used for vegetated green roofing systems.

No matter what type of metal / cool roofing system you choose, be sure to pay special attention to longevity and Cool Roof ratings of the roofing system in question.

References:

Metal Roofing Materials

Green Roofing

Metal roofing and green building