Looking for pros and cons of metal roofs? We put together a list of five pros and cons you can use to help you decide if a metal roof is right for your home.
As expert after expert comes out with their reasoning why commercial investing is better than others, you need to know what you could be looking forward to. Even though you can guarantee better returns, in the long run, you could also be looking at other types of problems. Looking at the pros and cons of metal roofs can help you determine the scope of your investment potential.
Here are five pros and cons to think about.
1. They’re Great For the Environment
One of the best reasons for a metal roof is thinking about how much you could be saving month after month. The way that a metal roof reflects light and heat allows you to stay cool throughout the warmer months. Metal roofs allow you to recoup money month after month after you invest in the money to install them.
During the summer, it’s important to have a metal roof to help you out if you want to lower your carbon footprint. The amount of money and energy that it costs to cool a building can be immense and with the right roof, you can cut costs by a quarter.
Look into reflective pigments that can help you to continue to reflect heat from the roof. This will protect your metal for longer and also add to how much you bounce back at the sun. You’ll keep everyone underneath your roof comfortable and find they might not even need to use the air conditioner.
2. They Can Be Loud
One of the reasons that people avoid metal roofs is that they can be super loud. While any roofing at all is going to make a lot of noise when hail hits it or you’re in the midst of a thunderstorm, metal is especially bad.
During intense storms, you’ll learn a lot about how much metal can amplify and reflect sounds. While it causes light to bounce back, it also causes sounds to bounce around for longer.
You can save yourself from this pretty big issue in the “con” category if you add some extra sheathing or insulation. Install a couple of extra layers and you can minimize the sound that you hear underneath it.
Make sure that you accurately calculate the cost of this material so that you don’t go over your budget.
3. They Last a Long Time
If you live in a region where climate events and storms are constantly ravaging your roofing, then a metal roof is your best bet. The material has a much longer lifespan than other types of roofing. As a homeowner or owner of a commercial building, the costs of repairing a roof are quite an albatross hanging around your neck when it comes up.
Longevity and durability mean more than just saving money on your roof. When managing a commercial building, you have to think about all of the tenants under your roof. When you cut corners in regard to your roofing, you put those businesses at risk.
You don’t want to be responsible for replacing expensive equipment or any of the supplies held by the companies you lease to. That can blow a huge hole into the budget for your business that you might not be able to recoup.
You could also put your building itself at risk. By the time that you see the issues from your damaged roof, you’re often seeing leaking coming from up above. All that water that’s run to that point has run throughout the interior of your building, causing potential rot and damage along the way.
Having a long-lasting roof is your best defense against having to invest thousands in repairing your building’s interior structure.
4. They Can Cost a Bit More Than Others
When you’re looking to fix your roof or replace it, you already know that you’re staring down a potentially massive bill. Just a square of material, usually 100 feet square, can go as high as $900. This material isn’t going to be cheap to buy or cheap to install, but it’s so much better than other potential roofing solutions.
Expect labor costs to increase as well. When you buy material that is harder to work with and more costly, there’s more work to be done to get it to fit the roof. You’re calling for specialized knowledge and the right equipment.
All of these things cost roofing companies money, which will be passed along to you.
However, you should do some calculating and compare how long you can expect this roof to last compared to others. If you don’t have to replace this for several decades, during which you’d replace traditional materials several times, then you know you’re making a good bet. Metal roofing is a situation where you truly get what you pay for.
5. Beware of Denting
One of the cosmetic issues that happen with metal roofing is that it can be dented. While this might not seem like a big deal, realize that this can change the integrity of the material.
You might overlook a dent on your roof but that dent could collect water. The bending could tear up the finish and cause it to start rusting. When this happens, you end up with holes in your roof.
Some roofing is guaranteed to never dent but will cost you a little more. It’s probably worth the trouble if your building is located in an area with extreme weather or high wind.
Carefully Consider the Pros and Cons of Metal Roofs
When it comes time to decide on a metal building or to repair the one that you already own, consider the pros and cons of metal roofs. You could end up saving a lot of money in the long run without having to worry about future repairs for a while.
If you still have questions about metal roofing, contact us today for answers.