On this podcast, John Maher talks with Brett Rogenski and Pat Shea about metal roofs. Metal roofs have long been popular on commercial buildings, but are quickly gaining popularity on residential homes as well. They discuss things like the longevity of metal roofs, the cost, the colors available, and how easy they are to maintain.
![Residential roofing](https://transform.octanecdn.com/width/1600/https://octanecdn.com/masterroofersllccom/masterroofersllccom_875439035.png)
John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher and I'm here
today with Brett Rogenski, general manager of Master Roofers, the most trusted
roofing company in New Hampshire for over 80 years. Welcome, Brett.
Brett
Rogenski: Hey.
Thanks a lot, John. I appreciate you having us.
John: Yeah, sure. And our special guest
today is Master Roofers' own Pat Shea, who has nearly 40 years of roofing
experience and is a master coppersmith. Welcome, Pat.
Pat Shea: Well John, thank you. Thank you
for having me on.
How do Metal Roofs Compare to
Traditional Shingle Roofs?
John: Yeah, absolutely. So, today we're
talking about metal roofs. And Pat, from your perspective, for homeowners
considering a metal roof, how do metal roofs compare to traditional shingle
roofs in general?
Pat: Well, a shingle roof would be more
cost-effective in the short term, but as far as durability, longevity, energy,
efficiency, and even resilience, it makes the investment itself in a metal roof a
better choice.
Are Customers Asking About
Metal Roofs?
![Metal Residential Roofing](https://transform.octanecdn.com/width/1600/https://octanecdn.com/masterroofersllccom/masterroofersllccom_211022707.jpg)
John: Brett, do you get a lot of
customers asking about metal roofs? I know that just driving around the area
here in New England, you don't see a lot of them, but I think you're seeing
them more and more often now and they seem kind of intriguing to me. Do you get
a lot of inquiries about, "Hey, what about a metal roof? What's the deal
with those?"
Brett: Sure. We actually do get a lot of
inquiries about metal roofing, particularly standing seam metal, which is what
most people would think of in a metal roof. We also, here at Master Roofers, because we
have team members with skills like that, we also deal in copper and other
mediums as well, but standing seam is the most prevalent one and a lot of it,
there's a certain look for standing seam, so now you're tending to see some
homes that have a shingled main roof and then the porch is kind of a farmer's
porch with standing seam on it.
That's kind of a recent style trend. I happened to have
grown up in central Vermont where there's a much heavier snow load near the ski
resorts and stuff, and metal roofing is a premium product there, because it can shed snow and is much more durable in those regards.
That's a product that I've been seeing my whole life. So yeah, we do get a lot
of inquiries. Pat, what do you think? Are you seeing more and more metal
inquiries these days?
Pat: Actually, yes. It was generally
looked at in the beginning when I first came around as a very
commercial-looking style type of a roof and wasn't really homeowner-friendly.
But over the years it's been out, they've come out with colors and things like
that, and impression ribs and things that have given a little more detail so
that it isn't such a commercial look, and more of a residential neighborhood type of a roof.
Different Types of Metal
Roofs Available
John: Talk a little bit, Pat, about some
of the different types of metal roofs that are available. Brett mentioned
standing seam metal roofs.
Pat: Definitely standing seam. That's
really the higher end of what you think of as a metal roof. It's a double-locked
system. It has hidden fasteners and can be cut to any length panel desired, so
it's not necessarily 10-foot pieces and a bunch of seams. We have the machines
come right to the job and they'll fabricate a 10-footer or 50-foot panel if
needed.
John: So, are those fabricated from just a flat sheet of metal?
Pat: It is. It's actually a roll on a
truck. The rolls are, they're 500-foot rolls so you could essentially roll out
a 500-foot panel if you wanted to. But they come to the job, because I'll go
around the job and one side of the house will be 19-foot-six, and I'll need 30
of those and they'll chop those right to exact lengths for me.
What are the Widths of Metal
Roof Panels?
John: What's the width of those panels
that are then joined together?
