There are 3 basic parts to a successful roofing installation:

1. Hire a Reputable Roofing Contractor

Getting a professional and experienced roofing contractor is absolutely crucial in ensuring a proper roof installation, which will minimize a chance of having any major problems with your roof in the future. A good roofing installation is just as important to the long-term safety of your home as the quality of roofing materials you/your contractor decide to purchase/use. Do not try to cut costs on the installation by hiring roofing contractors who are scrambling for work, and try to lure you in with promises of great savings. Professional roofing contractors charge money both for excellent materials they use in the installation, as well as for the superior quality of their labor. By trying too hard to save money on your new roof installation costs you are putting yourself at risk for having roofing problems in the future, and having to spend extra money on repairs.

2. Choose the very Best Roofing Materials

It is no doubt that purchasing a new roof is a huge financial burden, but in choosing your roofing system, you need to consider not only the immediate cost, but also what your new roof will be able to do for you in 20 years down the line. Often, homeowners opt for cheap erroofing materials only to learn through having a negative experience that a cheap roof often fails to provide adequate protection, and is in constant need of ongoing maintenance and repairs, costing a lot more money than it was initially anticipated. On the other hand, a high quality roof that is built to last a lifetime will not only provide you with superior, hassle free protection, but will also increase the curb appeal, and value of your home retain much of the value even as time goes by.

3. Obtain an integrated roofing system with a comprehensive warranty backed by a Reputable Roofing manufacturer

Professionals in the roofing industry know that the best roof is an integrated system, in which all the parts have been designed to work together. Think of this analogy: you would never buy a car that used parts from different manufacturers, realizing that it would not be safe. It is actually the same with a roof. If you do not have an integrated system and your roof fails, you have many hassles with different warranties from different manufacturers, and run the risk of each one saying that it was another party’s product that was defective.

How do I choose Right Roofing Materials for my Home?

Install 3 to 6 feet of Ice and Water at the Eaves and in the Valleys of your Roof, if you are in a Norther Area

A reputable certified roofing contractor will not try to cut any corners during the installation, and will do whatever it takes to protect the most vulnerable areas of your roof that are prone to cracking and leaking such as your roof valleys, eaves, end-walls, skylights and chimneys, etc. If you live in a northern region, a caring roofer will apply a specialty roofing product called ice and water, a special waterproof barrier, which is required by building code in Northern parts of the country. It flexes to adapt to the surface and shape of your roof as it gets installed. If a nail or a fastener penetrates it, it self-heals itself around the nail so that it will not leak. This layer of protection gets installed underneath the visible roofing material, so if you are not aware of the importance of having the ice and water system applied directly to the roof deck before a new roof system is installed. Tip: Beware of an uncaring and dishonest roofing contractor who may well try to save some time and money by skipping this step, altogether!

Apply High Quality Roof Underlayment to you Roof Deck

This is another important part of the integrated roofing system that you do not see, which makes it rather easy for unscrupulous roofers to use cheap materials such as tar paper, or roof felt. However, this is a really important layer of protection, and you want to make sure your contractor uses superior roofing underlayment type. One material to consider is a synthetic underlayment manufactured by GAF, and sold under the brand name “deck-armor”. It is a premium breathable synthetic roofing underlayment that allows moisture to escape while providing the very best protection against wind driven rain. This type of underlayment will not tear like ordinary tar paper, thereby providing you with longer lasting and more reliable extra protection for your roof.

Importance of having Starter Strips AKA Drip Edges & Gable Flashing

The very first row of shingles on your roof plays an important role in ensuring that your roof can resist strong winds. Installing starter strips before you install that first row of shingles will help to lock them in place, and will improve the wind resistance of your roof, providing you with a better protection against strong winds. The actual degree of a particual roofing system wind uplift resistance is specified by the manufacturer of a particular system.

Roofing Shingles

There are a wide variety of roofing shingle options. Today, in addition to the basic 3-tab roofing shingles, you have various styles, colors and textures of architectural designer shingles to choose from. They are the most popular, and the fastest growing type of roofing shingle in the industry. Real estate brokers say that up to 40% of the curb appeal of your home is created by your roof. This is why installing architectural lifetime shingles may be a wise long-term investment, as they will increase the value of your home, and will serve you well while you are living there. However, keep in mind that asphalt shingles roofing can never truly last forever. If you are seeking a permanent roofing solution for your home, consider installing metal roofing as a lifetime alternative to asphalt shingles.

Ensuring a Proper Attic Ventilation and Insulation

Attic ventilation is one part of the integrated roofing system where most homeowners, and even roofing contractors make mistakes. A whooping 90% of homes in the US do not have adequate attic ventilation. If your attic space gets overheated in the summer, it can actually fry your shingles, and this occurrence is not covered by any asphalt shingle warranties. In the winter, if hot air from the inside gets trapped in the cold attic, it can soak your insulation and reduce its effectiveness by as much as 50%. Even just 2% moisture drops the insulating value by about 1/3. Moisture can even work its way into the walls, so that paint and wall paper will not properly stick, and will need to be replaced much sooner. In worst cases, moisture condensation can cause extensive structural damage. If your home happens to have adequate soffit vents (air intake vents) in place, then by installing a ridge vent you allow the cold fresh air to circulate inside the attic, while the hot air comes out. You also need to make sure that you cover up the ridge vent. It is recommended to use protective hip and ridge cap shingles. Its better to invest in a proper roof ventilation from the beginning, rather than deal with very expensive maintenance problems when they arise.

Further, you need to make sure that your attic space is properly insulated and sealed in order to minimize air leaks, and any unnecessary energy expenditures. Make sure that your attic insulation meets the local building code requirements.

The company is specializing in the supply and installation if steel shingles roofing systems for residencies and light commercial properties. Metal roofs provide a durable and practical solution to protect homes from heavy snow fall that is very common in the upstate New York.

Below, you can view a close up picture showing our Steel Shingles Roofing System Profile that we can install for you.

For more information on the installation of a new metal roofing system anywhere in the New York state, fill out our easy roofing estimate form, and receive a prompt response.

A very common location for leakage to start on an older roof is in a roof valley. Roof valleys are likely places for leaks because of structural issues, inadequate construction, out-of-date roofing methods and material deterioration. Correcting the underlying causes of roof-valley leakage prevents secondary damage to the interior of a home and may postpone a complete re-roofing job, protecting your investment and saving a significant amount of money as well.

Aging shingles in roof valley areas create fissures and cracks that permit moisture to pass through. Intact shingles create a water barrier in a new or a well-maintained older roof. Exposure to sun, wind, rain and snow gradually cause shingles to dry out, shrink and break apart. Eventually pieces of roofing shingles may actually blow or be washed off the roof. When this happens, the underlying roofing materials are exposed and leakage is a very real possibility and problem.

Improperly placed roofing nails during roof valley seam installations can accelerate the shingle aging process. When roofing nails are placed within the seam areas of the roof valley they can draw moisture through. Tension also is created in shingles when they are nailed too close to the roof valleys and this stress results in premature wear and cracking, causing speedy aging of and failure of the shingles. Roofing nails instead should be a minimum of six to ten inches away from the seam to reduce the pressure on the roofing materials.

High winds sometimes blow shingles away from the roof valley particularly if the edges of the shingles are not nailed in place because of shingle strain, described above. Cut roof valleys also can easily be dislodged because of rain and wind. Damage to the roof and interior can by minimized or eliminated if a homeowner replaces the affected materials quickly.

Roof valleys collect dirt, leaves, tree branches and limbs, snow and ice. The natural downward flow of water is interrupted when these foreign objects pile up, and water will pool and become trapped, ultimately seeping through. To avoid this buildup, inspect your roof a minimum of two times per year. Removal of debris collecting in the valleys and gutters will allow water to quickly drain way, and protect shingles and flashing.

Sometimes an older home’s roof is more prone to leaking in the roof valleys because of old repairs. The sealants and roof pitch used can crack and chip away over time. If your roof valley leak is an old repair gone bad, consider having a professional repair the leak properly. Some shingles and flashing may need to be removed and replaced, but the roof can usually be saved with a good-quality repair.

Proper modern roofing techniques underlay the roof valleys with added felt roofing paper, which helps shield the home from water damage in situations where the shingles aren’t doing their job. Professional roofing techniques also include methods to install flashing in a way that helps direct water into gutters instead of standing in the roof valleys. All efforts undertaken to preserve an intact water barrier, including proper maintenance of shingles and appropriate methods of flashing and underlay installation, will protect your property from roof valley leaks.

