Metal Roofing Archives - Distinctive Metal Roofing

7Nov

November 7, 2016

How To Find the Best Metal Roofing Contractor

Two things that never end well when it comes to metal roofing are cheap prices and little research. As painstaking as it may seem, doing extensive research on a metal roofing contractor before you hire them is one of the most important steps in having a metal roof installed, especially since they’ll be installing one of the most important aspects of your house. Read reviews, ask around for referrals, and never choose a contractor just because they offer a cheaper price. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you’ll probably end up paying what you saved on repairs for a poorly installed roof. For a job well done, and peace of mind, be sure to do your research.

Some things to keep in mind while doing your research is that the best roofing contractors usually aren’t available tomorrow or next week because they are in demand. They’re also not the cheapest because they know they’re giving you your moneys’ worth. They’ll be highly regarded on review sites, and a lot of their business comes from past customers who refer their friends and relatives to them.

Speaking of referrals, manufacturers are great places to start, as most know the integrity and expertise of the metal roofing contractors they work with. In some cases, a manufacturer will carefully interview potential contractors before offering the product to them for resale (and installation). Carefully selecting quality contractors is a way for the manufacturer to control the quality of the installation in the field and enhance the value of their product in the marketplace. After all, if something goes terribly wrong with a job and a homeowner can’t get a response from the contractor, they usually turn to the material manufacturer in hopes of resolution. Material manufacturers are usually brutally honest and will not recommend a contractor they have had problems with.

Asking friends and family members about their experience with a roofing contractor can be a great way to find good companies to work with. Be sure to read review pages (Houzz, Better Business Bureau, and Angie’s List are great resources) to find reliable contractors who will work for you. Finding a reliable roofing contractor online is possible, but online reviews are no substitute for meeting with a contractor in person. Interviews are an important way to get to know the contractor. Prior to the interview, go through their website and read reviews of them online. What do you like about their work? Once they start the job, do they see the job through before going to the next job? Make sure you use this time to have the roofing contractor address your concerns and let them tell you what they can provide for you. When making a large investment in your home, you want someone who listens to and understands your needs while also delivering a quality service. To help narrow down your choices, ask the roofing contractor for references. A reputable roofing company will have a long list of completed roofs, allowing you to drive by the home to actually see their work.

Distinctive Metal Roofing is proud to be the best roofing contractor in the greater Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA, areas. Just listen to what our happy customers have to say!

7Nov

November 7, 2016

Is It Possible To Install a Metal Roof in Winter?

Is it possible to install a metal roof in winter? This is a great question and a common concern of many homeowners.

Most home owners want to get their new roof installed before the weather turns cold. If your roof is reaching its end of life, don’t wait until your roof completely breaks down. A small leak can lead to bigger problems, causing expensive interior damage to your home.

When the weather starts to become cold, special care is required when handling asphalt shingles. When the weather drops below 50 degrees, asphalt shingles become less flexible, making them susceptible to cracking or, in severe cases, breaking apart. Asphalt shingle bundles tend to keep the shape upon which they are stacked. When nailing, it is important for the shingles to lay flat; otherwise, the nail may break through the shingle during installation. Most asphalt shingles are manufactured with a thermally activated asphalt sealant, which bonds the shingles together once they are installed and exposed to several weeks of sufficient heat from the sunlight. The thermal activation process is critical in protecting your home from wind uplift and stopping water from entering your home. Open metal valleys should be considered when working in cold weather. Woven or closed valleys require shingles to be cut and bent, which may result in shingle damage.

Unlike asphalt shingles, which become brittle when the weather turns cold and rely upon adhesives that require warm temperatures to “activate” and prevent water from entering your home, a quality metal roof can be installed year-round. A quality metal roof is interlocking and does not rely upon sealants as a primary method to protect your home from the weather. In fact, installing a metal roof in winter is the same as it is in the summer—just a little colder!

Whether you need new roofing in winter or summer, the Distinctive Metal Roofing team is available to help you with your metal roofing needs year-round. We’ll provide you with a FREE ballpark metal roofing estimate for your home over the phone, and if the cost is within your budget range, we’ll meet to show you samples and answer all your questions while effortlessly guiding you through the process of selecting your new metal roof.

The Distinctive Metal Roofing team looks forward to working with you!

February 26, 2015

New Metal Roofs

What To Look For in Standing Seam Metal Roofing

If there’s one thing homeowners are confused about, or don’t take the time to research, is the difference between the various standing seam products on the market today. The biggest reason for this is that they usually can’t compare panels side by side and don’t know the correct questions to ask. I’ll attempt to clarify some of the areas to focus on as a homeowner so you’re sure to compare apples to apples, and get the best standing seam material available today.