Pat: They do vary, the smallest being
about 16-inches, which you would not need what I mentioned before, an
impression seam, because there's an oil canning effect as the panels get wider.
And you can go anywhere from a 16-inch would be the smaller and then they're
usually in increments of four inches, so 16, 20, but the wider ones you need an
impression unit to keep that oil canning effect away.
The Oil Canning
Effect
John: What's the oil canning effect?
Pat: Well, with the expansion and contraction,
the panel is going to almost look like it twists or warps, and the impression
rims will keep it from doing that. If you'll think of an oil can if you pushed on the bottom of an oil can and it makes that glug, glug, glug kind of
sound
John: Yeah, the popping sound, right?
Pat: That kind of a popping sound,
exactly. That's exactly what the panel... That's what we get all the time.
John: Okay.
Brett: Because remember, it's a metal
product, so think of any other sheet of metal that you could put out in the sun
and in the warmth or outside in the cold it's going to expand and contract. So
to Pat's point with that, the wider they are, they have to put those impression
seams in. The analogy that someone gave me once upon time that always stuck
with me is how body panels on cars have beading in them, they have little
contours in them to give them rigidity. That's kind of what is going on there
in the roof as well.
Pat: And it really stands out when it doesn't happen because it really reflects the light. So if you're looking at it from the ground with that oil canning effect, you'd be able to see it almost rocking back and forth as it goes up the roof. So the impression seems try and keep that out of it.
Other Types of Metal Roofs
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John: So, what are some of the other of
metal roofs besides the standing seam roof?
Pat: You're talking corrugated panels, which
are just that. They're sheets, but those also have a face fastener, a screw with a
rubber grommet on it. So when it's all said and done, you see all the
fasteners. It's a little quicker to install because it is in fact in sheets,
and then they are only in certain lengths so you are almost limited to where
you can use those corrugated panels.
John: Are corrugated panels those ones
that kind of look like a little wave?
Pat: Yeah, exactly. Typically over a
screen porch or something like that. When I was growing up we had a screened in
deck with a light colored one. So it almost just gave you the shade, and it was made out of fiberglass.
John: That definitely has a little bit
more of an industrial look, in my opinion.
Pat: It does, it does. Plus like I
said, the face fasteners, it's not very attractive, more for something like the
back of the barn, as far I consider it anyways.
John: What are the types of metal roofs
are there?
Pat: Well, there's metal shingles. They
are a lot more home-owner friendly. They are a little more attractive. They have
a ceramic stone adhered to the top of them. Then you have even a
steel, just a regular steel panel; same as the standing seam, but only in a
steel. The aluminum is what we like to work with because it's lighter to
work with. It's a lot easier to fabricate on the job. And with the steel
actually, any cuts or penetrations or anything like that, you're actually
cutting through the color, so you're exposing the raw edge of the steel which
will rust, and get rust lines down your roof. So we like to stick with the aluminum
panels anyways.
Copper Metal Roofing
John: Yeah. Talk a little bit about the
different types of materials a little bit more. So you mentioned steel, but you
might have some issues with rusting on the edges where you cut; you have the
aluminum ones. What other types of materials are available?
Pat: Well, there's copper, there's
copper panel, and we all love the copper. It's very durable, very pliable, easy
to form, easy to fabricate on the job. It is a little more lengthy installation
because with all the copper work typically you do a lot of soldering and that's
a little time-consuming to do that.
John: Is it not required to do soldering
with the other types of materials and why does copper require soldering?
Pat: Well, the expansion and
contraction itself, aluminum, you can't really solder aluminum. You will use
some kind of a sealant that in the expansion and contraction phase will just
break apart and open up. The soldering with the copper allows the expansion and
contraction without those seams cracking open.
Brett: So, think of here you have copper
pipes in your home, they're joined, they're soldered together and you're
basically taking two separate pieces of metal and making them one and that sort
of thing. So is it fair to say that copper... If money didn't matter, would
copper be the pinnacle of metal roofing for everyone?
Pat: I believe it would be the way to
go. What steers a lot of people away is the cost.
