Time for a new Roof (and skylights). Ugh

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smorgasbord

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Insurance company says we need a new roof or they'll jack up our rates and reduce our coverage. We've gotten 30 years out of our asphalt shingles, and an independent inspector says a lot of the granules are worn off so we've got another 5-7 years without leaks at most anyway.

Some roofers are pushing metal "standing seam" roofs, especially consider we live in the woods with high fire danger. Anyone done that? Any other thoughts or ideas, including perhaps a better (thicker, "architectural") composition shingle to ask for?
 
If you go the standing seam route do research on the thickness of the material and absolutely go look at some of their work. Thinner metal will distort in the heat and be extremely visible. At my age my next roof in the next few years will be high end dimensional. I will get a price for Grand Manor (very thick that produces large shadow lines) and one step down. A grand Manor roof usually is one of those things that would help sell a home and would be considered an upgrade in most areas.

Peter
 
There are also companies that make granule-coated steel that is shaped and styled to appear like traditional shingles, clay tiles, or shakes. These have the benefits of metal (longevity, fire resistance, etc) with the appearance of a more standard asphalt shingle. They've been around for quite a while, as I was looking into them back in 2011 when I needed the roof replaced on my 1920s bungalow.

I ultimately went with asphalt because the local metal installer wasn't one of the "all eaves on older houses must go" types (mostly made of tongue-and-groove, and rotting in many places), and I wasn't willing to give up the protection and visual appeal that the eaves provided. Also, I was barely making ends meet at the time, so the added cost wasn't something I was willing to put forth on a home that I knew wasn't my "forever" home.

There are other metal roof options as well, and a number of homes in our neighborhood installed them after the hurricane in 2020, but my goodness are they loud in a rainstorm. Not sure how loud they are inside the house compared to sitting on the porch across the street listening to them. YMMV based on installation and insulation methods.
 
I would say that close to 99% of new builds in Australia use metal roofing and very few have any issues of any description. Re-roofing is generally not required here as we don't use wood based or similar materials. In the old days we used corrugated iron metal sheets or tiles but these days metal is the default material. We do not have buckling issues from heat and an insulating blanket is laid under the sheet for heat and sound insulation. Youtube has a ton of videos with more information.
 
I went from 70 year old concrete tiles to Colourbond metal roofing last year and couldn't be happier, absolutely worth it just from the look let alone the noise and insulation factors.

And I'll never have to worry again about where that damn drip is coming from when it rained a certain way!
 
We re-roofed our house last year. We ended up going with impact resistant asphalt shingles. I wanted to have a metal roof as an option to consider but at the time it was not clear the HOA would approve it. We went with what a roofing contractor we trust suggested as the best asphalt option.
 
The metal roofs have a reputation for far greater durability than asphalt shingles. I have heard numbers around 70 years.

They also shed snow easily.

But that earned reputation for durability is based one heavy gage steel roofing with a galvanized finish. The stuff that they roll out from a on-site truck will not be as heavy gage.

I represented a company that did roll forming and heavy gage roll forming requires really long machinery—much longer than the on-site trucks can handle.

I have always assumed that they were rolling out aluminum roofing. I would be hesitant to walk out on aluminum roofing, so clearing gutters would risk damaging the roofing.

My roof is 25 years old and is a 30-year roof. I expect to have to replace it in the near future. But I will go with asphalt roofing again. I would have to live to 140 to appreciate the durability, and I am doubtful that the extra cost of a metal roof will be reflected on the resale price of my house.

As an aside, I will add a solar-tube (“sun tube”) just above my front door on the outside of my house. The front door has a 6’ x 6’ overhang to protect it from the weather, but it makes for a very dark and uninviting doorway. I would have the solar tube illuminate the door. I would note that I have never seen this done, but in my mind it would resolve my issue perfectly.
 
squall_line said:
There are also companies that make granule-coated steel that is shaped and styled to appear like traditional shingles, clay tiles, or shakes.
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Yeah, I started dealing with that company and got far enough along on getting a quote, for which they wanted to "do a presentation." But, when they insisted my wife join the video presentation, I said no, you're dealing with me. They insisted, and they lost a potential customer.

So far, I've gotten quotes from two companies:
1) A neighbor's roof turned out great, using DaVinci resin shake look shingles. This is CA, so fire danger means no more real wood shakes. That ended up quite expensive at $115k.
2) Got in touch with a company that also sells/installs skylights. Got initial estimates of $44k for asphalt shingles and $52.5k for metal. Still need more details on what that does/doesn't include (we have a separate garage and back shed) - didn't include the skylights in the quote.
3) Our Velux skylights today are curb-mounted (flat), and half are operable (electric). New operable ones would be solar powered, so apparently there's still a Fed Tax Rebate availableon them. Our ceiling are all vaulted, so no tubes or anything like that.
4) Contacted Tesla for their solar roof tiles. Initial estimate of $128k including 5 powerwalls after Fed Tax Credit. Can reduce that price by making some of the tiles not active and/or using fewer powerwalls.

Waiting on an estimate from a well respected roofing company. Wife doesn't really like the look of standing seam metal, so probably won't go for that.
 
Before I retired, the company I worked for produced components for VELUX, USA. Their quality demands and their attention to detail were extremely high.

I have no experience with their finished products, but if their skylights or solar tubes cost more than the competition, it is because they put more into their products.

Based on their manufacturing credo, I would recommend VELUX.
 
Personally I would never have a skylight in a house I own just because of the leak damage I have witnessed on homes I worked on, but that being said, I would never install a skylight made by anyone else but Velux and would never install one of those without using their flashing kits. Doing that and getting the warranty is well worth the extra expense of the flashing kit versus bending your own.

Peter
 
We have 4 Velux skylights installed, 2 on the house and 2 on the garage. I installed the first one on the house in 1998 and then one in 2011. Both of the garage skylights were installed in 2023. All are electrically operated, all use Velux flashing kits, all are on STEEPLY pitched roofs and none of them leak.

I consider the leak free performance to be a function of correct installation, using the Velux flashing kits and the steep roof pitches. Just continuously move that water away from any roof opening at a rapid rate. :)
 
My current Velux skylights (12 for house, 2 for garage/shop) are 30 years old and never leaked. Replacing since Velux no longer supports the electronics for the operable ones, the new electronics have wireless remotes, and the gas-filled/coatings are far better today than my old ones. I do have 1 of the 14 that has started to fog internally. Apparently, the seals don't last forever.
 
We also had 3 large Velux skylights put in when we had the roof converted to corrugated. We used to get leaks with the old kitchen skylight but with the new ones absolutely nothing. The flashing and design makes it pretty impossible for leaks.

We did fear the worst with one of the recent storms we had that dumped a massive amount of rain in a very short period, but nothing came through.

The amount of light they let in is just superb though, worth every cent.
 
luvmytoolz said:
We also had 3 large Velux skylights put in when we had the roof converted to corrugated. We used to get leaks with the old kitchen skylight but with the new ones absolutely nothing. The flashing and design makes it pretty impossible for leaks.

We did fear the worst with one of the recent storms we had that dumped a massive amount of rain in a very short period, but nothing came through.

The amount of light they let in is just superb though, worth every cent. I'm planning on getting a second one for the lounge on the other side of the roof to extend the daylight hours inside.
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