The homeowners decided to go with a premium steel shingles roofing system designed to provide a long lasting protection and durability of premium galvanized steel. This particular job featured a double stamped steel shingle – Vermont Blue Slate profile coated with a high quality Kynar paint finish.

Steel Roofing in Cumberland, RI

Why go with Steel Roofing?

Steel is notorious for its tensile strength, toughness, and flexibility. Steel cables provide support for magnificent and enormously heavy bridges exposed to strong winds and harsh nautical conditions. Steel cables bring F-16 fighter jets, and B-2 bombers to a smooth stop on Navy air craft carriers. Steel can withstand enormous amounts of abuse from environmental exposure, and from man-induced material stress.

Steel Shingles Roofing System - valley details

Steel roofing shingles can withstand some of the harshest conditions including hurricane winds, hail, storm-strength rain and snow, and can help you prevent ice dams on your roof. Steel shingles are manufactured from a premium G-90 Galvanized steel sheets designed to provide solid protection against rust and corrosion for many decades.

Steel Roof, Ridgeline and Chimney

The steel roofing systems we have just installed in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and all metal roofing systems we carry are rated by a Cool Roof rating council for their solar reflectivity and thermal emissivity. These metrics show the degree to which your metal roof can help keep your roof cooler in the summer, which can drastically reduce your air conditioning costs.

I will soon be posting a few more steel roofing jobs in Attleboro, North Attleboro and Bedford, MA. Stay tuned!

The old tin roofs you may remember are not the same as the contemporary metal roofs.

Modern steel roofing

If you are planning on building a new house or just re-roofing your existing home then I would urge you to consider using modern steel roofing. I live in a house that has a modern version of the old corrugated tin roof and I will share with you some of the reasons why I chose this type of roofing over all the others.

Before I start let me first dispel a myth. “Tin roofs” or “iron roofs” are not made out of sheet iron coated with tin any more! They are made out of high tensile steel with modern, hi-tech, surface protection coatings that are a combination of zinc and aluminum alloys. They are manufactured around the world under license from the US Galvalume Company.

• Strength. I live in a tropical area in Northern Australia and along with my family I experienced an intense cyclone (Tracy, 1974) that was the equal to or even stronger than hurricane Katrina, (if that is possible) .It may be that we have to go through a similar ordeal again but I honestly feel that we have learned from the past and are now building much safer houses. I have absolutely no doubt that the modern steel roofing that we use today is among the strongest of roofing materials. That is why I choose it to protect my family. A recurring story from all of the ones that I have heard from many cyclone survivors was that they were doing OK; “until the roof started lifting”, and then the house disintegrated.

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Curved Steel Roof - Provides Excellent Hurricane protection Source Builder Bill

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With the current concerns about extreme weather events that may be brought on by global warming, I feel that there is nowhere in the world that would not benefit from stronger modern building materials.

• Cost Effective. I am not saying that a modern steel roof is necessarily the cheapest product, but what I am saying is that you will be getting the best value for your money with the modern steel roofing.Look at all the thousands of large industrial buildings in our cities and towns. From warehouses to sports stadiums. Many of them are roofed with metal. There is a huge and competitive manufacturing industry geared up to creating products to roof large buildings. Guess what, you the home owner can take advantage of the economies of scale that this industry provides.

• Versatility. From vertical to almost flat; steel roofing can handle any slope of roof.
  If you want a really different look then why not try curves in the roof?
  Do you want to match a particular color scheme? No problems as there are a huge range of standard metal roofing colors available.

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Steel Roof awnings over walls and windows for energy conservation. Source Builder Bill

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• Lightweight. Modern steel roofing is very light in weight, so it does not impose any extra dead weight loadings on the supporting structure.

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Standing Seam Metal Roof

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• Long Lasting Fixed correctly this type of roofing can be expected to last up to 50 years. In harsh environments, say within two miles of the coast or in areas prone to chemical attack then this figure will have to be reduced, but many manufacturers provide thicker sheets and special coatings for these different conditions. In my experience building beach front houses most people opt for the cheaper cost of standard sheets and coatings, and accept that after 30 years or so they may have to do a re-roofing job.

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Pergola Steel Roof Source Builder Bill

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• Fire Resistant. In some areas this would have to be the main reason to choose a metal roof. If you live in a fire prone area then resistance to fire would have to be a primary concern, and once again think about the possibility of fires due to future climatic changes.

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Steel Roof Carport Source Builder Bill

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• Ease and Speed of Fixing. In re-roofing situations particularly, but also with new work, the speed of getting a metal roof fixed is second to none. There is less chance for adverse weather to affect the building. I have re-roofed classroom blocks to a high school where there was almost no interruption to the day to day activities in the school. We were able to strip off the old roofing, upgrade the structure and fix the new roofing on a daily basis. This ease of fixing steel roofing obviously has savings in labor costs to the customer.

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Steel Roof Deck - In Australia they call it Veranda Source Builder Bill

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The author, Bill Bradley is a retired general contractor with over 50 years experience in the building and construction industry. He has created his own website: www.builderbill-diy-help.com to pass on his knowledge to others. Thank you Bill for contributing this helpful tin roofing information to the readers of NEMR.

There is now also a relatively new product made from rubber – rubber shingles suitable for step roofs. Rubber Shingles is manufactured from input-materials containing about 80% of recycled rubber tires. Rubber shingles provide a simulated look of Slate, Cedar, and regular shingles.

EPDM Roofing Membrane

Rubber membranes for low slope and flat roofs are made from EPDM rubber, a type of synthetic rubber characterized by a wide variety of applications. The E in EPDM refers to Ethylene, P refers to Propylene, D refers to Diene, and M refers to its classification. The characteristics of natural rubber are modified to serve the purpose of synthetic rubber, which means that synthetic rubber has improved weather resistance qualities.

Problems With EPDM Rubber

By far, the most frequently encountered problem with EPDM rubber roofing is that it often fails at the seam due to freezing and refreezing of water in contact with the seams, or drying out of the glue due to age or improper installation, which happens often especially if the installers do not typically install rubber roofs. A professional rubber roof repair involves cleaning up, and re-seaming of the failed seams.

Historic Background

Rubber roofing was created several decades ago, during a time when people were in dire need for a roof that was easier and quicker to install than built up roofs, or torched down roofs responsible for a fair share of fires during the installation.

They had a longer service life and they did not require any special equipment for their installation. Rubber roofs were also cheaper to produce. Because there was no similar low cost roofing product at the time, EPDM rubber roofing soon gained a wide spread acceptance as a new flat roofing alternative of the time. Nowadays, rubber roofing competes with PVC and TPO roofing membranes

Types Of Rubber Roofs

There are two types of rubber roofs. The first one is the rubber membrane which is supplied in one piece and cut particularly for the homeowner’s flat roof.

The second type is rubber shingles. They look like traditional slate singles, but they are lighter in weight than slate shingles, plus they are a lot easier to work with. They are also available in different colors and designs.

Rubber Roofing Costs

Unlike EPDM rubber, which is widely available and very affordable, rubber shingles costs far more than conventional roofing shingles, and about twice as much as cedar shakes, or residential metal roofing profiles. Rubber Shingles is designed to last a lifetime of the building, and is easy to install. It remains to be seen whether or not rubber shingles gains significant traction in residential roofing market. It is likely that material costs will go down as more companies start manufacturing rubber shingles in simulated profiles.

Resistant To UV, Weather, And Heat

Its outstanding resistance to UV rays and its stability against weather influences are two of the main properties of rubber roofs. It can survive intense temperature and it is also resistant to fire. Aside from that, it has exceptional electrical insulating properties and it is resistant to steam and polar substances.

Durable

Because of its long lasting elasticity and flexibility, rubber roofs are less likely to crack. They are more durable and they last longer than a lot of other types of roofs. They do not require heavy maintenance aside from rubber membrane seam repairs that can fail due to standing water, or due to glue drying out. A better alternative to EPDM rubber roofing is reinforced PVC roofing membrane, which is hot air welded rather that glued at the seams.

Advantages

One of the biggest advantages of rubber roofing is that it has a strong resistance to water, and it does not pollute the rainwater, which means that the homeowner can store and use this water for cleaning or personal hygiene.

Modern roofing industry offers an abundant variety of materials you can install on a new-construction Roof, or choose for your next re-roofing project.

Residential roofing materials can vary in their visual appearance/curb appeal, weight, material cost, durability and longevity, and roof maintenance requirements.

Major Factors Influencing your Choice of Suitable Roofing Materials:

Your roof’s steepness, also known as a roof pitch, or a slope of your roof, can impose roof-slope-specific limitations on your choice of suitable roofing materials for your particular type of roof.