Brett: Yeah, that's why there's a lot of
accents that are done in copper roofing.
Pat: There are, there are. Like
your bay windows over doorways and things like that, just as an accent to the
house, where you can do a smaller area that doesn't have penetrations, that just
has a foot-long or a two-foot-long standing seam, it browns over. The drawback
to the copper I think is the color change. It doesn't stay bright copper for long. Within a year it's going to turn to a nice bronze color. It'll get rid of
all the fingerprints and the oils and stuff like that, and bronze over really
nicely, and then stays bronze for about 15 or 18 years or so before it starts
to turn to its green color, which is a patina, which would be its final
phase in its lifetime.
John: Which is like the Statue of
Liberty, that kind of green color.
Pat: Exactly. At one time she was bright
copper.
John: Right.
Pat: Yeah. So we also use copper
occasionally, and a lot of times it's for aesthetic reasons, in valleys, so
where roof lines come together you typically
use a lot of copper with your slate when you put a slate roof on. It's because
of the longevity of a slate roof, you want a comparable metal for the same
longevity. You don't want to be going in every 10 or 15 years and you just have
replaced all the wall flashings or all the pipe covers or things like that. You
want a metal that's comparable that's going to last almost the same lifetime.
John: You don't want to have to pull up
those slate tiles in order to put new flashing in.
Pat: In order to change the flashings on our roofing, right. And nowadays you see people, just because it's more of an accent, people will be using the copper valleys with their shingle roofs as an open valley to keep the debris, the leaves, the sticks, pine needles and cones and things like that, wash right out. Nothing gets built up in there and it can't sit and hold water and cause damage.
Zinc Metal Roofing
John: And I understand that zinc might
be another option for a metal roof. Do you ever work with zinc at all?
Pat: Well, again, back to the copper,
they have a zinc-coated copper. Zinc itself as a panel, I can't remember being
used in ages. It's like the olden days' aluminum. It's not generally used by itself now, but it is used as a coating to the copper so it grays over
really nice. It doesn't go through the color change and it does add a little
more life to the copper itself because it's going to take several years for
that zinc to wash off or to wear off before you're down to the copper surface
and start working on weathering that.
John: So, it'll keep that copper color
for longer.
Pat: Well, it's more of a gray. It's
kind of shiny, actually, when it's first installed, but it turns to a really
nice, little lighter than say a battleship gray, and it stays just like that and
that doesn't stain, and again just extends the life of the copper itself.
Brett: So, you could have a really long
life with copper coated zinc, is what you're saying.
Pat: You could. It actually used to be
lead coated but then over the years with the EPA and the water table and stuff like
that, they changed it over to a zinc. It's actually called a freedom gray
product.
Are Metal Roofs Good in
Colder Climates?
John: In terms of the climate that we're
in here in New England and the weather that we get with snow in the winter and
things like that, are there specific types of roofing materials that are better
suited for the climate and the weather conditions that we have here in New
England?
Pat: Not so much really except for the
snow factor, like Brett had mentioned in the beginning, people like it up here, up north, because it sheds the snow, it lets the snow slide right off. And so it
doesn't sit up there, the weight doesn't sit up there. We do also, with the
standing seam metal roofs, they have snow retention systems, so over your doors
and over your garage doors and any entrance ways where you can put this, it's
an S5 ColorGard rail system that we use because you're able to put the same
color of the roof color in the rail itself and it will hold the snow up
there so that the snow can melt off gradually instead of just...because what
happens is someone comes out the front door and they shut the door behind them
and just that vibration of the door slamming will send a ton of snow down off
the roof.
So these retention systems over key areas, you don't
necessarily need them everywhere but in the key areas where safety is an issue.
But up there I think that's more prevalent. You know why? People would want
metal up this way more aesthetically. It's used all over the country. It is
energy efficient, keeps the heat out, keeps the cool in, keeps the heat in the
winter. The shingles, they sell the same shingles in New England that they sell
in California. They do out in the warmer states, Nevada, they do have bigger
thicker asphalt shingles just because the temperatures are hot out that way in
Nevada and so the typical asphalt shingles we have around here are just going
to...their life is a lot shorter. So they use a bigger thicker type of
mid-asphalt shingle a little that way.