Here’s What homeowners Should Focus On…

Gauge: This is the thickness of the material. After you ask your roofing contractor about the basics of your project, you can delve into the details. The thinner the gauge, the higher the number. The thicker, the lower the number. Home improvement stores offer material as thin as 28 or 29 gauge. While this is the standard for numerous stamped steel panels in the market that are created to look like slate or shake, it is not the norm for true standing seam metal roofing material. Our standard is 24 gauge which withstands hail better than even the commonly accepted 26 gauge panels offered by most other metal roofers. Cost is a non-issue as they’re pennies different per linear foot.
Paint Coating: Kynar 500^® PVDF resin-based finish is the only finish Distinctive Metal Roofing products are coated with, unless we’re installing an agricultural (36″ screw-through) panel, and even that’s available in Kynar 500^® now. The coating’s no fade, no chalk warranty is as good as it gets for 30+ years of chalk and fade protection. Research on silicone polyester and acrylic paints vs. Kynar 500^® PVDF resin-based finish proves the durability time and time again. There’s simply no other choice to consider other than Kynar 500^® for metal roofing materials.
Locking mechanisms and rib height: There are numerous standing seam roofers who form their panels in the field (your yard) instead of purchasing pre-formed/pre-cut panels from a manufacturer who specializes in standing seam materials. While cutting and forming every panel on site may seem like a custom way to approach standing seam manufacturing, the quality of the locking mechanisms at the seams is typically very weak. When a side by side comparison is done (ours vs. theirs), the differences are profound. Plus, the panels we use have a 1 1/2″ rib height which is the best defense against moisture and provides the most aesthetically appealing panel. Many field formed panels have 3/4″ or lower seams.
Substrate: The material standing seam is made from should be Galvalume, period. Galvalume is a combination of galvanized steel and aluminum. 100% aluminum standing seam is simply too soft for the geographic region we serve and can dent too easily from even the slightest hail. While any standing seam material can dent from hail, it’s much less likely with a 24 gauge Galvalume panel than any other material.
Striations: “Oil Canning” is a term used to describe the waviness that occurs with standing seam panels which is caused by thermal expansion and contraction. We use striated panels which minimize oil canning which also provides a more aesthetically appealing panel.

There’s no denying the many benefits of standing seam metal roofing. I hope this information clarifies some of the mystery between standing seam products being offered today. The best thing you can do for yourself is to do side by side comparisons. We would love to show you why our standing seam is the best available. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Kynar 500® is a registered trademark belonging to Arkema Inc.

October 29, 2012

Uncategorized

STORM DAMAGED ROOF, MISSING SHINGLES? WE’RE HERE TO HELP CLEVELAND AND BEYOND

We’re seeing some record wind conditions across the area and we’ve noticed a LOT of asphalt roofs with missing shingles. While we’re not in the asphalt roof repair business, we are in the business of providing home owners with roofs that will never need repair. Since our metal panels interlock on the tops and sides, you’d see the entire roof fly off your house before you’d see a single panel come loose. If this storm was the final straw for you and your roof, we’re here to help.

July 23, 2012

Uncategorized

AVON OHIO ADDS YET ANOTHER METAL ROOF!! TWO IN ONE MONTH!

Another gorgeous Kassel and Irons “KasselWood” metal roof, this time in Charcoal.

June 1, 2012

Uncategorized

METAL ROOFING FOR WATERFRONT HOMES – THE PERFECT CHOICE

If you’re a homeowner that lives on Lake Erie, the Portage Lakes, or any other body of water, your home probably takes a lot more abuse from the elements than the average home. While metal roofing is the perfect choice for all homes, it’s an especially logical choice for a home that sustains a great deal of wind and sun exposure. We see it everyday – shingles torn off and badly curled from the excessive exposure to the elements these homes sustain. Metal roofing will never curl and can with stand hurricane force winds. Coupled with the energy savings a metal roof provides and the decades of beauty they’ll provide you with, metal roofing is the smart choice for lakefront homeowners. Call today for your free estimate!

May 17, 2012

Uncategorized

ASPHALT ROOFING PRICES SKYROCKET!