What is the Difference between a Gentle and a Steep Roof Slopes?

The more level a slope of your roof, the slower a runoff of the rainwater will be….

Implications of a Low Slope Roof: Naturally, the rate of a rainwater runoff from any roof with a relatively low slope will be slower than that of a steeper roof. Hence a slow runoff calls for an especially waterproof roof covering. A flat roof surface can be covered with specialty low-slope roofing membranes such as PVC, TPO, EPDM rubber, modified bitumen, built up roof (BUR), or a specialty “Cool” flat roofing membrane like the one manufactured by IB Roofs.

Due to a necessity calling for special skills, tools and precision instruments required for a proper installation of IB flat roofing system, or some other specialty membrane, it is imperative that such a system is only installed by properly trained specialists/professional roofing contractors.

Should I Repair or Replace My Low Slope/Flat Roof?

Depending on the age and overall condition of your current flat roof, there is a chance that it may be repaired by a knowledgeable specialist, if an appropriate repair is started early enough…

A roof of a gentle slope, can in theory be covered with conventional rolled asphalt roofing, but despite benefiting from its inexpensive cost, you can only expect rolled asphalt roof to last 5-7 years before it fails.

Therefore, if you want to avoid having to replace your roof in some five short years, or even earlier, it makes a good financial sense to invest in a more durable roofing system such as a flat roofing system manufactured by IB roofs.

If your roof rises four inches, or more per one foot of its base, then it is considered a steep roof, which means that your roof is suited for a wider range of roofing materials such as asphalt shingles, slate, clay tiles, wood shingles and shakes, and a wide range of metal roofing systems.

Estimating and Ordering:

Most roofing materials are sold in units called roofing squares. Each roofing square is equal to 100 square feet of roof surface. (The only exception is rolled roofing, and flat roofing membranes that come in rolls of varying lengths, widths and weights). In order to estimate roofing materials needed for your roof, first determine the total area of your roof’s surface, add 10 percent to allow for double layers of roofing materials along ridges, eaves, and hips, and round up the total to a next roof square (next 100 square feet).

Roofing Materials Overview

Asphalt Shingles – Inexpensive – lasts – 15 to 20 years – Minimum Roof Slope required 4 in 12. Asphalt shingle roofing is easy to install. It is available in wide variety of weights, colors, and styles such as 3-tab and architectural shingles. Other than occasional cleaning and roof moss removal, asphalt shingles require little maintenance and are easy to repair. Darker colored asphalt shingles may not last as long as lighter colored shingles due to higher impact from the sun exposure. Asphalt shingles are not easy to recycle, which is why it often ends up in our landfills at the end of its service life.

Asphalt Roofing Shingles on a Residential Home in Newton, Massachusetts

Rolled asphalt roofing – Inexpensive – lasts – 5 to 7 years – Minimum Roof Slope 1 in 12. Rolled asphalt roofing is easy to install and repair. Limitations: Poor fire resistance for some types, gets very hot in the summer, and transfers a lot of thermal heat from the sub inside the building, requires frequent replacements.

Built-up or Modified Bitumen – Moderate in price – lasts 10-20 years – minimum slope 1/4 in 12. Modified Bitumen is more waterproof than rolled roofing, but it has a poor fire resistance for some types; must be installed professionally; leaks are difficult to locate.

EPDM Rubber – Moderate in price – lasts 15-20 years – minimum slope 1/4 in 12. Must be installed professionally. Leaks usually occur in the seams; can be easily repaired if leaks are identified.

IB Roof (Modern PVC cool flat roofing membrane) – Lasts 30-50 years – No minimum roof slope requirement – can withstand ponding/standing water and ice, can further be outfitted with solar roofing panels. Considered to be a CoolRoof, and accredited by the US Green Building Council. IB flat roofing membrane reflects most of a solar radiant heat, which helps keep a building protected by the IB roof much cooler than a similar building with an ordinary roof would be.

This reduces your energy expenditures during the season of high temperatures. IB roof can be properly recycled at the end of its rather long service life.

Wood Shingles and Cedar Shakes – Moderate to expensive in cost (Comparable to the cost of metal roofing materials) – Lasts 15 to 30 years – Minimum roof slope required: 3 in 12 for shingles, and 4 in 12 for cedar shakes. Offers attractive rustic appearance, and acts as a natural insulator. Limitations: Highly flammable unless specially treated; shingles must be laid over open planks, or spaced battens.

Cedar Shakes Roof

Slate – Expensive – lasts 50 to 100 years – minimum roof slope required: 4 in 12. Offers a highly attractive and traditional appearance, fire resistant. Limitations: Heavy; brittle; requires sturdy roof support; tricky installation that requires special tools; needs regular replacement of damaged pieces; difficult and expensive to repair.

Slate Roof in Newton, MA

Roof Tiles – Moderate (concrete) to expensive (clay) – lasts 50 to 100 years – minimum slope 4-12. Offers attractive and unique appearance; fire resistant. Heavy; brittle;; requires sturdy roof support; time consuming installation; availability of replacement pieces unreliable; difficult to repair.

Tile Roof in Newton, MA.

Metal Roofing – moderate on higher side for galvanized steel and aluminum shingles; expensive for copper lasts 30 – 100 years depending on the system; fire resistant; Offers beautiful modern appearance and a great variety of styles, and finishes. Metal shingle roofing features a 4 way interlocking design, which provides reliable wind uplift protection, as each shingle is interlocked with metal shingles next to it. Roof you see below is made with G-90 steel coated with Kynar 500 cool roof rated solar reflective coating. This particular roof was installed in Rhode Island.

Below you can see a standing seam roof, made from aluminum sheet metal roofing panels. This this roof was installed near Boston, Massachusetts. You can also see that standing seam roof has a rail snow guard system, to stop the snow from sliding down the roof. Standing seam roof is coated with special coating that sheds snow and ice, which is especially useful in northern Massachusetts, and New Hampshire where there is significant accumulation of snow. Standing seam roof can last a lift time of the building and help prevent ice dams on your roof.

Standing Seam Metal Roof

While standing seam is a premium roof that comes with a price tag, there is a less expensive alternative that has been in use for many years on agricultural and industrial buildings, barns and farm houses. Corrugated metal roofing material is usually made out of thin gauge steel in comes in U shaped form. Although, it was primarily an agricultural type of roofing material, modern day corrugated steel metal roofing can be used to roof over a residential house. For instance, a galvalume steel or aluminum v 5 crimp panel coated with kynar paint finish could be used in residential roofing.

color coated corrugated steel roofing panel

Corrugated Metal Roof on a Residence

Silver Corrugated Metal Roof on a Residence in NH

Comparing Roofing Materials

In this post, a term “Cost” refers to a relative cost of roofing materials alone, and does not include the cost of labor. In most cases, the cost of professional installation is higher for roofing materials like natural slate, clay tiles, wood shingles, cedar shakes, and metal roofing than it is for regular asphalt shingles, or rolled asphalt roofing.

The minimum required roof slope is a roof pitch at which a specific material begins to provide adequate protection against water. All the materials listed can be applied to roofing surfaces steeper than that of a minimum roof pitch indicated, but as roof slopes increase, considerations such as appearance, durability and longevity become far more important.

“Durability” provides a rough measure of a length of time a roof will last with proper maintenance in a temperate climate.

Broaden your Roofing Horizons:

Guide to Re-roofing a house – Homeowners, are you about to put on a New Roof on your House? Ponder these Key Factors before you Pick/Decide on the Type of your New Roof.

Green Roofs – And by “Green” you mean Growing a garden on my roof?

As a side note, I would like to say that I’m not a big proponent of the asphalt shingle roofing, because asphalt shingle roofs are inherently poor choice for the environment. Still, I’m providing this do it yourself asphalt shingle roofing installation guide to help you in re roofing of your house.

Before installing a new roof, you will have to find out how many layers of existing asphalt shingles are there on your roof. If there is only one layer, then you can install a new roofing system right over your existing roof. How ever if there are two or more layers of asphalt on your roof, then you will have to strip off all the old shingles before applying new asphalt shingles, or a metal roof for that matter.

In order to perform a roof tear off you will need the following:

The tarp to collect old asphalt shingles, the stripping tool and the safety equipment if you have to be higher than 6 feet from the ground. You can buy all of these at your local home improvement store. Set up a tarp nicely so that it can catch all the falling shingles without causing the damage to the walls of the house, or to flowers in the garden. Use the stripping tool to remove the old asphalt shingles.