Brett: When I think of when we were
talking about snow and metal roofing, what Pat was explaining earlier how they
cut it to length on site, that's a tremendous advantage when you're dealing
with snow or rain, any sort of moisture is there is no seam. So, from the
ridge, the top of your roof, all the way down to the eave, the edge of your roof where it
comes off, there's no seam. That is, one can give you a sheet of metal from top
to bottom, at whatever width that is, and then, as Pat said, they're joined together
in a double interlocking system.
John: Unlike a shingle roof, where every few inches it's a different shingle and it has to go over one shingle, onto the next shingle, onto the next shingle, etc.
Brett: Yep.
John: There's just one piece.
Brett: And there's no place for that snow or
ice to back up into on the metal roof when properly installed.
Pat: And back to the corrugated roof
with the exposed fasteners, the snow is going to freeze on that, it's going to
stick to that and then just stay up there and the ice migrates inside, it will
work its way through so it's much better if you just have it completely off to
the ground anyways.
What Colors do Metal Roofs
Come in?
![Colorful Metal Roof Parts](https://transform.octanecdn.com/width/1600/https://octanecdn.com/masterroofersllccom/masterroofersllccom_436380691.jpg)
John: Brett, are metal roofs, and
especially these standing seam roofs that we're talking about, do they come in
lots of different kinds of colors, or do they just come in certain colors? What
are people liking these days? What's the trend?
Brett: I'll be honest with you, the
manufacturers all pretty much have a standard book of colors, but gosh, Pat,
how many colors do you think there are?
Pat: Each manufacturer has to have 20.
Brett: I was just going to say two dozen,
roughly.
Pat: At one point. Yeah, but each
manufacturer's version of brown is just a shade different there.
Brett: It seems like the ones that we...
Green seems to be popular.
Pat: Green's a big color, a forest
green. The grays are a big color.
Brett: Brown?
Pat: Brown, not so much. The black
because the darker colors, they absorb the heat, and the lighter colors reflect
the heat. So they've come up with over the years...
John: So, you probably kind of want to
go somewhere in the middle, usually.
Pat: Somewhere in the middle.
John: Not too bright, not too dark.
Pat: It's going to be up there for a
long time. A lot of people want a color that they can change the appearance
of their house, maybe paint the body of the house and the trim of the house a different color but still match what you have on your roof. It's easier in the
lifetime of the shingle, when you paint your house you might end up changing
the roof at the same time because, how often do you paint your house, every 30
years or so, which is roughly the lifespan of an asphalt shingle, but the metal
roofs are up there 50, 60 years before you're even considering having
an issue with them. When installed correctly, anyways.
What Maintenance is Required
for Metal Roofing?
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John: Right, so I wanted to ask
about that. I think that metal roofs are known for their durability and, like
you said, maybe it would cost a little bit more initially to have a metal roof
installed, but then the lifetime of that metal roof is a lot higher than a
shingle roof. Are there any specific maintenance requirements that differ
between metal roofs and shingle roofs and with the different types of metal
roofs as well?
Pat: No, not really. The metal roofs
are pretty maintenance-free. They even actually now have a fungus fighter in
them so that there isn't, on a shady side of the house that never
sees the sun... I know the back of my garage gets mossy every year, on the
shady side of the house, that doesn't happen, but on a shingle roof it does. They have a fungus fighter in a shingle, but because the asphalt shingle is a
porous surface, it's still going to hold bits of moisture that will grow.
Whereas the metal is just a nice slick surface and not too much sticks to it at
all. And you might go through two shingle
roofs in a lifetime of one metal roof.
Brett: That's what I was going to say.
Honestly, you will probably go through two quality shingle roofs in the
lifespan of one metal roof. If you were to build a brand new house with a high
quality shingle roof on it, what are you talking, a 30-year lifespan? Done
well. That metal roof, if you're not seeing 50 or 60 years out of it, someone
probably did something wrong.
