Metal Roofing Tends To Win
When it comes to resisting 140 or 150 mph winds, metalroofing typically cant be beat. People are more used to seeing metal roofs oncommercial buildings, not homes, but theres no rule that says it cant beinstalled on homes.
The problem is metal is expensive and most people dont likethe look of it on their home . Youmay also have trouble finding a roofer that installs residential metal roofingsince its a somewhat uncommon choice.
There are some attributes that do make metal roofs anattractive option for homeowners. Homeowners that look hard enough can findresidential-oriented metal roofing options designed to look like normal asphaltarchitectural shingles or other common roofing materials instead of thetraditional sheet metal look people are more familiar with seeing. Theres alsothe longevity factor metal roofing can last much longer than traditionalasphalt shingles.
There are also fire-resistance benefits afforded by metalroofing. Some homeowners insurance providers will even offer rate discounts tohomeowners who have metal roofing installed.
On the other hand, theres a potential for hail to dentmetal roofing. It may not do much damage in terms of structural integrity, butit can leave a metal roof with a pock marked appearance.
Metal Roofs Perform Well In High Wind
The extreme wind forces from hurricanes can easily damage the strongest of buildings and cause billions of dollars in property damage.
One way to help minimize these damages is to insure that the roof system protecting the structure is strong enough and installed properly so it can withstand high wind conditions. Standing seam metal roofs prove to be a much better option than other types of roof systems when it comes to holding up to hurricane force winds. While there is no guarantee that any building or roof structure will hold up to 150 mile per hour hurricane force winds a properly installed and tested standing seam metal roof system offers building owners and architects a fighting chance in high wind environments.
Year after year, storm after storm we see many standing seam metal roofs miraculously hold up to devastating hurricane force winds. With the stringent Miami Dade and Florida Building Code requirements more and more metal roof systems are designed to stay in place where they belong in spite of devastating wind conditions.
When designing a structure in areas prone to hurricane force winds its important to consider a metal roof system in your plans and specs. Its equally as critical to specify a reputable manufacturer whose metal roof systems are subjected to and pass all appropriate high wind tests thus offering you the best chance that your roof will survive and protect the structure during a high wind event.
What Gauge Of Metal Roofing Should I Use
The gauge of metal roofing you should use depends on your needs. Where youre located, your buildings structure, your areas climate, and more are all factors that will affect your decision when selecting the thickness of your roofing panels. For help determining which one would be best for you, whether youre using standing seam, corrugated metal roofing, or another type, please contact us today. Well schedule a free consultation with one of our techs, who will go over everything you need.
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The Best Hurricane Roof Types Built Into One
So, after we put it all together, we can see that a house with a hipped roof, at a 30° pitch, and covered in metal roofing takes the cake. The hipped roof eases the amount of pressure from the winds, the slightly gentler 30° pitch minimizes the sail effect, and the strength of metal roofing equates to a strong hurricane proof structure.
Now you know the best roof types for hurricane season. If you found this article useful, read our 5 Tips on storm damage prevention for homeowners.
Are Metal Roofs Safer In Hurricanes
Hurricane IRMA may have left your roof in bad shape. Perhaps you are considering a Wind Resistant Metal Roof now instead of replacing your shingle roof. A quick survey of the metal roofing that Advanced Aluminum of Polk County has provided shows that they have weathered the storm with little or no damage. Maybe you should a New Metal Roof too!
Within 50 miles of Lakeland, We will send out a factory representative to measure your roof to give you an exact material cost quote for a New Metal Roof for just $100. The cost of this accurate estimate is only $100, and if you buy your roof from us – the $100 estimating fee is applied to your project cost. It’s time to switch to a Strong Metal Roof!
Hurricanes and heavy storms are an inevitable part of living in the lower coastal areas of the Southeast US. Hurricane season lasts for many months, spanning most of summer into late fall. Protecting your home and business is crucial to preventing significant and devastating damage. While some opinions vary widely regarding the best roofing material for hurricane protection, there is no doubt that metal roofing systems are among the strongest & most resistant roofing material available.
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Home Shapes And Roofs That Hold Up Best In Hurricanes
- Date:
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Summary:
- Certain home shapes and roof types can better resist high winds and hurricanes, according to new research. The researcher spent two years examining the findings of research centers that have studied the best designs and construction materials and methods needed to withstand extreme wind events and hurricanes.
Certain home shapes and roof types can better resist high winds and hurricanes, according to a researcher at New Jersey Institute of Technology . Civil engineer Rima Taher, PhD, special lecturer in the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT. She spent two years examining the findings of research centers that have studied the best designs and construction materials and methods needed to withstand extreme wind events and hurricanes.
