Standing Seam Metal Roofing

Although the technology for the standing seam metal roof is recent, metal roofing has been installed for centuries. Japanese temples and shrines have been built with copper roofs for millenium because of their structural resistance to earthquake damage. A Philadelphia church, built in 1787, is one of the oldest metal roof buildings in the USA. The Washington Monument and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello also have metal roofs.

Standing seam metal roofing is available in a wide variety colors, textures, and profiles. Though diverse in appearance, metal roofing has many common attributes such as durability, recycled content, recyclability, fire resistance, low weight, and low life-cycle cost.

Asphalt shingles, the most widely used material for residential roofing, are petroleum based. Although asphalt shingles have been atractively priced in the past their cost can vary dramatically in parallel with shocks in the international oil markets. They are also very heavy and place high stress on roof members. They are not resistant to fire or wind damage and deteriorate rapidly in high solar radiance.

Wood shakes, commonly made from cedar, are attractive but do not have the fire resistance desired by many homeowners. Some municipal jurisdictions prohibit the use of wood shingles in residential construction by local code. 

Clays tiles, considered the most attractive roofing material, are very heavy and therefore difficult and costly to install. Clay is also subject to breakage and the resultant danger from falling into pedestrian pathways.

Standing seam metal roofs are very durable and highly resistant to falling objects like tree limbs, and also to hail damage, much more so than asphalt/fiberglass shingles. Many metal roofs products have the highest impact resistance and hail rating granted by the insurance commissions in the hail belt regions in the U.S. Insurance companies commonly provide rate discounts to residential homeowners for metal roofs.

Depending on climactic preferences and the surface finish metal roofing can be installed to either attract or repel heat. The solar reflectance and infrared emittance of a metal roof can be engineered to meet the climate requirements of a specific building. Cool metal roofing can provide the desired high reflectance and low emittance in climates where heating loads prevail. Cool metal roofing can provide the desired high reflectance and high emittance where cooling loads dominate.

As reported by the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, installation of reflective metal roofing can save your home up to 40% in summer air conditioning costs while highly emissive metal roofs can reduce urban air temperatures by as much as 12 degrees F. These benefits mean less money out of your wallet, less dependence on unreliable energy resources, and less air pollution in your neighborhood and across the nation. Proper roof ventilation can aid greatly in temperature control.

Cool metal roofing is so energy efficient that it easily meets the requirements of the EPA's Energy Star program and has been certified as such. Homeowners who install Energy Star qualified standing seam metal roof products are eligible for a $1,500 tax credit through 2010 because of the energy saving benefits a metal roof provides.

A properly installed metal roof is nearly maintenance free for the lifetime of the roof. Metal roofing does not warp, split or crack and is not affected by mildew, rot, termites and other pests. At present DIY metal roof installation, which requires specialized training and tools, is probably beyond the capacity of most homeowners.

In many cases standard seam metal roofing can be installed directly over existing asphalt roofing, bringing significant savings in both time and labor costs.  

Metal roofing weighs less than other common roof materials which means less continuous stress is placed on a residential strutures especially after heavy snow and ice storms.

A standard seam metal roof is non-combustible, which should help reduce the homeowner's insurance rate, especially in high-fire risk regions. Properly installed metal roofing can withstand intense weather (high winds, hail, snow and rain) far more safely than any other roofing material.