FAQ’s About Metal Roofing

With stamped metal roofs, the deep-textured folds in the metal shingles avoid the ‘pinging’ sound you might expect from rain hitting a flatter metal roof. As a result, for normal construction methods, metal roofing does not create any objectionable noise during rainstorms. Attic airspace and ventilation play a role in sound absorption as well. During a rain storm, metal roofs have been recorded at 6db. To provide a frame of reference, normal conversation is 30 db. No one has ever told us that they’ve noticed a difference in noise between their old asphalt roof and their metal roof.

With temporary roofing products, your roof starts to deteriorate the moment it is installed. According to the asphalt roofing industry, the average lifespan of traditional shingles is 12-17 years! Heavily pro-rated or limited warranties on these products bring little or no value to property owners. Wood shingles also deteriorate quickly. Our roofs carry meaningful long-term warranties on both the base metal and their high-quality coatings. Feel free to call us and discuss the details of our warranties – we believe they are solidly the best in the industry!

Experience makes the difference, and we’ve installed more residential metal roofing than any of our regional competitors. Our Amish partners have been trained and certified by the manufacturer as experts in the process, and we’re the only certified dealer of Kassel and Irons roofing materials in the region. Our clients find it refreshing that we do what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it, that honesty is our ONLY policy, and shortcuts are never taken. We do it once and we do it right, which gives you the confidence to refer us to your family and friends for decades to come. Our process starts by helping you make an intelligent decision, not by pressuring you into a decision that may not be right for you.

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality products and service and we are trained in providing customers top quality service, installation and peace of mind. The home improvement chains carry a narrower array of often lower-quality products. Homeowners who purchase big box products can be severely disappointed by the lower quality metals, coatings, and product designs they purchased. By choosing Distinctive Metal Roofing for your metal roofing system, you are assured top-quality products, serviced and installed by the best. Many of the “big box” products also have exposed fasteners rather than concealed fasteners.

No roof should ever be installed at a pitch lower than that recommended by its manufacturer. Our metal shingle and regular standing seam products require a 3:12 pitch. If you have a roof section that is lower pitched, standing seam roofing solutions are available for that area and can usually be used down to 2:12 pitch.

First of all, our roofs require solid decking. Whether the job is over old shingles or direct over wood decking, underlayment should be used. Underlayment is required by the International Building Code and it helps protect the back side of the metal from any rough surfaces below the roofing material. One layer of synthetic underlayment along with ice and watershield products (if a tear-off of your current roofing layers is performed) are used.

Our high-strength metal doesn’t lose strength over time, making our roofs just as resistant to foot traffic and even hail when they are many years old as they are when they are new. We will provide instructions on how to safely walk on your roof, should the need arise.

For most homes, attic ventilation is critical. It helps avoid unhealthy high moisture levels which can result in condensation and even mold. It helps reduce home heat gain and air conditioning costs in warm weather. And it also plays a huge role in avoiding winter rooftop ice dams in northern climates. So, yes, your new metal roof can, and usually should be, vented. When a home is being re-roofed, we suggest that all vented be replaced rather than re-used.

Yes. Normal types of protrusions through the roof do not pose a problem. They simply need to be flashed and detailed properly. Skylights must be curbed, not flush-mounted. If there are existing skylights that show deterioration or if the existing skylights are 10 or more years old, we suggest new skylights be installed. It does not make sense to install a long term roof with a skylight that will soon need to be replaced.

Chances are that you currently use your cell phone in metal roofed buildings on a regular basis. Think of the restaurants where you eat, the stores in which you shop, your bank, your church, etc. Many of those buildings have metal roofs or metal decks beneath flat roofs. Over the years and tens of thousands of roofs, very few people have ever said that their metal roof seemed to affect their cell phone reception. If you currently have very, very weak or spotty cell phone reception inside of your home, a metal roof may be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back.” Adding a cell phone signal booster in your house would have been helpful before the metal roof and certainly would be helpful after your metal roof is installed. However, if you have fair to excellent cell phone reception now, the metal roof should not have any noticeable effect.

Lightning occurs from the highest object in an area, regardless of the material from which it is made. Metal roofing does not create nor attract lightning and poses no additional lightning risk to the structures it protects. Refer to this document published by the Metal Construction Association for more information on this subject.

The heavily-textured beauty of our metal shingle roofing systems adds strength and prepares them to take whatever Mother Nature dishes out. Our warranty provides specific hail protection including protection against finish damage and leaking due to hail. Additionally, unlike most other roofing materials, metal does not lose impact resistance with age – this is a real bonus over other products which become more susceptible to damage with each passing year. Because of the Class IV UL 2218 Impact Resistance Rating, you might even be eligible for a discount on your homeowner’s insurance. In the event of an especially severe storm, if an indentation does occur, it can often be repaired easily and invisibly by capping over the damaged shingle panel with a new panel.

Metal roofs are non-combustible and provide great protection from external fires. Additionally, the extreme low weight minimizes any cave-in threat which might occur in the event of an interior house fire.

Our roofs are made from a high percentage of recycled steel and their long life expectancy guarantees sustainability. Add in energy efficiency and the ability to often be installed over most existing single layer roofs (avoiding landfill disposal of old materials) and you have a very environmentally-friendly roof that can be a major contributor to LEED points. In comparison, temporary roofing materials use up precious natural resources and pollute the earth by sitting in landfills.