As a homeowner, you desire to make a substantial investment into a roof only once. Metal roofs are long lasting, giving you a lifetime of up to 50 years. The two most popular options for creating metal roofs are steel and aluminum. Aside from durability, metal roofs offer other incentives such as the ability to install them over pre-existing roofs in your home. Despite what one might imagine, aluminum roofing, as well as steel, isn’t any noisier than roofing made from other materials.
To gain from all these benefits, you need to know the right way to buy and install the roof. Here are three crucial mistakes you ought to avoid when dealing with metal roofs to get a return on your investment.
1. Improper Fitting of the Seams, Flashing, and Sealants
Improper fitting of either the sealants, flashing or seams can cause significant damage to both your aluminum roofing as well as other parts of your house. Flashing is a material that ensures a watertight seal among the roof sections, roofing materials and other non-roofing material such as skylights, chimneys, and vents. Also, the seams of your metal roof must be sealed with the panels appropriately lapped.
When you don’t seal the flashing as required or attach them wrongly, you risk letting water seep in between the roof structure and your roofing system. The more water that seeps in, the more moisture damage it will wreak leaving your roofing system vulnerable and with a short lifespan. Another risk with poorly installed flashing in your metal roofing is that during heavy Wisconsin windstorms sections of the roof can be blown away.
When applying the sealing during installation, protect it from the elements by applying it on the panel’s underside or the trim. If you make the mistake of using it on exposed areas, it will degrade over time, and your roof will start to leak.
2. Don’t Assume All Metal Roofs Are the Same
To the untrained eye, it is easy to see why all metal roofs might seem similar. But unless you spy out inherent differences in the materials, you’ll likely pick a roof that isn’t suited to your locality. If you live around Lake Michigan or Madeline island for example and are considering getting a metal roof, knowing the differences between steel and aluminum will have a material impact. Steel roofing is more susceptible to saltwater damage than aluminum roofing. Thus, were you to go with a steel roof in such areas you would not receive the finish warranty.
3. Resist the Temptation to Cut Corners
Aluminum roofing (and other metal roof materials) cost more than other types of roofing material. Thus, you may be tempted to cut corners with the material you buy or the metal roof installation service. Although it might seem wise, doing so cuts short the lifespan of your roof materials. For example, should the metal not fit your roof’s pitch and style it can lead to extra installation charges and expensive maintenance costs later.
It is possible to install a new metal roof over your existing residential roofing. But should you skimp on doing it right it will cost you more. If you install the new metal roof over more than two layers of pre-existing roof, you’re bound to pay more in the long run. The same applies when you install a new roof over one that has leaking, soft spot, or sagging issues.
4. Not Pricing on Total Cost
A rookie mistake when shopping for aluminum roofing or other metal roofs is to price is based purely on the cost of the material. If you fail to factor in the delivery and installation costs as well as all the other parts you’ll need you won’t arrive at an accurate estimate for the project. Don’t forget to add tax, labor, and permit costs as well.
Avoid Costly Mistakes with Metal Roofs
Metal roofs are durable, giving you more value for your investment. Not only that, but they aren’t any noisier and can be installed over pre-existing roofs. It’s easy to make mistakes when installing a metal roof, and you need to know what to avoid to get the most out of your investment.