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Re: GBlist: Costs of metal roofs




In a message dated 4/16/97 8:49:55 AM, you wrote:

<<In many installations, metal roofing costs more than fiberglass
shingles. 3'-wide sheet material starts at roughly $50 a square for the
roofing typically used on agricultural buildings. If the eaves are
detailed nicely, it looks very attractive on houses. I've seen this
lower-cost material on houses in Fine Homebuilding and various builder's
magazines. It goes down very quickly. I put it on 4 houses in the last
10 years and they all are in great shape.

You can put metal roofing over 2x4 purlins, rather than a plywood deck.
I've used rafters spaced 48" o.c with 2x4 purlins on top (and metal hat
channel below for attaching drywall to the sloped ceiling) and the whole
system is reasonably priced when you consider all the material involved
and the labor. Complicated metal roofs take more labor and result in
more waste.

If you get into commercial roofs, especially standing-seam roofs, costs
rise very, very quickly. Those roofs are usually heavier,
self-supporting, and more structural (overkill for many residential
applications). $16,000 for 500 s.f. seems like a lot. Perhaps they
quoted copper.
-- 
John Bower, The Healthy House Institute
http://www.hhinst.com/    email: healthy@bloomington.in.us
430 N. Sewell Road, Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone/fax 812-332-5073>>

Hi folks,
Sorry I've been inactive for so long, I've been in fieldwork mode.  The last
time I installed metal roofing was in the '80's.  My recollection was that it
was more expensive than asphalt, but it wasn't $3000 a square.  There's
something wrong in the arithmetic here by a factor of 30 or so.  I used to do
standing seam roofs for around $100 a square in galvanized steel, copper
actually wasn't a whole lot more.  I grew up under 50 to 100 year old steel
roofs that were nailed down and the heads sealed with lead caps.  When a
metal roof is nail or lagged down thermal expansion and contraction slowly
works the heads loose and you have to climb up and tap 'em back every 5 years
or so cause they leak a little.  I've heard from old farmers that you've done
that after a while that doesn't work so good and you have to mop it.  I like
metal roofs.  They also make a great sound when it rains.  Word of caution -
a drop of water, paint or oil on a metal roof can't be stood on.  It's a
quick slide to the bottom.  Get geared up with OSHA approved fall protection.
- Terry

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