Lake Erie Metal For Shingles

About Metal Roofing

A metal roof is the best roofing option for a lifetime roof!

Your new metal roof will be energy efficient. As the only Energy Star rated roofing material available, metal will keep the interior of your home about 10 degrees cooler in summer months. The real gold on our metal is in the coatings. These high end, U.V. refractive coatings are done at the manufacturer level. They not only keep the sun's heat from penetrating the attic, but they provide superior - hard as nails protection on the paint. Our process is top-tier, which allows for a 40 year manufacture warranty (guaranteeing that the coatings will not rust, fade or chalk). The metal material warranty extends beyond the coatings warranty.

Have you ever seen an older silver galvalume metal roof that has rust streaks? Or a strip mall with an older standing seam roof that looks faded and uneven in color? This is how metal without the proper coating can look like over time. When you buy metal from a box store, this is the risk taken in it’s longevity. Without proper coating, a metal roof may last a long time, but it will not look like it did when first installed.

Why is a metal roof better than a traditional shingle roof?

We receive two kinds of callers. Those who have had shingles for 25 years and are ready for a new roof and those who had a new shingle roof installed just five years ago, and they now have shingles laying in the yard, blown off in the wind. As with many things in today’s world, they just don’t make products like they used to.

Shingles are a tar-based product. From the day of installation, they are in process of slowly breaking down in a Molotov cocktail of sun, rain and heat. Tree seeds and debris stick like Velcro to shingles and wet weather holds moisture within this debris until a nice topiary sprouts on your roof. Moss patches, staining and eventual curling and cracking are all things to look forward to as weather takes a toll on the tar-based shingle. Snow piles on a shingle roof to the gutter line and icicles hang like daggers off the gutters. Your gutter weighs down with ice and everyone holds their breath waiting for the popsicles around your house to thaw. Even if you weave electronic heat cords to the gutters to side step the freeze, your shingle roof will eventually get tear stains like of Aunt Milly’s Pekinese—unattractive streaking and patches in a lighter or darker color (than your actual shingle) that runs down the front of your home. Nice. Even the best shingle is on the slow track for this degradation.

At Lake Erie Metal For Shingles, You could say we’re partial to metal. Here’s Why: Your new metal roof will look just as crisp, fresh and structured year after year as the day of install. This is due to the superior, hard as nails coating on your metal that seals in the paint and protects from scratches, rust, fading and chalking. Our snow bar will keep snow above your gutter line and allow for a controlled melt into the gutters, this prevents ice dams and snow from sliding to your walkway. On a new home, metal looks mint. On an older home, metal gives a stunning and modern uplift to the exterior façade that you can’t get with any other home improvement. And those are the just aesthetics of metal.

The added benefits of a metal roof almost make it non-comparable to shingles. Not only will our metal roof keep your home cooler due to metal roofing’s energy efficiency, but our metal is Class 4 rated for fire, wind and hail and can get you an insurance discount. Of all roofing materials out there, metal is the least likely to need repair or replacement through insurance.

What kind of metal do you use?

Our coil is made in the U.S.A. and not imported. What does this mean for you? It means that while materials in the construction trade are skyrocketing due to foreign import tariffs and shortages causes by the ripple effect of the Suez Canal, our products are more price stable.

The most popular choice for a residential metal roof is called rib metal. Our rib metal is 28g Galvalume; grade 80. (Most others are 29 [a thinner] gauge) Our metal has the Akzo Nobel's CERAM-A-STAR 1050 paint. It comes with a 40 year manufacturer warranty not to rust, fade or chalk. We use a special fastener with a 40 year manufacturer warranty. The metal is Class 4 rated for fire, wind and hail. It is the only Energy Star rated roofing system out there. The U.V. refractive coatings keep the home cooler in hot weather, reducing energy costs.

The horizontal snow bar works to keep snow from sliding off the roof and gives a controlled snow melt into the gutter, prolonging their life and preventing ice damning.

The U.L. ratings of this panel are:

*U.L. 790 Class A Fire Resistance Rating
*U.L. 2218 Class 4 Hail Impact Resistance
*U.L. 580 Class 90 Uplift Test Rating
*ASTM A653 Structural Strength
*ASTM A755 Coil Coating Paint Process

What is the difference between rib metal and standing seam? Which one will I need?