“Although I’d like to say that there is a simple and economical solution for housing that won’t fail or collapse in the perfect storm, such information does not yet exist,” said Taher. “However, it is obvious that thanks to the work of wind engineers and researchers that changes to home design and construction can make buildings safer for people, while saving government and industry billions of dollars annually.”
From this work and other studies Taher recommends the following construction considerations for homeowners in hurricane-prone regions.
Story Source:
Materials provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Top 3 Threats From Hurricanes
If your business or home relies on wood shakes, clay tiles, or asphalt shingles to withstand the frequent assaults of hurricanes, its at risk for costly damage.Stone-coated steel can help protect your property in high-risk areas from the following threats caused by hurricanes.
1. Wind Uplift Resistance
Roof damage caused by wind occurs when the air pressure below the roofing system is greater than the air pressure above. As wind flows over the building or house, the pressure directly above the roof surface decreases. At the same time, internal air pressure increases due to air infiltration through cracks. This results in a push-pull force working together to separate the roofing materials from the roof deck, otherwise known as wind uplift. DECRAs stone-coated steel roofing profiles feature a unique interlocking panel system to keep the multi-layered panels firmly in place in hurricane-force winds. Additionally, the roofing profiles are backed by a warranty for winds up to 120 mph, and are lab tested at twice that velocity. Traditional roofing materials have significant shortcomings when it comes to wind. Wood shakes, for example, tend to split and loosen around the fasteners making them extremely prone to wind uplift. Easily fractured clay tiles are also highly prone to wind uplift, with few backed by any warranty at all. Fortunately, DECRA metal roofs are designed to replicate traditional roofing styles familiar to coastal areas without sacrificing style or strength.
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Metal Roof Vs Hurricane Ida: Our New Metal Roof Literally Saved Our Home
Hurricane Idas power no match for home featured on Todays Homeowner TV episode
The Project:
When David and Ruby starred on a Todays Homeowner television episode that featured an exterior renovation and metal re-roofing project of their beautiful Louisiana home earlier this year, they had no idea it would turn out to be the best insurance they could have ever gotten.
The re-roofing projectand the episodewas completed just weeks before mega-storm Hurricane Ida hit. Located directly in the path of Idas ferociousness, the hurricane lashed David and Rubys neighborhood for an incredible seven long hours, with torrential rain and wind gusts exceeding a whopping 180 miles per hour.
Thankfully, David and Ruby evacuated before Ida hit, but they were on pins and needles waiting to find out how their home had fared. They soon found out that the destruction to the area was nothing short of breathtaking. And so was the fact that their new metal roof remained virtually unscathed from Idas tremendous force. It had literally saved their home from devastation.
Our neighbors garage had exploded. Boats were flung up on the road. It took two hours to clear our driveway alone. All over our neighborhood, homes with asphalt roofs suffered complete losses, said David. But our new metal roof performed wonderfully. There was no structural or wind damage and not a drop of water inside from the roof.
The Challenge:
For more about MRA member Classic Metal Roofing and Middle South Systems:
Heres What Else You Can Do
When a hurricane or storm hits the area, your roof is the part of your home thats most likely to be damaged. Roofing damage can quickly lead to other issues, including internal and structural, that could potentially be more serious. To help prevent that, there are a few other steps you can take to reduce the potential for damage to your roof. They include:
- Replacing worn shingles If you have a roof with shingles and you want to keep it that way, youll want to make sure you have the ones that are worn down replaced by newer, hurricane-rated roof shingles.
- Reinforcing your roof You might want to leave this one to the professionals because its a more involved job, but its a good idea to get your roof reinforced before hurricane season hits.
- Sealing the gaps Check all of the areas where your roof converges with the ceilings and walls of your home. If you end up finding any cracks, seal them up with water-resistant sealer.
- Redirecting the rainwater Last but not least, check all of your gutters and downspouts. Clear out any debris, and get ones that are not properly redirecting water fixed as soon as possible.
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Influences On The Cost Of A Metal Roof:
Metal Roof Vs Hurricane Ida: Epic Battle With Mother Nature
When two homeowners interested in replacing their Alabama homes roof agreed to have their project featured on a TV episode of Todays Homeowner earlier this year, they had no idea they were literally racing against time.
Hurricane Ida, with its 150 mph winds and drenching torrential rains, unleashed a wrath of fury just a few weeks after the new roof was installed. Thankfully the home, which stood directly in Idas path, came through virtually unscathed: no better test for the superior strength, reliability and stronger performance of quality metal roofs.