When all the old shingles are removed, you will want to inspect the roof deck for signs of rotting and damage. Replace any rotten boards or plywood, and remove any nails left from the previous roof.

Now that your roof deck is ready, you will want to install the roofing trim, which includes gable and starter metal flashing first.

Once that is in place, you will want to install the roofing underlayment also known as a roofing felt or tar paper. If you live in a Northern climate, then you may want to install one layer of ice and water on the eaves of the roof and indeed the valleys. One layer of ice and water is two feet wide. It has to be installed right over the roof deck creating a small 1/4 inch overlap along the eve and the gable. Once that is in place, you can install roofing underlayment which will have to overlap the ice and water by 6 inches. Each new row of roofing felt will have to overlap the preceding row by 6 inches. You will want to use special nails with colored caps to secure the roofing felt and ice and water place.

Once the roof deck is prepared, you can start installing your roofing asphalt shingles. Of course, you will have to obtain roofing shingles from the roofing supply warehouse first, which means that you will have to measure your roof and estimate the amount of roofing materials that will require. Also make sure that you have a sufficient roof pitch that should be in accordance with your roofing manufacturer’s specifications.

roofing shingles installation - gable view

List of tools you will need to install an asphalt shingle roof:

Roofing nail gun, air compressor, air hoses, a pair of gloves, hearing and eye protection, a knife with the removable blade, color string, carpenter’s pencil, and a roofer’s hammer.

Place your first shingle in the left bottom corner of the roof making sure that you cover the gable and starter trim allowing half an inch of asphalt shingle to hang over the gable and starter trim.

Use a nail gun to secure the first shingle in place. You will want to use a minimum of four nails per shingle. The nails will be applied slightly above the tabs and need line of the shingle. Be sure to use that colored string to designate vertical and horizontal lines which will serve as a guideline to make sure that your shingles are laid out in a straight fashion.

Your second shingle will be installed right next to the first shingle. You will once again use a minimum of four nails per shingle. If you live in the area that is prone to strong wind gusts, then I recommend using six nails per shingle, or in accordance with manufacturers specifications to ensure the proper wind uplift protection.

When starting a second row of shingles, you will want to cut off 6 inches from the first shingle, which will make it shorter by 6 inches. This will create the necessary overlap pattern required for water systems, and the smooth water runoff. Install the shorter shingle right over your first shingle making sure that the second shingle will cover the tabs and the nails that hold the first shingle in place.

Now, you should just continue shingling in the full shingle alternated by a shorter shingle fashion. Thus, you will begin every other row of shingles with a shorter shingle. You will find that it is easier to shingle a diagonal fashion. When you cover the entire roof with shingles, you will eventually get to the ridge-line.

If your roof has the soffit vents, then you will want to install the ridge vent before installing ridge cap. However, you’ll want to use gable ventilation if your roof does not have the soffit vents.

If you do have to install the ridge vent, then make sure that you leave a minimum of 3 feet of solid wood on each side of the roof, before making a cut in the ridge. To install the ridge cap, figure out which side of the roof the wind tends to blow from, and start installing the ridge cap on the opposite side. Install the double layer of ridge cap and into roof cement first. Then, overlap by half with every follow on ridge cap, which will have to be secured with roofing nails on both sides. If your roof has a hip shape, then be sure to use nails that are half an inch longer than regular roofing nails. This point you should be all done, but be sure that you practice on a small roof such as a shed or a small garage before embarking on the installation of the roof for your home. Also please make sure that you know how to use safety equipment, and never work alone.

Green Metal Roofing

If you live in a typical neighborhood, you’ve seen the mess that ensues when an aging shingle roof is removed in preparation for its replacement. The fleet of trucks, the big red dumpster in the driveway, the ragged blue tarps surrounding the house, and the gaggle of frantic laborers scrambling around the eaves–this is the rough celebration of the death of a worn-out shingle roof. The rasping of forks and rakes mixes with the drumbeat of hammers and cries of “look out below!” Slabs of shingles and airborne bits of black paper rain to the lawn, along with thousands of rusty old nails.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Your new re-roof can be elegant and nearly painless. And you can avoid making a fresh contribution to the landfill, too.

The debris from a torn-off fiberglass or asphalt shingle roof on an average-sized suburban home weighs more than a Cadillac Escalade. The trash would likely fill your kitchen to waist-level. That’s a lot of weight, and quite a mess. But if your underlying roof structure is sound (a basic attic inspection can confirm this), you might well be able to avoid removing your old shingles at all.

A single layer of organic shingles, regardless of how weathered they are, can make an excellent base on which to apply a new metal roof.

Your existing shingles can provide an insulating, cushioned substrate for rigid metal-formed roofing. Very often it’s not desirable to leave an original roof in place when re-roofing with asphalt shingles. Why? Reasons range from concerns about excessive total roof weight (which may be governed by local building codes), to worries about textures from underneath showing up on your new roof (“telegraphing”). Fortunately, neither of these issues apply to metal re-roofing.

All asphalt-based shingles, no matter how long the “warranty” period, conform to the surface beneath them over time. The mixture of gravity and sunshine inherently softens organic shingles. Metal roofing, whether shingles or sheet-based, doesn’t suffer this surface-softening because it’s rigid. This means that a variety of steel and aluminum roofing can often be applied right over an existing layer of old shingles. In addition, most metal roofing choices are substantially lighter in weight than organic shingles. A qualified Roofing Contractor can assess your specific conditions to help you decide if a metal roof is right for your house.

So why not “keep it cheap” and simply re-roof using the least expensive materials?

In general, an organic shingle re-roof is a relatively short-term bandage. It’s not unusual for an asphalt re-roof (over shingles) to need replacement just 15 years later, and many building codes then require that both layers be removed before another layer is installed. Why set yourself up for this nightmare? Even if you’re considering selling, savvy home-buyers have often been warned in advance to avoid this roofing time-bomb.

Re-roofing with metal, by contrast, is a long-term solution when properly installed. Your metal re-roof will protect your home through hail and hurricanes, withstand snow and monsoons, and keep looking nearly brand new for decades. Whether you choose an elegant standing-seam steel roof or aluminum profile shingles, you’re creating a fifty-year (or longer) roof with fantastic curb appeal. You’ll also have the deep satisfaction of knowing that your re-roof didn’t dump thousands of pounds of trash into the landfill. That’s what I call a win-win solution.

Intro:

It is truly fascinating how many people are not necessarily clueless, but are still somewhat misguided when it comes to the basic understanding of metal roofing. There are countless numbers of people who believe that a roof constructed with metal gets really loud when it rains, and that it is more likely to attract lightning than an asphalt shingle roof. Needless to say these statements could not have been further from the truth.

If you are like myself, you probably go about your life without ever really giving a thought about your roof until it starts to leak, or it becomes obvious that it is a good time to replace your roof before it starts to leak.

Going back to using metal for roof for existing roof retrofits; not too long ago I also had an image of the old and rusty barn type of roof associated with my nearsighted conceptual understanding of the term “metal roofing”. But now, after having been involved with metal roofing for nearly a decade, I have developed a true appreciation for all the benefits and advantages of this green roofing technology. I would like to share some of the insights with you, and more importantly, I want to shed some lights on the common myths I hear from people in regards to roofs made of metal.

Top 5 Metal Roofing Myths and a Special Bonus Myth

Myth 1: It has a higher risk of getting struck by a lightning

Reality – No, a metal roof does not increase the chances of your home getting struck by a lightning. In fact, if your roof does happen to get struck by a lighting, then a metal surface of your roof will help to dissipate the charge. Further, your roof will be in no danger of catching a fire from a lighting strike, because metal is a non combustible material

Myth 2: It makes a lot of noise when it rains

Reality – Let me guess, you must be thinking about that old rusty roof over the barn that used to sound like a machine gun rattle when it is raining. Well, modern metal roofs are typically installed over plywood, solid sheathing, or over your existing roof. There is also a layer of roofing felt / underlayment that gets installed over a roof deck prior to installing a metal roof.

You should also have a well insulated attic to make your home energy efficient, which will also help prevent heat loss and ice dams on your roof. When all of these factors are met, there will be no more noise than you would hear from a regular asphalt shingles roof.

Myth 3: It costs a fortune!

Actually, a properly installed metal roof has the lowest life-cycle cost; you may be surprised to find this out, but a metal roof will actually cost less than an asphalt shingle roof if you stay in your house long enough, because it has the lowest life cycle cost of all roofing materials, and aside from slate, metal is one of the longest lasting roofing materials available to homeowners today.

