A nice steel energy efficient roof

Efficient Steel Roofing

For those of us who are interested in living frugally and efficiently, when considering a new roof think about the ways that a steel roof can help you meet both goals. For me, I moved into a small, affordable home about a year ago. I knew that it would need a new roof at some point, but the house met my basic needs. These Kansas winds on older roofs really do a number on them. With each windstorm in recent months that has come up, I've had to go out and pick up the newly unattached shingles from the yard afterwards. I knew the day was imminently approaching that I'd have to do something, as in get a new roof, to address the matter.

My best friend suggested that I consider a steel roof for several reasons—one: initial cost, great insulating and reflective capacities, much longer lasting than a shingle roof, and easier to install. Plus, in my case it could go on right over the existing shingled roof making the job less involved. Even the basic steel roof lasts for 40 years. I'm told the more expensive ones can last up to 100 years. I figure at my age, the basic—40 year type—would cover my needs.

There's a new big box store in town. They began their business putting up pole barns in the northern states and have expanded from there. They know steel roofs. Based on the measurements of the roof and its pitch, they calculated all the materials that would be needed for the job. The cost was fairly reasonable as far as roofs go, in my opinion. The sheets of steel, the insulation, and all the other ancillary materials were delivered within a week or so of placing the order.

Steel sheets had to held down with boards to keep it weighted down enough to combat the Kansas winds.

The insulation that gets placed over the existing shingles and under the steel sheeting—it adds a layer of insulation to further protect the house from the heat and the cold.

The J channels and flashings arrived in this wooden box.

The box was put on saw horses and then the pieces of steel could be cut as needed to fit around the vents and the skylight that were already on the roof.

Here's a long view of the steel sheets and the other steel materials...

At first, Dan prepared the south side of edge of the roof. Then he recruited my youngest who's 15 1/2 to come help and learn a bit about roofing.

A week ago the weather was hot and windy... 

The prep work was coming along quite well...

Before I knew it, I heard calls of will you come up and sit on the insulation?

Although I had never entertained the thought of going up on my roof, with a good ladder and a helping hand, voila!, I was up there before I knew it! It was quite nice looking out over all the other houses in the areas. Fortunately, the pitch on my house is not that steep because by the end of my time on the roof I could already feel muscles I hadn't become too familiar with in recent years.

Last Saturday I began to appreciate roofers with new insight. I also started looking at roofing solutions differently. Checking out the materials and the pitch of the roof and the complicated designs of either the roof materials and how they had to be laid or the complexities of the different roof designs themselves. I was glad I had a simple roof with only one skylight on it along with its vents.

During the week it rained for a couple of days, so work was stalled for a few days. On Thursday work resumed. Dan really knows his stuff and before long the west side of the roof was completed. On Friday he started to work on the more complicated side with all the vents and the skylight. That required cutting precisely the steel sheets so they'd fit over the vents, yet come up close enough so as not to expose the roof to weather. Measuring twice, cutting once came in handy on that side of the roof. My son was recruited a little bit to help, but mostly Dan did the work on his own. Some wind made the job more challenging, so you couldn't just lay anything down without securing it. It required vigilant attention to supplies and anchoring of supplies, not to mention all the precision that was required in the cutting of the steel to fit at the right places.

By Saturday, one week later, he had a few more sheets to put up to completely cover the old shingles. 

Wow! Doesn't that look nice?! He still has to trim the east edge and then secure the steel sheets with some more screws, but the fussy work of fitting the sheeting around the vents is complete. It looks beautiful. What an upgrade over the old shingles.

As far as efficiency goes, I can already tell that the job of heating and cooling the house during the hot and cold months is going to be much easier. I'm looking forward to seeing the drop in my monthly bills and to be able to compare them to my previous years' history to see how much I save each month. I really don't think it'll take too many years before the efficiency savings ends up paying for the roof itself. Plus, this year, there is still a tax credit to take advantage of; it's not as generous as the one last year, but hey, every bit helps. Ask your tax advisor about the tax credit advantages.