Watch how Todays Homeowner host Danny Lipford and crew, along with the metal roofing experts from Classic Metal Roofing and Middlesouth Systems, did an amazing job getting this home ready for Hurricane Ida and whatever extreme storms follow in the future:
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Can Hurricanes Affect A Metal Roof
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We are at the tail end of hurricane season, and hopefully, the worst is behind us. Hurricanes can ravage South Carolina, and its possible that they can absolutely destroy roofing materials. Many people have chosen to invest in higher quality roofing materials and to get away from asphalt shingles. This is common not just for businesses who frequently used metal roofing, but also for residential purposes.
You can certainly use metal roofing materials for commercial and residential structures. In both cases, the property owners should experience a higher degree of resistance to natural elements, including extreme weather. Metal roofing often holds up better to high winds, hail, ice, and snow better than alternative roofing materials. That doesnt mean that they are completely damage-proof. There are many times, especially during hurricanes where metal roofs could take on scratches, and even punctures.
Steel And Aluminum Strengths
If you are a designer or builder considering a standing seam metal roof system you may be asking the question what is the difference between aluminum and steel as a choice for the metal roof.
Commercial and residential metal roofing is primarily made of steel or aluminum. Both products are initially produced in giant rolls at a mill. All steel roofing has a protective barrier on both sides of the sheet called a metallic coating which protects against rusting. This is underneath and separate from any paint which imparts color to the product. There are two types of metallic coatings used: galvanized, which uses 100% Zinc in various thicknesses depending upon the product usage, and Galvalume, a mixture of aluminum and zinc. These metallic coatings sacrifice themselves to protect the iron in steel from oxidation when exposed to air and moisture. Zinc is a more active metal than iron so it oxidizes first and forms a protective barrier zinc oxide, before the iron in the steel can become Ferric Oxide . When zinc is combined with aluminum to form Galvalume there is even more protection in most circumstances.
Steel residential roofing is made in thicknesses designated by gauge and is generally 24 to 26 gauge, with the higher gauge being thinner than the lower. These gauges are appropriate since most residential metal roofing applications are over a solid substrate. Aluminum residential metal roofing is designated by decimal thickness and ranges from .023 to .040 thickness.
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Is Metal Roofing Noisy
Yes, it will probably be noisier than living beneath a thick slate or tile roof in a heavy rainstorm or hailstorm. But the idea of noise being a problem may be more myth than reality. It depends on construction.
Metal shouldnt be noisier than thinner materials such as asphalt or wood shingles. The fact is that rain and hail can drum on any thin membrane.
But noise can be controlled both by using quality materials that have structural barriers to minimize the drumming effect, by applying the metal over sound-deadening insulation and solid plywood sheathing, andwhere possibleby having an attic between the roof and your rooms.
The Top Roofing Material
If you already own a home, then there isnt much you can do to change the pitch or shape of your roof without spending a small fortune. Changing the material of your roof may be a bit more tangible.
So which material holds up best during hurricane weather? The winner seems to be metal roofing.
Metal roofing is rated to withstand winds between 110 mph and 160 mph. With standing seam panels, there is no crevice along the exposed roof for leaks to developed making it a great protection against heavy storm rain as well.
Add in the fact that metal roofs can last 50+ years, the material is 100% recyclable, its easy to see why its the top choice for hurricane proof roofing material.
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Added Protection Against The Elements
Not only do DECRA roofs protect against hurricane threats, but they also add strength to the roof deck.
Shear forces are those that impact the building from the side, such as horizontal winds generated by hurricanes. These sideways winds stress the entire structure, which enables buckling of the underlying roof deck. DECRAs stone-coated steel profiles provide a multi-layered reinforcement to prevent buckling damage unlike floppy asphalt shingles, flimsy wood shakes, or fragile clay tiles. Theyre also backed by a Lifetime Limited Warranty, which is important for residents in living in high-risk hurricane zones.
Standing Tall In Hurricane
Category 4 Hurricane Michael made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in October, 2018. Amid the catastrophic damage, especially in Mexico Beach, FL, a handful of relatively untouched buildings garnered national attention.
Five metal-roofed homes, all built by Habitat for Humanity, remained standing in the storms aftermath. Resident Christina Harding rode out the storm in one of those houses. Her daughter, who was out of town, was frantic when she couldnt reach her mother, but said she was reassured when she noticed the roofs in aerial photos of the area.
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