Important Factors:

Factor 1. – A new metal roof will also increase the value of your home, and help you get the highest return on your investment should you ever decide to sell your property. A metal roof will give your house a beautiful curb appeal, and peace of mind to you and your family from knowing that your home is protected by a durable, long lasting, and maintenance free roof.

Factor 2. – Cool metal roofs can provide over 30 percent in energy savings during the summer. Just imagine the amount of money you could save on cooling costs over the years, and the reduction in green house gasses. What a great way to get your roof pay for itself overtime and help protect the environment.

Factor 3. – Unlike an asphalt shingle roof, which is destined to fail in about 15 years, a professionally installed metal roof can last well over 50 years. You could easily have to replace your typical asphalt shingle roof three times during the healthy lifespan of your metal roof. In fact, a roof made with metal may well be the last roof you will ever have to install on your home, provided that you get it installed by a well trained and caring installers who take pride in the quality of their work.

Learn more about the costs of re-roofing with metal from this hypothetical example providing a detailed snapshot of the cost of metal roofing vs. the asphalt shingle roof, from a homeowner’s stand point.

Myth 4: It is susceptible to rust

Reality – Modern metal roofs are very durable and are built to last for decades. Steel roofs have a special layer of coating made with zinc or aluminum, which is bonded to steel. The zinc and aluminum layer provides healing for any cuts and scratches to the roofing panel. The high quality Kynar paint is designed to further protect the metal from oxidation. This combination allows steel roofs withstand some of the toughest forms of abuse from the harsh storms and bad weather, while providing a beautiful color finish and great looks to help compliment your home.

Myth 5: It is susceptible to dents and hail damage

Reality – Modern roofs made with metal are built to withstand years of abuse from severe weather such as hail, extreme winds, rain, snow and ice. Hail will not dent a roof made of metal, and extremely strong winds will not take it down and rip it apart like they would an asphalt shingle roof. Many modern steel, zinc, copper and aluminum roofing systems are rated for the wind uplift of up 120mph, which is what hurricane prone Miami Dade county requires. In fact, roofs made with metal perform extremely well, and can withstand some very strong hurricane winds. It is not unusual to see a lone surviving roof made with metal that shows no damage, next to its naked and roofless neighbors – the former asphalt shingle roofs that have lost all their shingles and plywood to the hurricane winds.

As I was dissolving these 5 silly myths for you, yet another myth to dispel came to mind! Consider this one a bonus!

Bonus Myth: You cannot walk on it without damaging it.

Reality – While you should definitely take all the necessary precautions before venturing out for a walk on your roof, metal roofs are completely walkable provided that they are not too steep. I would recommend using dry running shoes with rubber soles and good grip, because they will provide good traction for your feet when on the roof. Also, you should keep in mind that OSHA safety regulation do require that undergo a special training and wear a full body harness with a safety rope that is properly anchored on top of the roof.

Be sure to avoid walking on your roof when its raining as you could easily slip and fall. Rule of thumb is to stay off the roof whenever its surface is wet or moist such as sunset and sunrise. Contact your trusted roofing contracting company for special techniques on how to minimize the risk and walk safely on the metal roof they have installed. Or do not worry about it at all, let the pros handle it!

About:

New England Metal Roofing company located near Boston, Massachusetts is a residential and light commercial metal roofing contracting company installing metal shingles, and standing seam metal roofs in all major cities and towns including Newton, Wellesley, Brookline, and greater Boston, Massachusetts. We also cover Western Mass, Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyards. In addition servicing the entire Bay State, we provide metal roofing installation services in RI, CT, and NH. To request an easy roof estimate, and obtain preliminary pricing information click here.

Or simply continue browsing our website to find current roofing prices, and use our free roofing calculator to help you better understand true costs and benefits of metal roofing and learn more about product options including metal shingles, standing seam and corrugated metal roofing.

We take pride in having a well researched and detailed metal roofing information that you will not find anywhere else on the web. Our website also covers pros and cons of metal roofing, and advantages and benefits of aluminum, zinc, copper and stainless steel roofing systems.

New England Metal Roofing Company also installs a PVC flat roofing membrane as a reliable, energy efficient and long lasting alternative to problematic EPDM rubber and TPO roofing systems for flat and lower sloped roofs in Boston Massachusetts and surrounding areas

About 40 percent of energy in the United States is consumed by the country’s 100 million residential buildings and its 5 million commercial properties. Energy, for most of the owners of these buildings, will be the largest controllable cost of running their property. The main uses of energy in these buildings are heating and air conditioning, heating water, lighting and running computers and entertainment related electronics.

As energy prices rise, and concern about the environment increases, the importance of conserving energy and increasing the energy efficiency of buildings has also grown and there has been a lot of interest in the idea of green building. Green buildings are designed in order to ensure that their construction and operation are as energy efficient and sustainable as possible. Approximately 75 percent of architects and engineers now have some of involvement with green building, whether at the design, construction, re-use or removal stages of interaction with the building process and building environment.

The roof is often the weakest point in terms of energy efficiency due to thermal gain from the sun, so it is a very significant and environmentally important part of green building construction and design. A cool metal roof can significantly reduce the amount of energy that is required to heat or cool a building. In 2010, the estimated demand for roofing in the US is almost 280 million squares, and metal roofing is now believed to be one of the fastest growing roofing products in the country. Environmentalists are interested in the use of metal roofing because of its ability to improve energy efficiency and because it can help prevent the heat island effect that can raise the temperature in urban areas.

The heat island effect is a phenomenon of higher temperatures in urban areas due to the buildings observing the solar heat primarily through the roof, and then radiating this excessive temperature gain into the surrounding environment thereby creating local higher temperatures phenomenon known as the heat island effect.

Solar reflective metal roofs reflect solar radiation away from the roof rather than absorbing it as thermal heat, which would otherwise have a chance to transfer inside the building through the process of heat conduction, or emit into the atmosphere, causing the heat island effect. Modern metal roofs, as a general rule reflect much of the solar radiant heat back into space through the process of solar reflectance. The marginal heat that meat roofs do observe usually emitted back into the atmosphere through the process of solar emissivity. Thus, metal roofs help prevent the transfer if heat inside of the actual building, thereby reducing the air conditioning load, which results not only in aggregate energy savings, but also in a lesser aggregate building’s carbon footprint.

The utility companies which provide the energy used in homes and commercial properties have also become interested in the use of cool metal roofing. Since it reduces demand for energy for heating and cooling, it can help to avoid the problems that energy providers often experience during periods of peak demands, such as hot summer afternoons, when people come home and turn on their air conditioning, as well as during times when business consume massive amounts of energy to cool their offices.

Viable Product for Residential Applications:

An example of a standard architectural standing seam metal roof system for a residential home is depicted below. Such a roof can easily result in 25% plus energy savings. Being energy efficient environmentally friendly in that sense is just one of many benefits of metal roofing. Long service life (with minimum roof maintenance, or repairs) backed by the excellent track record, and upraised building / property value, make it an attractive choice often referred to as investment grade roofing.

According to the Remodeling Magazine, metal roofing provides one the highest returns on the remodeling investment throughout its service life. Refer to the data of construction and remodeling costs survey for 2009 – 2010.

Diagrams:

More environmental benefits of cool metal roofing:

Metal roofing does not contain any petroleum products unlike the roofing market most dominant product, asphalt shingles. Each year some 11 million tons of asphalt shingles are dumped in landfills. The percentage share of the asphalt shingles being recycled is insignificant.

Metal roofs are 100% recyclable at the end of their service life, which often exceeds 50 years. For comparison, asphalt shingle roofs average only 17 years of service life. The asphalt shingle roofing accounts for nearly two thirds of all roofing products being installed in the U.S annually.

Consumer Interest in Metal Roofing

Among consumers, there has also been an increase in interest in cool metal roofing and green building. This stems from the increasing awareness of the environmental impacts of buildings and energy consumption, the increasing cost of energy and the various incentives such as green improvement Tax Credits for 2009 – 2010 available to those making green building choices. A number of credits and rebates are available at the federal, state and local government levels and from utility companies for those who choose cool metal roofing.

Cool metal roofing is a metal roof that has high levels of both thermal emittance and solar reflectance. Although various standards, codes and incentive programs use slightly different definitions of what will be considered as a cool metal roof, these definitions all include the same essential properties. Thermal emittance refers to the ability of a material to absorb and then re-emit the radiant heat produced by the sun. Solar reflectance refers to the ability of a material to reflect rather than absorb sunlight. A cool metal roof which has high thermal emittance and solar reflectance contrasts with a roofing material such as asphalt, which absorbs heat from the sun and transfers it into the building it is covering.

