There are a lot of advantages to using residential metal roofing. It’s durable, easy to maintain, saves a lot of energy and money, while also giving the aesthetic appeal that you want for your home.
But metal roofs come in all different forms. There are a lot of different metals you can use for your house. If you’re planning to install a metal roofing material, you have to consider a lot of factors before choosing the best one for you. After all, the roof plays a significant role in the protection and appeal of your home.
While you could use a lot of metal roofing materials, here are the most common materials used in residential roofing:
Copper
In ideal conditions, Copper could last longer than other types of roofing metal. With a life cycle of more than 200 years, maintenance is not really a concern for this material. Although weather changes could cause its fasteners to become loose once in a while, there’s no need for major repairs when it comes up.
Copper is well-known due to its striking appearance. It gives off a bit of elegance and timeless look in a structure that’s why it’s more popular with churches and historical buildings though it’s no stranger to residential homes as well.
It’s the softest and easiest material to work with. With Copper, creating fantastic and elaborate roofing design to your taste is possible.
Besides its appearance, installing this metal material for your roof will undoubtedly give you a few other benefits. It can lower your insurance rates due to its resistance to places that are vulnerable to wildfires.
Zinc
If your concern is the environment, this is the most energy efficient metal you can use. Since Zinc is one of the most common elements found in nature, it takes less energy to produce compared to other types of metal roofs.
Zinc roofing also helps reduce the absorbed energy into your home. Because of this, increasing numbers of environmental-friendly engineers and architects are using this material.
It’s also a very durable material, usually lasting from 60-80 years. Although, depending on the quality of installation, building properties, and climate, Zinc could also last even longer than a hundred years.
Aluminum
Aluminum is the best material for homes in coastal climates since it’s highly resistant to corrosion caused by moisture and sea salt.
It’s slightly more expensive than Steel, but its greater overall design versatility is worth the price. When compared to other materials, Aluminum have better resistance to denting than other materials. You will find that it will not fracture during hail or periods of freezing rain.
Steel
Before it was incorporated into residential buildings, Steel was only commonly found on commercial construction sites. Nowadays, it’s one of the most used residential metal roofing materials. Steel is one of the least likely to dent so it can be commonly found in regions prone to high snow volumes, winds, hail, and hurricanes since.
While its creation can be a more energy-intensive process than Zinc, it’s still an eco-friendly material to work with since most of the Steel we use are recycled. Tremendous advancements in the current technology have also made it possible to use Steel to mimic the appearance of Copper, Zinc, and other more expensive metal roofing options.
While there are three types of steel, Weathering Steel is more likely to be used in heavy Steel industries such as bridge construction. For residential purposes, the most commonly used are Galvanized and Galvalume.
Galvanized Steel is created with a layer of Zinc to protect the inner layer of Steel and slow the process of corrosion. Meanwhile, Galvalume uses not only Zinc but Aluminum which results in better surface protection than the former, but it makes it more vulnerable to scratches or cut edges.
Fahey Roofing Contractors can help you with necessary roof repairs and roof replacement. Check out our Roofing Company in Charleston, WV and contact us at (304) 826-1333 to learn more.