I live in a small, Cape Cod style house in the Chicago area that has very shallow eaves (overhang practically non-existent). I need to replace my asphalt-shingle roof & am considering metal. The problem is I don’t see many homes with metal roofs in this area, but want a good, solid roof. I plan to require ice protection, but what sort of venting is used with metal roofs? I’ll also need new gutters & wonder if anyone has used/installed the new gutter system that includes a wire to melt ice in the winter. (Can you tell I have an ice dam issue?!?!) Also, I understand there are special “green” coatings that reflect heat from metal roofs. A metal roof will lower my home insurance rates; does anyone know if there’s a federal subsidy plan for metal roofs? Any thoughts on this type of roof would be much appreciated.
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Buy it soon if you're going to. The price of hot rolled steel is going up a lot.
Ron
You have a ventilation problem more than you have an ice problem. It is hard to do ventilation in the old method of framing capes without overhangs.
That means that a properly done metal roof can help solve some of your problems. First, I wpould suggest that you try the search function to run down some of the many threads we have had om metal roofs.
For your situation, I would plan to tear off the shingles, add ice&water shield at the lower edge, and finish drying in with Rooftopgaurd11. Then add an inch or two of DOW extruded foam board. This is held in place with furring stripos we also call sleepers of 1x4s fastened through the foam and into the original structure with structural screws. This forms a grid to attach the new metal roof onto. The edge trim metal can be formed to be wide enough to cover the edges of all theis material and look claen. The sleepers create a space behind the metal that is called a "Cold Roof" It will vent for you to some degree, and isolate the cold condensing surface from the warmer roof materials.
It may also be worth your while to figure out what you have for insulation in the attic spaces, and whether it is possible to add perhaps some blown-in cellulose
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Hey, thanks for your feedback. Do you think that extra layer of foam will muffle some of the rain noise? (I grew up under a metal roof but my spouse & child are clueless). I ran a search on this site for metal roofs before posting but came up nil--I'm also hoping for more current technology info. I had extra insulation blown into the attic in 2001; I think it's now R36+. We even blew it into the walls--imagine living in the midwest without insulation in the walls!?!?!
I tried running the search for you. apparently, it is a member of a strict sect requiring that it not do any work on Sunday so it ain't working...
yes, foam will muffle some sound
try the search in another day or so
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!