Agencies assigning Cool Roofing Credits and Ratings:

Cool Roofs assigns Cool Roof solar reflectivity and emissivity ratings to metal roofing products.

Energy Star Cool Roof Program Requirements

Important Terms:

Solar reflectance measures the amount of energy that is reflected directly and immediately, as electromagnetic energy, without having been absorbed as heat. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 1, or described as a percentage.

When energy is not reflected, it is absorbed as heat into the outer surface of the roof. From here, it may be removed by convection into the passing air, or conducted down into the sheathing underneath the outer roofing material. It may also be emitted as infrared energy. This is referred to as thermal emittance, which is again measured on a scale of 0 to 1 or as a percentage.

A cool metal roof, which has high levels of both of these properties, will have a lower surface temperature than a roof covered with a material with a lower rating of thermal emittance and solar reflectance. Less heat will be absorbed into the attic or other space under the roof, which means that less energy needs to be used for the cooling and heating of the building.

Cool metal roofing is a sustainable roofing material. It meets the EPA definition of sustainability since it combines continuing economic benefits with environmental benefits, while enabling people to enjoy a good quality of life.

Energy efficiency is one of the most important reasons for the sustainable nature of cool metal roofing. By preventing the heat from being absorbed into the building, it can help to reduce the need for air conditioning use. This can save as much as 20 to 40 percent of the energy costs of running the building. By reducing the need for energy, it can also reduce energy production and the environmental problems which are associated with it. The number one environmental problem associated with excessive use of heat by the buildings is the emission of greenhouse gases. Cool metal roofs meet set energy efficiency standards and code requirements, and often benefit from Energy Star labeling.

Energy Star labeling is a program created by the EPA in order to help consumers to make environmentally friendly and energy efficient decisions. Energy Star labels are commonly seen on appliances, reflecting the amount of power they consume, but there is also a Roof Products labeling system. This system is used to identify roofs that are cool and which can help prevent the urban heat island problem. In order to meet the requirements of the Energy Star program, a roofing material that is intended for use on a steep slope (one with a roof pitch over 2:12) must have solar reflectance of at least 0.25, with reflectance of at least 0.15 after three years. Materials that are designed for low slop roofs (with pitch less than or equal to 2:12) must have solar reflectance of at least 0.65, with a three year ages reflectance of least 0.50. The program also requires roofing materials to have a thermal emittance of at least 0.75, whatever the slope of the roofs on which it will be used. However, some materials that meet the requirement for a factor known as the Solar Reflectance Index, which is calculated using reflectance, emittance and wind coefficients, may not have to meet the minimum value for solar emittance.

The energy efficiency of cool metal roofing has also been analyzed in terms of the reduction in energy costs enjoyed by the building owner, although the precise amount which can be saved will depend on the individual property. A number of case studies point towards the benefits of using cool roofing.

Cool Metal Roofing Study

In the state of Georgia, a school district built two near-identical schools. The only difference between the buildings was the roofing material used. Both had metal roofs, but one was a painted metal roof with solar reflectance of 0.12 while the other was a roof with a special reflective paint that had a solar reflectance of 0.29. After just one year, the school district had saved 8000 dollars on heating and cooling in the building with the higher reflectance roofing compared to the less reflective building.

Similarly, a study involving Habitat for Humanity was conducted in Florida. The charity built a number of identical homes topped with different roofing materials. They used asphalt shingles, flat tiles, terracotta tiles, barrel tiles and painted metal and set the thermostats at the same temperature in every house. Over the course of four summer months, the house with the white metal roof experienced the highest savings on cooling, of 23 percent.

Cool metal roofing has some other important benefits, in addition to its energy efficiency that help to make it a sustainable choice. Metal roofing is one of the most durable options. It can resist a wide range of weather conditions and it can often last as long as the building which it covers, eliminating the need to produce and install replacement roofs.

Metal roofs, particularly when a lower gauge metal is being used, can be much lighter than conventional roofing materials. This means that they place less pressure on the building structure, which can help to extend the life of the building. Metal roofing is so light that it can even be installed over old roofing.

Metal roofing also contains high levels of recycled material, and is itself 100 percent recyclable when it ceases being useful as roofing. Metal roofing typically contains between 25 and 95 percent recycled material. Steel roofing is particularly likely to have been recycled.

Environmental Benefits

The environmental benefits of recycling steel are very well-known. Producing recycled steel requires less than 26 percent of the amount of energy that is needed to produce newly extracted steel. The amount of recycled material in steel depends to a certain extent on the process through which it has been made. When it is manufactured using the basic oxygen furnace method, it usually contains about 30 percent recycled material. When it is producing using the electric arc furnace method, the recycled content is about 95 percent.

The ability to recycle metal roofing at the end of its lifetime can significantly help to reduce pressure on landfills. Approximately 20 billion pounds of old roof shingles are currently deposited in landfills in the US every year.

Another factor in the sustainability of metal roofing is that it is a very safe material, both for the environment and for human health. The metals, coatings and paints that are used are completely safe. Metal roofing is also fire resistant and able to withstand both hail and wind.

Photo-voltaic technology can convert the energy in sunlight into electricity. Solar or photo-voltaic cells come in a number of different forms, including solar panels and solar laminates. The cells are collected together into a module. Multiple modules can then be grouped together on the roof of a building and used to generate electricity for the building. Crystalline systems are composed of arrays of silicon wafers which are held between two sheets of glass. These heavy solar panels need to be mounted on the roof using a bracket or brace. Amorphous photo-voltaic systems, or solar roof laminates, are lightweight, flexible films which can be adhered directly onto a metal roof. These solar laminates are integrated into the building and are far less obtrusive than solar panels. Metal roofing is the best surface on where to place a solar laminate or building integrated system. This means that using metal roofing can help to make it easier to make use of alternative green energy.

Solar Metal Roofing

LEED Program

The LEED program is an important rating system created by the Green Building Council. It is used to evaluate and certify the overall sustainability of a building, in accordance with various established standards. LEED ratings are often taken into considerations by designers and owners during the planning process in order to ensure that a certain level of LEED certification will be attained. Different programs exist for different types of projects. In the most well-known LEED program, which related to the construction of new builds, the categories that are considered are water efficiency, materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, sustainable sites, innovation and design, regional priority and the indoor environmental quality. Buildings are awarded points in each category, up to a maximum of 100. 40 points are required for a building to be Certified. 50 to 59 points denotes Silver certification, 60 to 79 is gold certification, while buildings with more than 80 points obtain Platinum certification. Use of a cool metal roof over at least 75 percent of the total roof surface can generate a point in the Credit 7.2 section of the sustainable sites category, as long as the roof has an SRI of at least 78 on a low slope and 29 on a steep slope. Cool metal roofs can also contribute points in other sections of the LEED evaluation since points are awarded for the use of recycled material, the potential to recycle the material used in the building, and the building’s energy efficiency. It can add up to two points in the materials and resources category for use of recycled material. Since it is 100 percent recyclable can add to the waste management points. It can also add up to 10 points for energy optimization in the energy and atmosphere category. LEED certification can be very important since some buildings are required to have LEED certification due to building legislations.

The codes and standards that are used to judge cool metal roofing can vary a great deal. The International Energy Conservation Code is a national standard, but most states have also created their own standards. These may be the same as the IECC standard. State codes can be found on the Alliance to Save Energy website. California has a particularly unique standard for energy efficiency. It is known as Title 24, and it specifies standards for both low and steep sloped roofs. Standards can also be set at the regional or city level. Chicago has its own regional standards for cool roofing in its energy code. Finding out about the local codes while designing a green building is essential in order to ensure the required standards will be met, particularly if they may enable the building owner to obtain credits.

Cool Metal Roofing Incentives

The incentives that are available to encourage the use of cool metal roofing vary a great deal. Some utility providers offer incentives for their customers. The Californian company Pacific Gas and Electric, for example, offers a rebate of 10 cents per square foot for roofs with solar reflectance of 0.25-0.39 and emittance of at least 0.75, with rebates of 20 cents per foot for roofs which have a reflectance of at least 0.40. In the same state, Southern California Edison also offers a two tiered rebate program with the same criteria. Meanwhile, Florida Power Light offers a flat rebate of 325 dollars for customers who install a cool metal roof, along with a 200 dollar credit for the contractor.

