[Teetorbilt]

I am going to a metal roof. The house is a ranch and the roof equates to 6 flat panels. The 2 'wings' are a 3-12 pitch and the center is a 4-12, all have ridge vents.
I am considering doing this myself and have some (limited) roofing experience.
Questions;
I have read that ridge vents should not be on a 3-12 roof. This is an older home and while it has not been directly hit by a hurricane, it has come close and seen some high winds along with tons of rain and I see no signs of water entry anywhere. Input?
There is a local roofing contractor here who measures and orders his metal roofing from a company in Tennessee. It comes numbered and pre-cut. I have searched the web and can't find them. Any ideas on who this is?
Grumpy, want a paid vacation to the east coast of Florida?

 

[Grumpy]

LOL I don't do much metal work. Chris Industries here in the Chicago area (Northbrook) will custom cut any metal shape for you.

 

[Teetorbilt]

Grumpy, Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, getting snowed under here in FL.
I went to the site that you recommended and it looks expensive, very nice but expensive and it promotes 'custom', a euphanism for expensive.
I know that there is at least one company out there that you can send your specs to and they will cut to order.
What is your opinion of the ridge vents?
Sure that you don't want to come to FL? I'll send you some fish pics.

 

[hatchet]

What kind of metal are you thinking about? Something like standing seam or delta rib? Done quite a few metal roofs in MT and they have metal roof suppliers all over.

 

[Grumpy]

LOL I hate fish You can try quality supply in Chicago... Also if your really really serious about getting it done I can put you in touch with my metals sub. He does all our metal roofs.

 

[Floorwizard]

A client came in today and told me about his copper roof. Sounds like a pretty durable roof, 60 year warranty. Any thought?
could you fill the house with Iron mush and make it a battery?

 

[Grumpy]

Was it a copper shingle or a copper panel?

 

[Floorwizard]

Was it a copper shingle or a copper panel?

dunno, I will see it here soon when I measure. He said 60 year warranty, and it was expensive but it was a good investment. My kinda client!

 

[Grumpy]

Proably some kind of copper shingle because the flat panels come with no manufacturer warranty to the best of my knowledge... at least we never offer any

 

[Crankshaft]

Teetorbilt, don't know if you've made your decision yet. Last year we roofed an addition to our offices using Decra Shingle. This is metal with a 50 year warranty and looks like archeticital shingles. We applied over new decking but the mfg will warranty this over an existing roof. site is www.decra.com

 

[Teetorbilt]

Thanks Crankshaft but we are going for the Key West look and are going with metal roofing.

 

[Crankshaft]

Teetorbilt, OK, I understand now, some days I'm a little slow. There should be a steel supplier in your area that will cut to size, most do. We've erected several American Buildings - steel, clear spans and have been very happy with the colored steel.
Here are some sites that should have a dealer in your area
http://www.GeneralSteel.com (American Buildings)
http://WickBuildings.com/
http:americansteelsystems.com

 

[Teetorbilt]

Thanks Crankshaft.

 

[Anita]

Teetorbilt,

I don't see any response to your ridge vent question.....so...since I am on a roll, I will give you my opinion

Ridge vent is a great option in most cases. We would not put ridge vent on your roof due to the pitch, 5/12 is our lowest pitch installation rule.

I would check with the manufacturer to verify the required pitch.

This is hotly contested, but, wind driven rain (that sideways rain) is a concern with any vent, but ridgevent in particular due to the profile (sitting on very top of ridge.

 

[Grumpy]

Most manufacturers say 3/12 is ok, but I have had at least one ice backup on a 3/12. If I were to put a ridge vent on a 3/12 I would definetly use a baffled ridge vent like the shingle vent II or cobra snow country.

 

[Teetorbilt]

Thanks for the opinion and I know that it goes against everything that I have read but the more that I look around, the more that I see.
I'm an engineer, grew up in the Bahamas and So. FL and fully understand the principals at work here. Maybe we have special ridge vents? My house was built in the late 70's and has seen some close calls with hurricanes but I find no evidence of water damage.
Is it possible that the increase in air pressure against the walls 'turbocharges' the soffit vents to the point that the discharged air from the ridge vents prevents water entry? Might make a good thesis for an engineering student.

 

[Grumpy]

Teetor Some of the baffled ridge vents are engineered in such a way to increase the suction from the attic when a wind is blown across them. The stronger the wind the stronger the suction. They call that the Brunelli Effect. I may have spelled that wrong