Roofing

Reply to: Madgirl, based on what you have expressed so far I think I have a direction for you to consider. I am a building contractor in central NJ and am looking to doing a metal roof on my own home renovation project. First off the color thing. I like the look you have described as well, the lead coated copper look. Although the lead aspect is undesireable due to the lead you can get the copper coated with zinc. It is a bit shinny at first but it does dull to the soft grey in time. This wood look proper for your home with the natural cedar shakes. There is also a stainless panel that has the look of the leaded copper and is very workable. If you have roof penetrations such as dormers, chimney's or connections to different pitches or other intricacies the copper product provides a worry free roof due to the ability to solder connections of different panels. All your edges will be able to made to accommodate there specifc purpose. I would think that you would most likely use a standing seam profile. This is something to consider as well when it comes to a prefinished factory ordered panel as the standard widths may create some odd panel interactions with any roof penetrations. As far as the gutter ... I can't tell from the pic you posted but if you are in heavy trees consider a "yankee" style gutter. This is usually comprised of standing a 2x4 on edge on the roof. This is covered with the roofing metal and becomes part of the roof. This should be placed above the line of the exterior wall line of the building to prevent the build up of ice on a snow covered roof. A penetration or drain would go thru the roof to a downspout ...this is a place where nothing is workable like copper due to the soldering. The ends are often shallower to allow the rain to overflow the gutter in the event it is clogged from debris or ice. A scupper can even be worked in to push the drip off of the gable sidewall of the building.The "yankee" acts more like a diverter to direct the water to the downspout rather collect the water. Seeing as I have mentioned ice .... keep in mind that sliding snow and ice cause's tremendous damage to lower sections of your home and your lanscape. The "yankee" gutter provides a solid stop for the sliding snow. Many older homes have or have had until renovated this type of gutter system. If you opt for a built in gutter keep in mind this is a gutter and will hold water when it backs up. We often line this type of gutter with an EDPM rubber for the length of the gutter and use copper edges to finish the detail. A special bonding agent is used for this purpose. The EDPM can be run up the roof several feet to protect against any ice damming that may occur. You will need to install snow guards on your roof to manage the snow otherwise you will be replacing the gutters or risk damaging the built-in gutter system. THE SNOW WILL SLIDE. If you decide to use a hanging gutter consider having them set so the outer edge is below the plane of the roof so when the snow does slide it slides above the gutter. Another option to consider in a totally different direction is simulated slate. This would also look great on your home and would be be about 10%-15% less than a zinc coated or copper roof. Good luck with your project!

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Reply to: Thanks for all the input thus far. Here's a bit more detail on the project. My primary motivation for metal is longevity as well as a greener option than asphalt. The house is less than 30 years old and it's already the second roof, and the second one just looks awful, so a complete tear down is required. Also, there is rotting, unfortunately, in some of the fascia boards and soffit, so we aren't certain yet about the underlayment. Finally, yes, gutters will also be part of this project. Take note that I won't be putting K style gutters back up. I don't like them. I'd like the gutters to disappear as the original vision didn't actually have gutters. Maybe a box style gutter would be an option. Interesting comments on the silver and light gray roof. I'm attracted to the galvanized raw silver roof (although I'm staying away from that due to the rust factor). Although my personal preference in color is the historic color of zinc/lead coated copper in a dull matte dark gray.

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Reply to: certainteed has a line called "luxury" that has several shake look alikes to choose from. i think they look great. a little description from their website: "Presidential Shake TL Shingles - Color: Weathered Wood The luxury shingles with the look of cedar shakes and the performace of one of the finest composition roofing solutions in the industry. Presidential Shake TL gives your home the distinct look of a hand-split wood shake roof with the durability and performance that leaves wood in the sawdust. You get sculpted edges, staggered lines, and triple layer depth, for an amazing ground level effect that will last and last." heres the link: http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing/residential/luxury

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Reply to: Hi Christine, We live in the North Shore, IL area and we decided to renovate our house last year and went with a synthetic cedar shake. We liked the synthetic because it was actually easier on our budget and it still provides all the benefits of the real cedar shake. We loved the color and the our install was pretty quick. I am not sure what other brands are out there but we decided to go with a local company out by us. Good luck on your search! Here is a link that might be useful: A link to Synthetic Slate and Shake Images and Info

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