Governmental tax credits are also available for building owners who install a cool metal roof, such as a roof that has Energy Star labeling. The credit may be as much as 30 percent of the cost of installing a cool metal roof, with a maximum credit of 1500 dollars per building. Tax Credits are available for calendar years 2009 – 2010.

The incentives that are available for cool metal roofing, the many advantages of choosing a cool metal roof for a green building, and the savings of as much as 40 percent which may be achieved on energy costs makes cool metal roofing a superb choice.

Architectural Standing Seam Metal Roof

Image Source:

http://www.englertinc.com/architectural-metal-roof-systems/

Roof Color Visualizer:

http://www.englertinc.com/general-content/roof-color-visualizer.html?phpMyAdmin=gK2ZYta9kcJSwZQ10HcOgiopTj9

Plants that Earn their Keep
In any garden, a plant should earn its place, and this is never more important than where space is limited. One season of interest is acceptable if it is spectacular, but two are better and, if a particular plant has pretty flowers in spring or summer and then a wonderful blaze of autumn color, it has definitely earned its keep.

Of course, not all plants do this; for foliage plants, which act as a foil to more dramatic flowering specimens, it is sufficient that they look gloriously lush throughout the season. One way of increasing the seasonal attraction of a woody shrub or small tree is to grow a second plant, a climbing or trailing one, through it. Choose a specimen to complement the colors of the host plant, whether it flowers at the same time as its host or separately, and one that will neither outgrow nor overwhelm the host.

By using the full range of plants available – trees, shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials, annuals and bulbs – it is possible to have color in every season of the year. Then, even if the weather prevents work or relaxation outside, the garden still looks attractive through the window. Seeing flowers in the depths of winter has a cheering effect, and proves that spring really isn’t that far away.

Strong foliage can look spectacular in winter, when frost highlights the sharply toothed leaves of plants such as Helleborus argutifolius and mahonia, or makes the seed-heads of bronze fennel sparkle in the early mist. Birds appreciate the berries on plants like pyracantha, which persist on the plant throughout the winter if they are allowed.

Plant at all levels to make full use of the space. If the foliage of a herbaceous plant dies off in the autumn and does not return until late spring, fill the gap with early-flowering bulbs or corms, such as cyclamen (C. hederifolium or C. coum), crocus, snowdrop, dwarf narcissus, or dwarf iris, which will flower and die down again before the larger plant needs the room. They can be left in place throughout the year, even in a container, so that there is no root disturbance to plants nearby.

Resources

Home and Garden Directory

The first thing you need to consider when you begin thinking about creating a green building is how green you want the final results to be. It can be very easy to include a few green touches in a building, such as a solar panel or high quality insulation to reduce energy consumption. If you want to commit to creating a building that is as green as possible, however, you will need to work harder and consider every aspect of the design and construction process.

However green you intend your building to be, it is important to start thinking about how you can reduce the environmental impact as early as possible in the design process. Just a few key decisions in the early stages of planning, such as the location and size of the house and the types of materials which will be used for construction, can have a significant impact. By the time you have spent just 3 percent of your budget on design, you will have determined 70 percent of the energy use that will occur during the property’s lifetime. Your decisions during the planning stages will also determine what it will be like to live in the finished property.

There are two halves to the creation of a green building. First, there is the construction phase. You can make your building greener at this stage by choosing the right types of materials and using them well. Materials that can be used effectively to create green buildings include adobe, cob, rammed earth, poured earth, earth-bags, straw bales, cord-wood, wooden frames, bamboo, papercrete, lightweight concrete and stone.

Secondly, there is the phase following construction, when you will be living in the property. The choices that you made during the design and construction process will determine what it is like to live in the property and what the environmental effects of the building will be. Ensuring that you create a building that will be energy efficient is one important way of creating a house that will be green to live in.

Although starting from nothing and creating a brand new green building can be exciting and can offer more potential to reduce your environmental impact, it is also a good idea to consider taking an existing building and making it greener. This can be a more affordable option and it can take much less time and effort. It also enables you to recycle a lot of the material that has been used in the conventional building. Recycling older material can also be a good option for a new build. It is often possible to find old windows, doors and other useful items that have been thrown out even though they are perfectly usable.

It is a good idea to spend some time researching the options which are available for green buildings. You will find that there are many options for going green in terms of the design, the materials you use and the construction process. The design of your building can help your building at a steady comfortable temperature by using the warmth, by sinking your home into the earth or by using ground source heating. You can design your home to conserve water, for example by collecting rainwater for use in your garden, and to reduce energy consumption by installing renewable energy technology. You can choose local, natural materials to reduce your impact on the environment, and you can make sure that any timber you use is sourced from a sustainable forest. You can recycle material, where possible, and you can make sure that your home is built to last.

Before you start designing your green building, you should look at what other people have done. It can be helpful to look at traditional building techniques from around the world, and at how these have been used by modern green builders, but it is also important to consider the ways in which technology can help to make your home greener, for example by enabling you to use renewable energy or to conserve water. It is possible to design and create a green building on your own, particularly if you have some construction experience and if your needs are simple. However, seeking professional help can also be helpful in both the design and construction stages in order to make your green building a success.

Resources:

Green Building Directory

Trailing and climbing plants, lush foliage and bright flowers can all be brought into action to transform a plain, hard area into a delightful secret world, often invisible to those walking below.

This room outside’ can become a peaceful retreat or a place for entertaining, gently clothed in relaxing shades of green, or it can contain a riot of bright color. Bare walls can be softened and camouflaged with planting, low walls given height with trellis and plain floors covered by decking. Strategically placed plants can hide intrusive eyesores or windows which overlook the area, to enhance the feeling of privacy.

Exposure to Wind
Gusting wind and turbulence can be difficult for plants and people, but a well-placed windbreak can be disguised behind more tolerant plants, to shelter and protect delicate species planted around the seating area.

Creating Windbreaks
In built-up areas, the wind can really whistle between the “man-made canyons” of tall buildings, causing turbulence and destruction. Poorly fixed containers, light plants and furniture are all at risk of being dislodged or blown down. Plants with soft, tender foliage are likely to be scorched by the wind, resulting in brown, withered leaves and poor growth.

Creating a windbreak will help minimize the problem; one which is partly permeable to the wind is much more effective than a solid one, where localized turbulence is created as the wind hits it and is deflected. Black windbreak netting becomes almost invisible if it is erected and then hidden behind a painted trellis, especially if plants are then grown up the trellis. This form of windbreak is both effective, and does not take up much room – an important consideration when space is at a premium. Where slightly more room is available, a screen of tall, wind-tolerant shrubs installed along the most vulnerable side will act to shelter the area behind them; many plants will tolerate this kind of exposure while still providing color and interest throughout the year. Using a broken windbreak rather than a solid one also allows full advantage to be taken of the view, so that even a windy day will not spoil the enjoyment of sitting out on the terrace.

Erecting a Windbreak
- If required, paint the posts intended to support the netting and trellis. Attach securely to the railings or wall, with clamps or bolts.
- Attach black windbreak netting to the back of the posts.
- Fix trellis panels to the posts, in front of the netting.
- Train climbing plants to cover the trellis.

You can learn more about building a roof terrace and roof top gardens by reading roofing publications brought to you by Construction Companies Directory.

One of the greatest advantages of building your own home is that it will be catered to the customers every whim. Extra large closets, a bathroom for every room, and cathedral ceilings are just some of the options that people dream of in a future home. Many people wonder exactly what their home will cost. In order to prepare yourself for this amount, it is best to do an estimate before the first hammer is swung.

To start off, contact local contractors. Meet with contractors who have built similar homes to the one you want. A contractor who has built something similar will be the best way to calculate your cost of building. Ask the contractor for an estimate of what they charge per square foot. This will allow you take the square footage of your dream home and multiply it by the price per square foot. This amount will be a rough figure of just building your house. This figure usually does not include the cabinets, flooring, painting, dry walling or any other feature. It is strictly to build the house.

Next, with this figure it mind look at houses in the area in which you are building. What are the prices of the houses that are up for sale in the area? Are any of them similar to what you have in mind? By getting these figures, you can estimate how much a house in the area you are building costs per square foot. This is a great way to double check what the contractor is quoting you. Sometimes the amounts differ slightly; however if there is a significant difference, consider getting a few other bids on the project. Always remember that the contractor that bids lowers may not be best, or the contractor that bids the highest may not be the best either. Make this decision based on customer reviews, and looking at the work the contractor has done before.

There are numerous aspects that can influence construction costs of building or remodeling your home. The area in which the home is being built may need to be flattened, which increases the price because more labor is used. The shape of the house may also increase the cost of building. Plus, inflation and market conditions play a huge role in the cost of building a home. Most people expect the cost of a home to increase at least 3% every year.