Pat: Yeah. Again, not so much maybe
with the body of the roof but now where your dormers are or your valley areas
or your sidewall areas and stuff like that, that's where a shoddy installation
will show up. Not so much in the body of the roof itself.
Brett: So, they are a bit of a larger
investment compared to a shingle roof, but you will get twice the lifespan out
of them as you would a quality shingle roof. As well as, Pat, especially in
certain environments, don't disregard the lack of maintenance, the snow load
and the pine needles and the leaves and stuff just shedding, I guess I won't
ever go so far as to say it should be a no maintenance roof, but it should be a
tremendously well-maintainanced roof and, for a lot of people, a no maintenance
roof for its lifespan, as compared to shingles.
I think about my last home, and I was surrounded by pine
trees, and it was a salt box, so I had one side that did not have a steep slope
at all. And Brett was up there at least twice a year clearing pine needles and,
like you say, I had moss growing on it and stuff like that. And I happened
to move before then, but I remember thinking, "If I'm still here when it's time for this roof to go, we're going metal because I'm tired of getting on the
roof every spring and every fall."
Pat: Not everybody is capable of doing
that. This is really a skilled trade. Anybody can take a swing at building
a deck. It's on the ground, there's not too much danger involved, and if you
didn't get it right you just add another two by four or something. But this is
more of a skilled trade that professionals only should be up on the roofs doing
those type of things. And any things that trap moisture is just speeding up the
deterioration process. Moisture kills. So if you have a roof system on it, you
could just shed all of that, and it's dry 15 minutes after a rainstorm, then
you're golden.
Installation of Metal Roofs
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John: So, you mentioned, Pat, getting a
qualified person to install that roof, a qualified company. Talk a little bit
about installation of metal roofs and what the process is and what you
should be looking for in a contractor for a metal roof.
Pat: Well, let's see, we have a truck come right to the job and everything is
custom-made for your home. It isn't boxed or just bought, so it's custom right
off the bat. And the installation process, it's not very tough but it has a
little bit of skill to it.
Brett: And it's about following a proper system. Each manufacturer has, essentially, an assembly system. How do you do THIS?. Because as Pat said, there's hidden fasteners and stuff. So it's making sure that you're using the right assembly system on that roof to ensure that you're getting all the benefits of that roof. If we're talking about standing seam and those lack of seams, and honestly it's usually a guy like Pat with 40 years of experience who can go properly measure this, very accurately measure it, and then follow that assembly system, implement that assembly system to a T, to make sure that you're getting all the benefit of that work.
You could hire Billy the builder who, he did one of these once in 1996, and he can get your roof up, and it'll be fine, and you might not notice a difference for five years, maybe even 10 if you're lucky. But if he didn't follow that assembly system, again you're talking about putting something on your roof that should last you, frankly, your whole life. So you want a contractor who can exhibit to you that they have plenty of experience installing metal roofing, so they should be able to show you a book of business and explain to you how that system works and then they should be able to provide someone, again, like Pat, who has years of experience, who's going to manage that job and supervise and work on that job, who's going to ensure that that whole assembly system is done correctly. Not just getting it up there, but getting the benefits of the fact that you're working with a premium product.
Pat: And like I was saying, back to
your dormers and your valleys, that's where if you did get a subpar roof put
on, that's where it's going to show up in the short time, the flashing areas.
And like I said, the body of the roof itself is just pretty much a double lock
system and a hidden fastener, but where you have to really do your math and
your cuts and your overlap and actually know which way the water is going to go
as it comes down the roof. That's where you said Billy, but in my day it was
always... We talked about the firefighters, they work three days firefighting
and then they roof for two days. Those guys right there, that's
where a professional will come to the job and skilled trade.