Historically, asphalt roofing prices double every 10 years. Not the case anymore as they’ve doubled in the last 3 years. This week, a major local supplier sent an email to all of its customers that talked about the fact that GAF had a price increase of 8 – 10% in April with another coming in the 5 – 7% range in May. Greater increases have and will occur from CertainTeed. What’s this mean to you as a homeowner? First, and foremost, it means that in 12 years, when you replace your asphalt roof with another asphalt roof, you’re going to be paying through the nose. Between today’s roof and the one you do 12 years down the road, you’ll pay quite a bit more for two asphalt roofs (and they’ll will look bad much earlier than 12 years from now) than you would a metal roof. Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing things the same way and expecting different results”. If you’re staying in your home for the long term, break the cycle of replacing your asphalt roofing every 12 years and buy your very last roof today… a metal roof from Distinctive Metal Roofing. It makes SO much sense, it’s scarey! You don’t need to be an Einstein to figure this one out either. (see letter below)

Willoughby Supply Price Increase 2012

May 9, 2012

Uncategorized

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ROOFER?

That’s a loaded question because if you do have a favorite roofer, it’s because you’ve probably used them once or twice before. Do you realize that if you put on a metal roof the last time you roofed, you wouldn’t have to do it again in your lifetime? Do you also know that you would have saved anywhere between 20 – 40% between your last roof and the one you have to do today if you had done a metal roof the first time? And do you know that your roof would look and protect your home and family as well as it did the day it was installed? Metal roofing is a no -brainer if you’ll be staying in your home for another 10 years. Call and let us show you how it makes sense with a free estimate. You won’t be sorry…promise!

May 8, 2012

Akron Roofing New Metal Roofs News Uncategorized

HEY CLEVELAND AND NORTHEAST OHIO…. READ THOSE ROOFING WARRANTIES!

If I tell you that I’ll warrant your toaster against manufacturing defects for 30, 40, 50 years, or a “lifetime”, do you think your toaster will last for 30, 40, 50 years, or a “lifetime”? Notice, I didn’t say I’d warrant your toaster’s serviceability for a “lifetime”.

Time and time again, I’m told that someone has replaced their roof with a 30, 40, 50, or “Lifetime” asphalt roof. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the only thing that’s “Lifetime” about an asphalt roof is that you’ll be replacing it over and over again…for a LIFETIME. What’s really covered for those time periods? Do you know? Well, if you’re like me and want to know what you’re buying, you’ll research expensive purchases pretty thoroughly. Most people don’t, unfortunately. They’re the ones who keep buying asphalt roofs and wonder why they’ve failed “prematurely”. The thing is, they haven’t failed prematurely in most cases, they’ve just failed against a homeowner’s unrealistic expectations that they’d last 30, 40, 50 years, or a “Lifetime”.

Asphalt roofing warranties will typically tell you that most things that can happen to an asphalt roof (blow offs, failure to seal, granule loss, streaking, etc.) are only covered for a VERY limited period of time, and often pro-rated during that time, or immediately after. What IS covered for 30, 40, 50 years, or “Lifetime” is manufacturing defects.

When’s the last time you used a warranty for a “manufacturing defect” to get a replacement for anything you’ve purchased? Yep, that’s what I thought. We’re too smart to be fooled by asphalt warranties that have been used as marketing ploys for years by the asphalt roofing industry. Metal roofing warranties really mean “lifetime” when they say it….your lifetime, and even then, many are transferable to the next owner. Please call me and I’ll send you an asphalt warranty and our metal roofing warranty and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about once you compare and contrast the two. An excerpt from one of the major asphalt players appears next to this post. Unfathomable that they say “lifetime” and “15 years” in the very same sentence, no? And later in the warranty, it tells us that the algae warranty is pro-rated after the first year. Tricky stuff!

May 8, 2012

Akron Roofing New Metal Roofs News Uncategorized

INSURANCE COVERING YOUR ROOFING COSTS??

It’s amazing! There are about 15 homes that directly surround me on my semi-circle type street. Some of us have received settlements for a complete roof replacement (and then some) and others haven’t! Yet all have seen the same weather issues (excessive wind/hail), all built our homes 12 years ago within months of each other, and we all need new roofs. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones and will be replacing my ugly asphalt roof (that needed to be replaced 2 years ago, after only 10 years of service) with a metal roof, of course. I plan on staying in my house for the long haul so it makes perfect sense to never replace my roof again, as will be the case with a Kassel and Irons “KasselWood” roof. So if you’re in doubt about whether your roof will be covered based on your neighbor’s experience, don’t hesitate to call your insurance agent and file a claim if you’re constantly replacing blown off shingles or believe your roof has been hail damaged, regardless of the age of your roof. It may be worth it in a BIG$$ way!

Tag: Metal Roofing

Here’s What homeowners Should Focus On…