HomeMetal Roofing
Roofing And Siding
Metal Roofing, New Or Over The Old One
Standing seam and exposed fastener, on new buildings and over existing roofs, across the Illinois Valley. The roofing and siding crew is ours, which is why the flashings match.
Two Systems, Two Different Jobs
Nearly every metal roof is one of these two. They cost different money and they fail in different ways, and a quote that does not say which one it is quoting is not a quote you can compare.
Standing Seam
Panels lock together at a raised seam and are held by concealed clips. No fastener goes through the face of the roof.
- Nothing exposed to hold water or wear out in the sun
- Panels can move as they expand and contract
- Works down to lower roof slopes
- Costs more, and takes longer to put on
The right choice when it is a house, a building whose looks matter to you, or a roof you do not want to think about again.
Exposed Fastener
Ribbed panel screwed through the face, with a sealing washer under every screw head. The system on most barns and shops in the county.
- Costs less and goes on faster
- Proven on farm and shop buildings for decades
- Simple to repair, panel by panel
- The washers are the wear item over the years
The right choice when it is an ag or shop building, or when the budget is real and the roof is going on a working structure.
Why People Choose Metal
It costs more than asphalt on the day it goes on. These are the reasons people decide it is worth it anyway.
Lifespan
A coated steel panel outlasts asphalt by a wide margin, and the panel is rarely the part that ever needs attention.
Illinois Weather
Wind, hail, driven rain, snow load and the freeze and thaw either side of them. A metal roof is detailed for all of it.
Low Maintenance
Little to maintain. The panel itself needs nothing. The fasteners and the sealants need looking at over the years, and that is the whole list.
Heat
Coated panel reflects rather than absorbs, which shows up in an uninsulated building first and a conditioned one second.
How It Looks
Standing seam, ribbed panel and stone-coated steel are different buildings from the road. The choice is yours to make.
The Warranty
The panel and its coating carry the manufacturer's warranty. We will show you what the one on your roof actually covers.
Over The Roof You Already Have
Metal can often go straight over an existing shingle roof. Purlins are laid across the old roof and the panels go on those, which skips the tear-off, keeps a dumpster off the drive, and leaves the building dry the whole time.
It is not always the right call. A soft deck, a roof that already has two layers, or a structure that was not built to carry more each point the other way. We would rather tear off and do it properly than put a new roof on a bad one.
- Over existing shingles on purlins, where the structure allows
- Full tear-off and replace where it does not
- New construction, ours or somebody else's building
- Repair and panel replacement after wind or impact
Where Metal Roofs Actually Fail
Almost never in the middle of a panel. It is the edges, the holes and the joints, which is exactly where a cheap roof saves its money.
Fasteners
The rubber washer under each screw is the part with a clock on it. Driven too tight or too loose, or spaced wrong, and it is the whole roof that has the problem.
Closures
Foam and metal closures at the ridge and the eave keep out rain, snow and everything that wants to live in your building. They are easy to leave out and hard to add later without pulling panels.
Flashing
Where the roof meets a wall, a valley or a chimney, and wherever a vent or pipe comes through it. This is where the skill is, and where a roof that is going to leak has usually already decided to.
Movement
Metal grows and shrinks with the temperature. A standing seam system is built to let it; an exposed fastener roof holds it. Both are fine, as long as the one you have was detailed for it.
Condensation
On an uninsulated building, warm moist air meeting cold steel makes water that looks exactly like a leak. It is fixed with the assembly underneath, not with more sealant on top.
Oil Canning
Not a failure, but the thing people ask about first: the faint waviness across a flat panel in low light. It is a characteristic of formed metal, not a defect, and anyone promising to eliminate it is telling you something that is not true.
Steel Walls, And The Trim That Ties Them Together
Re-siding an existing building, steel siding on new construction, and repair after wind or impact damage. The crew that does our roofing does the siding too, which is why the flashings match at the corners instead of nearly matching.
An old barn with sound bones is very often worth re-skinning rather than replacing. If yours is not, we will tell you that when we look at it.
- Re-side over existing walls, or strip and replace
- Steel siding, wainscot and trim on new buildings
- Barn repair, panel replacement and storm damage
- Matching trim, corners, base and gutter
What We Take On
New Buildings
Roof and wall steel on buildings we are putting up, and on buildings somebody else framed.
Re-Roofs
Metal over an existing shingle roof on purlins, where the deck and the structure allow it.
Tear-Off
Strip the old roof and start again, when going over it would put a new roof on a bad one.
Houses
Standing seam and exposed fastener on homes, with the flashing detail a house needs at every wall and valley.
Barn Repair
Panel replacement, fastener work, closures and flashing on buildings that are worth keeping.
Storm Damage
Wind and impact damage on roofs and walls, put back so the repair is not the next thing to fail.
Questions We Get
Can metal go over my existing shingles?
Often, yes. Purlins are laid over the old roof and the panels go on those, which saves a tear-off and keeps a dumpster off your drive. It is the wrong answer when the deck is soft, the old roof has already been layered, or the structure was not built for the extra weight. We look before we tell you which.
How long does a metal roof last?
The panel and its coating outlast asphalt by a wide margin. The rubber washers, the closures and the sealant at the flashings are the parts that need attention over that lifetime, so how long the roof stays tight depends on keeping those up.
Is a metal roof loud in the rain?
Usually not. Over a solid deck with insulation under it, a metal roof is quieter than most people expect. On an open ag building with nothing underneath it, you will hear the rain, and most people putting one up want to.
What is oil canning?
The slight waviness you can see across a flat area of panel in raking light. It is a characteristic of formed metal rather than a defect, and it is not a leak. Striations, narrower panels and careful handling reduce it. Nobody eliminates it, and a company promising to is telling you something else that is not true.
Do you repair metal roofs you did not install?
Yes. Wind damage, impact damage, failed fasteners, leaking flashings and panel replacement on existing buildings. If a repair is not worth doing and the roof needs replacing, we will say so.
Do you do the siding as well?
Yes, and with the same crew, which is why the flashings match. Re-siding existing buildings, steel siding on new construction, and repair after wind or impact damage.
Tell Us About The Roof
The building, roughly how big, and what is on it now. If you are not sure what is on it now, that is a normal answer.
Call the office
Hiring
We are hiring carpenters and metal crews. Same number, ask for Nick.