Brett: Right. Yeah. Well when you talk
about something like that, it's very second nature to Pat, but like you say, to
be able to look at that roof and know what the water is going to do, that comes
with... It's like any other skilled trade where those years of experience, that
person can look at and accurately know what they're doing as opposed to another
guy who just doesn't have that experience. So yeah, when you're talking about
who should you select as a contractor, they should be able to prove to you that,
"Hey, this isn't our first goat roping." They have experience with metal roofs, they have veterans who can do that, and you feel confident,
"Okay, these guys... I have trust in them. They've exhibited that they
know exactly what to do."
Pat: Knowledge is half the battle. If
you know which direction things are going to flow and what you need to do in
those areas, then that's half the battle. The actual physical installation is
not that tough.
Are Copper Roofs More
Expensive?
John: Back to talking about copper
roofs, we mentioned that copper, obviously, as a material just costs more than, say, aluminum. Does the installation of a copper roof cost more as well, and
why? What do you have to do to a copper roof that makes it different?
Pat: Well, let's say a copper panel
itself is the same as an aluminum panel, but it is a little more labor-intense
because of the soldering. You can skip that. If someone was really pinching
pennies and wanted to bring the labor down on it a little bit, you can use some
kind of a sealant on all those areas, but because of the expansion and
contraction, those are going to all open up and cause problems down the road.
So it is a little more labor-intense, which would bring the cost up even more.
Brett: When I think of copper roofs and
stuff, one thing that I think of too... Certainly homes and definitely we do a
lot of accent pieces that we offer on nice homes, but it speaks to the product,
you think of stuff like houses of worship, churches and stuff, where they used, historically, a lot of copper. What's Salt Lake City? It seems like
they're there forever.
Pat: Well, back then too, they would
use a lot thicker gauge copper and also on the coast with the sea and the salt
air and the sea air, the copper is a lot more durable with the weather
conditions there, and just the salt that's in the air, it actually deteriorates
a steel panel, an aluminum panel, a lot quicker. The copper is a lot more
durable in those areas also.
Brett: So, those areas with high salinity
and stuff, you're going to have a longer life span out of a copper panel than
you would even have with an aluminum panel?
Pat: You certainly will. You see a lot
of cedar shingles on the coast...
Does a Change in Color Mean
Copper is Damaged?
John: That's funny because I think you'd
maybe think the opposite because the copper does discolor and have that patina,
you'd sort of think, "Well, that means that it's deteriorating", but it
really isn't.
Pat: No, it isn't. That's actually just
a surface in the color change, which is the natural color change. If you dug
copper out of the ground in Egypt back in the day, it was bright copper and
when it was melted down and then it patina'ed over, it's just like an oxidation
type of a thing, the cause of the color change.
Brett: I believe I saw once upon a time, too, that oxidation actually acts to protect the copper as well, once it's in
place. So I think I learned that little bit about plumbing that I picked up
along the line and I remember learning from someone that oxidation could
actually protect it from environmental faults.
John: So, it's not like rust where rust
is eating away at the metal.
Brett: Exactly. Deteriorating infers
value going down, patina on copper is protecting itself, if you would.
Pat: I can't say I've heard that,
but I could agree with that. I could see that.
Myths and Misconceptions of
Metal Roofs
John: Finally, are there any sort of
myths or maybe misconceptions about metal roofs, questions that you might get
from customers that are looking into metal roofs or things that they say like,
"Oh, aren't metal roofs this or that," that you have to sort of clear
up those misconceptions.
Pat: It has a commercial look to it. It is not as commercial looking as it used to be, so it is a lot more
homeowner-friendly. Other than that, I don't think I've ever heard anybody
ask a dumb question about a metal roof or have a problem with it except for
the look. Everybody kind of does understand when you're talking to somebody about the comparison of a shingle roof to a metal roof, people can understand
that the metal will last three times as long as the shingle roof will. I just
think it took people a long time to get used to the look of it, and the
different vendors have come up with nice ways of changing that.
Brett: Yeah. I think the biggest piece of
feedback that I've got is people are surprised about how many colors that it
comes in. And certainly, Pat, you have better perspective than I do. Probably when
it first came out in wide residential use, there's four to six colors that were
readily available.
