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Choose Metal Roofs

June 24, 2004 -- Patrick McCombe last year built a second story for his home in Stowe, Vt., and covered the add-on with a new metal roof.

"I used to be a builder," says Mr. McCombe, "so I did this myself. It was a simple, screw-down panel and has a real, rural character, fitting with our area."

Metal roofs -- made from steel, aluminum and copper -- offer a number of benefits. They're more fire-resistant than cedar shakes or cedar shingles, more wind-resistant than asphalt shingles, and more earthquake-resistant than tiles. And because they come in a variety of colors, patterns and textures -- resembling red brick tiles for example -- they can be selected to fit with most any part of the country.

"These roofs do not look like the tin roof on a barn," says Richard Warren, general manager of sales for Gerard Roofing Technologies, Inc., a division of Metals USA Inc., a company that serves the building industry, based in Brea, Calif. "We've come a long way from the original, agricultural uses of metal roofs in this country."

Indeed, sales figures from the National Association of Home Builders indicate that demand for metal roofs has increased in recent years. The NAHB's builder practices roofing report indicated that more than 3.4 million square feet of new roofing in California was made of steel in 2001, and that was expected to grow to nearly 3.8 million square feet this year.

"Demand for metal roofs varies by region, but is very strong across the whole U.S.," says Mr. McCombe, who is an editor of the Journal of Light Construction, a trade magazine.

California appears to be leading the trend for a number of reasons. The most popular by far is their ability to withstand such disasters as fires, earthquakes and hailstorms. That has induced many insurance companies to offer homeowners who install a metal roof a 34% discount on their premiums, says Mr. Warren.

"I've been incredibly thankful for that decision to put a steel roof on our home," says Bob Sorenson, a San Diego-area resident whose home was spared from destruction during the recent California wildfires near Scripps Ranch. "We returned to our neighborhood, after the evacuation, and found that our house was still there. Our neighbors and friends were not so lucky."

Electricity-bill savings are another factor pushing the trend. The material stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than other materials. In California, with governmental encouragement through the "Cool Savings with Cool Roofs Program," utilities recently had offered rebates to customers whose homes had metal roofs.

The typical homeowner saves 20% (about $128) per year on heating and cooling the homes with metal roofs, or, according to the California Energy Commission. Together, California residents who installed a metal roof as part of the cool-roof program reduced electricity demand by 19.5 million megawatts, the commission says.

"A lot depends on the climate and weather conditions, but, very often, it turns out that metal roofing can be a good solution," says John Newcomb, vice president of Emcor Energy and Technologies, a construction-consulting company in San Francisco. "Metal roofing has good reflectivity, even darker-colored metal roofs, which can have 50% reflectivity."

In addition to reflecting the sunlight, metal-roof designs are sloped, and vented, allowing air to move between the shingles and the underlying decking. This allows heated air to dissipate through a ridgeline, while cooler air is drawn through eave vents. The roofs are long-lasting too, which also reduces the costs of ownership. "You can easily expect one of these roofs to last for 30 years," says Mr. McCombe.

By contrast, most shingle roofs must be replaced every 10 to 20 years, he says.

On the other hand, the initial cost of installing a metal roof is about two times that of asphalt shingles -- about $70 per square foot in Mr. McCombe's experience. But the cost is less than that of a new slate roof, and much less than that of a tile roof.

Stone-coated steel roofing was developed during World War II, but not commercialized until recent years. Copper roofs have been popular in Europe for centuries, covering cathedrals and extravagant homes like Buckingham Palace in London. Metal roofs are about 50% lighter than an asphalt shingle roof and 75% lighter than concrete, fiber-cement and slate. The lighter weight means less stress on the building frame.

There are other benefits, including helping prevent rust and mold. "The area where moisture from rain enters a home is the roof," says Charles Perry, a member of the mold task force at the Mortgage Bankers Association based in Washington, D.C. "The maintenance issues with metal roofs are greatly curtailed -- there's less of an opportunity for leaks into the house and less of a chance for mold to form."

Some metal makers are working with the health-care-products industry to coat metal roofing with an antibacterial film that prevents mold from forming at all, says Alan McCoy, vice president of government and public relations at AK Steel, located in Middletown, Ohio.

"The lower maintenance the house, the less we have to clean," says Madeleine Landry, who, with her husband, Ed, last year built a custom home with a steel roof in Simi Valley, Calif. "And the less we have to clean, the fewer chemicals that will be present in our home."

Then there are the environmental advantages. According to the NAHB, more than 20 billion pounds of asphalt shingles are dumped into American landfills each year. Metal roofs are often made of recycled metals and can even be installed over current asphalt roofs without tearing off the current structure.

-- Mr. Koprowski is a journalist in Chicago.

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