When you finally have the estimated budget, allow for a 10% increase, there are always unexpected expenses. This should give you a round ballpark figure at what you can expect to pay.

Recycling, reusing, and using less has become a popular trend in the United States. However, one of the neatest aspects of going green is building a green home. There are certain things that make a home green. For starters, a few simple panel lights in the ceiling allow enough light to be filtered through to limit the use of electricity. These are options that current homeowners can add to their own homes.

Another element in a green home is the material in which the house is constructed. Those who have built green homes usually use green building materials that are safe for the environment, materials such as wood, straw, bamboo, lightweight concrete or a combination of materials. The materials will depend upon location and the climate in the area.

Many houses are even being built with storage devices that cool naturally, cutting down on the use of electricity dramatically. And to limit the use of electricity many green homes are equipped with solar panels on the roofs that convert solar energy into electric power that can be used for lighting, cooking, air conditioning, and home appliances. The viability of the solar roofing panels will depend upon the location of the house. For those who live in areas that get a limited amount of sunlight, this option would be inadequate and a waste of time and money.

The benefit of building a green home is obviously the impact that it will have on the Earth. Plus, it has the potential to lower your utility bills dramatically. However, a green home can be expensive to build. Since building green is a fairly new concept specially trained and accredited green building contractors or architects will be needed to provide their expertise in the ways of designing and building a green home. There will also be the extra cost of adding things like solar panels, energy efficient windows, and green building materials which are not cheap by any means.

So is building a green home a good or bad idea? On paper it is an excellent idea. Lowering the dependency upon electricity is awesome. Building homes out of materials that are not harmful to the Earth, again an amazing idea. However, logically, for the majority of the world a green home is unattainable. The difference between a regular home and a green home is tremendous. The idea is also restricted to certain areas. For those people who are building homes, using materials that are green as well as solar panels is a step towards improvement. However, building what is termed a green home is almost impossible for certain people due to the expense and area in which the home is being built.

Golden Middle in taking proactive steps for Green Home Building :

If you do still want to invest in your home and make it greener, then consider green home improvements and remodeling updates, energy efficient windows, and installing a green metal roof for your home can all be great starting options to making your home greener.

Most gardens have patches where, for whatever reason, there is less moisture than elsewhere. This is especially a problem in front gardens, which are often overhung by buildings and other structures that create “rain shadows”. If you improve the soil and select plants that enjoy dry conditions, however, this need not be a problem. Factors that can influence the amount of moisture within the garden include rainfall, sunshine, soil type, drainage, surrounding structures and the plants already in position.

Retaining Moisture
Rainfall can vary considerably within quite small areas depending on local topographical conditions; this can result in dramatically different amounts of water reaching the soil in different parts of the garden. The direction in which the garden faces can affect the water it receives if the house is positioned as a shield. Even though plenty of rain falls, it may not be falling on the soil where it is needed, but on the house, where it runs off down the drains.

How long the moisture is held within the soil, and therefore how long it is available for use by the plants, is affected by both the amount of sun and shade and the soil type. A light, sandy soil loses its moisture quickly, because there are large air spaces between the particles, allowing rapid drainage. A heavy, clay soil, on the other hand, has only tiny air spaces, because the soil particles are much smaller. The water is slower to drain away and is therefore available to the plants for a longer time.

Drainage will also be affected by the angle of the garden, in that a flat area will take longer to drain than one that slopes.

Having large, established specimens already in site can mean that there is less water available for newly introduced plants. An older plant will have sent roots down to the lower levels within the soil, to take advantage of all the moisture it can, leaving little for the new plant that is still reliant on water much nearer the surface. A five-year-old tree, for example, will take up in excess of 4 liters (1 gallon) of water every day.

If the garden does not receive enough rainfall to support plants with this kind of requirement, you may have to consider choosing plants that need a lower intake. One way to improve moisture is by adding a mulch around the base of the plants. This keeps the soil moist by slowing down evaporation.

Applying a Loose Mulch

1. Prepare the ground thoroughly, digging it over and working in plenty of organic material such as rotted manure or garden compost if the soil is impoverished.
2. Loose mulches will control annual weeds and prevent new perennial ones from starting. Dig up deep-rooted perennial weeds, otherwise they could grow through the mulch.
3. Water the ground thoroughly before applying the mulch. Do not apply a mulch to dry ground.
4. Spread the mulch thickly. This is bark mulch, but there are many other decorative mulches available.

Sources:

Landscaping Directory

Home & Garden Directory

Home Improvement Tools

Used to make the area more secluded or simply to provide shade, overhead screening adds to the atmosphere of the balcony or roof garden by giving it more continuity with the living space inside.

Adaptable Screening – Make sure the screening won’t make rooms too dark. If this is likely to be a problem, a compromise in the form of a deciduous climber growing over a pergola may be the answer, providing cover during the summer but not the winter, when the light levels are lower.

Pergolas need to be sturdy to support the weight of the covering, but they are extremely versatile. The plants you grow up the sides can range from annuals like sweet peas to woody perennials such as grape vines, always bearing in mind the dimensions of the pergola. The sides can support cane or bamboo screens, if extra privacy is needed, and, if you don’t want to grow plants over the top, you can pull over a canvas cover.

Pergolas can be made from anything from the usual rough timber to sleek bamboo poles. You need to choose carefully for the roof garden or balcony, according to how much extra weight can be introduced. Also consider the prevailing wind direction, which might cause a problem to a high structure if you don’t give it extra protection.

Canvas awnings are convenient to install, and can be designed to retract into a casing on the wall when not required. Unbleached sailcloth and lightweight muslin are natural-looking fabrics that will blend with most color-schemes.

Umbrellas and Parasols – Large, off-white canvas umbrellas are ideal for short-term cover where space allows, as long as the wind is not likely to gust and sweep them away. Patio parasols are available in many colors so you can coordinate them with other fabrics. They will need to be anchored through the table into a base.

Sources:

Home and garden Directory

Home & Garden Directory

Calculate roofing materials and prices now:

In this version of this roof materials calculator, you will only be able to estimate the cost and materials list for asphalt roofing shingles. We are working on including the metal roofing materials into the calculator. However there are certain issues that will have to be resolved before metal roofing materials such as standing seam or metal shingles can be added. We will add metal roofing results soon.

How to use the roofing materials calculator

This roofing calculator calculates the roof area based on the ground measurement you provide, as well as roof pitch measurements. It adds 5% waste factor for a Gable Roof, and 7.5% waste factor for a Hip and Mansard roof types.

Plug in your roof dimensions into the calculator, making sure that width is the side where the roof gable / rake is. Choose the roof pitch and your roof type, and calculate the roof area, as well as roofing materials and prices.

Roofing materials prices are calculated for the following items, needed to install a new roof:

• Roofing Shingles – Number of bundles needed to install new roof, including waste. Prices calculated for 30 years architectural asphalt shingles.
• Roof Underlayment – We included Ice and Water Shield along the eaves of the roof (Ice & Water shield is required by Building Code in many Norther states, to help prevent ice dams), as well as 30 lb. felt underlayment with 50% overlaps (double layer), which is a requirement for new roof installation in Massachusetts.
• Ridge/Hip Cap Shingles – Though many roofing contractors often use 3-tab shingles for Ridge and Hips, the asphalt shingles manufacturers require the Cap Shingles to be used for full warranty.
• Ridge Vent – Cobra or equivalent ridge ventilation system. Does not include soffit vent costs.
• Drip Edge – White aluminum drip edge metal installed on all exposed roof edges – eaves and gables. Though ins some parts of the US, its common not to use drip edge metal on gables / rakes, it is a common practice to do so in Massachusetts.
• Miscellaneous roofing accessories: – We included one box of 1 1/4″ galvanized roofing nails, 3 aluminum pipe flashings, 100 ct. of step flashing, and 3 tubes of roof caulking.

The above materials list should pretty much cover most simple roof installation, assuming the new roof is being installed over a properly prepared and vented roof deck – plywood or boards.

All prices are taken from Home Depot’s website on Oct. 29, 2010. Although most roofing contractors will buy their shingles from a roofing materials supplier, national home improvement store’s prices for roofing materials are pretty much in line with what contractors pay and sometimes even a bit less. Also it is much easier for the home owner to purchase roofing materials from a big-box home improvement store than from a roofing supplier.

Look forward to see the roofing prices for 24 gauge galvanized steel standing seam metal roof as well as other types of metal roofing materials added to this calculator.