[Gvt1911]

Hello to all ! We are building a new home in SW Virginia and wanted to go with a metal roof. I noticed different gauges and styles /types of fastening. Got a quote on a standard seam metal roof at like $650 per square installed
I can go to Lowes and get a metal roof with exposed fasteners/screws for about $400 a square installed and it is the same 26 guage.
Any comments/help????
Recomendations 
Thanks

[Devil Doc]

Do you really need a Standing seam metal roof? If you lived where I do, New England, where we have real winters, it would probably behoove you to get one. But, I suspect winters aren't all that tough in SW Virginia and it's probably a waste of money. An asphalt roof in Virgina should last 30yrs. How long do you plan on living in your new house?

Doc.

[Don_S]

Fire resistance may be an issue.

Do you really need a Standing seam metal roof? If you lived where I do, New England, where we have real winters, it would probably behoove you to get one. But, I suspect winters aren't all that tough in SW Virginia and it's probably a waste of money. An asphalt roof in Virgina should last 30yrs. How long do you plan on living in your new house?

Doc.

[Gvt1911]

I liked the standard seam beacause of the look. I intend to live in the home until they carry me out, hopefully 25 plus years... We still get a good amount of snow and the home is on top of a hill with a million dollar view...I was also concerned about mildew because I will be surrounded by woods...I am going to get a price on the asphalt singles anyway to compare...
Thanks!

[Bob in St. Louis]

Check into rubber shingles.
If memory serves, they're made from (dyed) scrap tires. Of course, they're resistant to everything.
Not sure the cost though.

bob

[JLM]

Bob, old tires burn.

Check with assessors (bank, insurance, property tax).  My guess is the bank (if you're borrowing) won't be impressed, but the insurance company and tax man will be (as in higher rates for you).

Do the metal roof if you want to look and sound (rain can make a racket).  No real advantage where annual snowfall is measured in inches, versus feet.  Avoid anything like pole barn roofing at all cost, or anything with exposed holes.  Go for standing seam.  Recommend against the goofy shingle look metal roofs.  Shop by installers, get references, and for sure get a factory warrantee from a firm that will be around to stand behind it years from now.

[Don_S]

We had our own tire pile fire in Northern CA about a dozen years ago.  I forget how long it burned.  More like weeks (maybe months), not years.  Of course a roof is not stacked tires so I am sure the fire would burn out in just a couple of hours. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Good information, I suppose, but I'm not sure why I'd worry about my shingles catching fire.
Maybe if I lived in an area near threat of forest fires or volcanos I guess? But otherwise, in a "normal" house fire where the fire burns from the inside out, then by the time it reached the shingles, the roof would have collapsed anyway.

I guess??

Bob

[Don_S]

Gvt1911 said the home will be at the top of a hill surrounded by woods.  I am not sure how big an issue forest fires are where the home will be. Fire can rip up a slope very quickly.  Asphalt and wood shake shingles burn quite nicely as well.  If it was my home I would worry more about an external (forest) fire than an internal one and go with fireproof or fire resistant roofing.

Friends of mine just built a home on a hill overlooking the Missouri River in Montana.  They had to create a fire break between the house and the trees.  They also installed a sprinkler on the roof.  I am not sure if that was required or optional.  Of course the roof is metal and steep but that is for snow. Their views are spectacular but the mile-long driveway is scary. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

I don't recall Virginia having too much issue with forest fires, like Wyoming for instance.
But I'll shut up now, cause I really don't know what I'm talking about, just trying to be helpful. 

Bob

[TRADERXFAN]

Do you really need a Standing seam metal roof? If you lived where I do, New England, where we have real winters, it would probably behoove you to get one. But, I suspect winters aren't all that tough in SW Virginia and it's probably a waste of money. An asphalt roof in Virgina should last 30yrs. How long do you plan on living in your new house?

Doc.

Interesting, for the layman, why does metal roof do better for heavy snow?

[Gvt1911]

Thanks everyone, but decided to go with a Asphalt roofing system after all. Should be able to get the squares for about $200.00 each and I would need 32 total. I wanted the metal roof for the look since the house will be on top of a hill. Just one of those things. Winters are not that bad, but with the north pole moving, who knows? I am surrounded on 3 sides with woods and never thought about a fire  , thanks for that info. I can also go with Lowes Duration fiberglass shingles for about $100.00 a square. Thinking about the GAF Timberlines....HMMM...

[jqp]

Saw this and decided to post...

My sister has a new metal roof - on a houst that is about 2000-2500 sq. ft.

The color they chose was tan and it looks great.

Because my brother-in-law had done roofing in highschool, he installed it himself (with some help from 2 sons).

The total cost was the same as if he had gotten someone to put on a shingle roof, that is, the metal roof components cost the same a normal roof job in North Carolina. He put plenty of insulation under the metal roof, for thermal and noise insulation. No more roofs for them!

[randytsuch]

I guess I'll post too.

We have a metal roof, put it on many years ago not long after buying our house, and found the roof was leaking.

I think one of the drivers for us is we live in the hills around LA, so fire is a big concern.  Not sure how accurate this really is, but I remember the company had pictures where one house was standing after a fire, and of course it had a metal roof.

Randy