Pat: Yeah, plenty to choose from. Yeah.
Brett: And now, as we said, depending on
the vendor that you're talking about, I don't know, let's call it 20, 25 different colors that are readily available. And I think that's one thing
that people are saying, "Oh, I didn't know I could get it in
terracotta." Sure, if that's what you like. I think people
tend to think of some of those standard historic colors, which are great,
again, that kind of hunter green as I call it, kind of cabin look, black, maybe
a bronze or brown.
Pat: Bronze, yeah.
Brett: I think people tend to think
that's the only colors that they come in. And really there's a whole variety of
shades. And when you meet with us and you've expressed an interest in metal, we
bring a sample book with us and you're seeing actual samples of the product in
its actual color. You can hold it, see it, and then if you're like, "I
think I can't decide between A and B," we can go get a larger sample for
you. Obviously we're not dragging around sheets of metal with us all day long.
But if you're down to two then, from the provider or distributor, we can get a
larger sample.
John: And I imagine the color that you
want to paint the side of your house, too, would matter.
Brett: Yeah.
John: You want that roof to kind of
blend well or look nice with the color of the house.
Pat: Like we were saying, it's up there
for a long time. It's up there for... two full shingle roofs anyways. Yeah, the
style of the home, Brett mentioned like a log cabin. Certain colors go with
different styles of homes, like a Victorian home or a big residential area
would look really nice with a blue, or something like one of the blue shades.
And then when you're up in the woods in a log cabin, now people are liking the
greens and the reds and things like that. So the style of your home has a lot
to do with a color that you would pick also.
Brett: Yeah, so that's just one of the
things I've noticed is people are really shocked when they realize the variety
that actually is available. I think most people think they're going to get a
book of five colors to choose from.
Pat: Unless a customer knows that
already, that might steer them away from a metal roof because they do think
that they're only four colors to choose or, "I don't want to be stuck with
bronze for 70 years." So, absolutely.
John: Definitely something for
homeowners to consider then if they are looking to redo their roof and their
roof needs to be redone.
Pat: Yeah, like I said, knowledge is
the key. If you have a well-informed homeowner, then that opens doors for them,
other choices.
Brett: And that ability also to mix metal
with shingles. Again, I mentioned that style that kind of seems to be in Vogue
these last few years where they have a shingle roof, but maybe a farmer's porch
that's a standing seam metal. Or maybe, as Pat mentioned earlier, maybe some
accent pieces, dormers and stuff that are done in copper. So certainly you can
use that, if you will, mixed medium.
John: Sure.
Brett: You don't have to do all of it in
copper or all of it in standing seam. You can say, "Hey, I want my main
roof to be shingle and I want these accent roofs to be in a different
medium." And that's all stuff that we can fabricate and take care of.
Pat: Well, usually on the lower levels,
more eye-level stuff where people are going to be looking right at it, some
homes are high and really flat pitched roofs that you don't even know what's up
there for a shingle, so it doesn't matter. But when you're down low with your
big bay windows and if you have a series of bay windows across the front of
your house, they look fantastic with a couple of copper roofs on them.
Brett: It's a great way to have your
home's value and its curb appeal with some of those accent roofs, as I'm
calling them, and do something a little special with them. And that's also
pretty cost-effective.
Pat: It is. It is.
Brett: So, if you're doing those dormers
or something like that in, whatever, let's say copper, you're not buying 50,000
linear feet of copper here.
Pat: Yeah.
Brett: You're buying a little copper in
it, but it really gives it that appeal depending on the type of home that you
have.
Pat: People take pride of their homes.
I take pride in mine. I want it to look good.
Get More Information About Master Roofers
John: All right, well that's really
great information. Pat Shea, thanks again for joining us today.
Pat: John, you're welcome. Thank you
for having me again.
John: And as always, Brett Rogenski,
thanks for talking with me.
Brett: My pleasure. Thank you for having us.
John: And for more information, you can
visit the website at masterroofers.com or call 603-623-4973.