As you drive and notice houses with metal roofs, you are most likely seeing the metal we call “Rib Metal”. Rib metal is the most popular kind of metal used on residential homes. It’s a lower cost, 28 gauge rib panel that is cut off a 3' wide coil. Gauge refers to the thickness of the metal. A lower number indicates a thicker gauge metal.

Rib metal and standing seam are set apart by four differences:

Rib metal uses fasteners and Standing seam uses a snap lock method of install.
Rib metal is a lighter gauge and can be worked with and cut by hand. Standing Seam is a very thick metal and can not be cut by hand. It is cut by a roll form machine on site. Special crimping tools are used to fold over the end seams. It's labor intensive and takes a specific skill set.
Rib metal can be installed over shingles while Standing Seam most often requires tear off.
Cost: Rib metal is half as much as Standing Seam due to the above reasons.

Rib metal is identified by a gauge of 29 or 28. Standing seam is identified by a 26 or 24 gauge thickness. A higher gauge metal is easier to work with, to cut for dormers and additions or other areas where the metal needs to be installed at an angle. Rib metal is Class 4 rated for fire, wind and hail and has nearly the same U.L. rating as standing seam. It is a high quality metal that is wind resistant. It is attached using fasteners, our fasteners carry a 40 year manufacturer warranty.

Standing Seam has the same warranty and is often the preferred choice of engineers and architects for it’s structured aesthetic. Most homes and smaller commercial buildings will not need standing seam. It’s best application is for use in a large building where there is a lot of space between trusses. The lower or heavier gauge of the metal is needed to span the distance between trusses.

We install the above metals and have a beautiful Rib metal panel that comes in a standing seam profile. So you get the look of standing seam without the cost.

Can you install metal roofing over existing shingles?

The majority of homes you’ve seen in our photos have had their metal roofs installed directly over the existing shingles. In fact, this is a recommended manufacturer method of install. The existing shingles, even if old or some are missing, actually serve as vapor barrier. Installing over shingles saves the client the cost of tear off, the re purchase of vapor barrier and keeps a tar based product from forever leaking in a landfill. The metal is heavy gauge and therefore stronger than shingles, but surprisingly light weight. We can install over furring strips to help an older roof get a nice, straight appearance or install over underlayment.

Does a new metal roof increase a homes value?

YES! The return on investment [ROI] is around 87% when it comes to having a metal roof. What that means is that if your home is appraised with a shingle roof at $100,000 and you decide to install a metal roof that costs $10,000.00, your appraisal amount on your home just went up to $108,700.00. In essence, that metal roof will not only help to sell the house faster and add equity value to it but in the end it, the homeowner has only paid 2k instead of 10k because they recouped the lion share of cost for the home’s metal roof.

Your home is easier to sell with a metal roof than without. This is because of the longevity and energy efficiency a metal roof provides, even if it’s 10 or 20 years old. You can’t say the same for a shingle roof. No one is thrilled about buying a home with a 10 or 20 year shingle roof. In fact, in the thousands of calls we field, nearly all our potential home buyers have one thing in common – they want a metal roof on the home they want to buy. They do not want shingles. They seek an estimate with hopes to persuade the seller to reduce the asking price by the amount of a replacement roof. And they want the replacement roof to be metal—not shingles!

The roof is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a new home. Homes on the market with metal sell 89% faster than homes with shingles!

Will a metal roof attract lightening or limit my cell phone reception?

Lightening strikes, rain noise or cell phone interference are all misconceptions. Let’s say you are living barefoot in a shack in the woods. Your roof has no decking – it’s just sheets of metal tacked over head. Yes, you would hear the rain because there’s nothing under the metal. However, if you are not living in a shack, but have the decking, underlayment and in many cases, a layer of existing shingles for vapor barrier, you will not hear a thing in inclement weather.

Lightening has little attraction to your new metal roof, nor does the metal negatively affect your cell phone or internet use while inside the home.

After all this, if you still want shingles, We can help. We have done many historic or HOA properties where shingles needed to be the main roof but the homeowner also wanted metal on accent and porch roofs.

Metal roofing Frequently Asked Questions