Circumstances required me to take the “big step” and buy a house. Its a nice little cabin in the San Bernadino mountains of SoCal. I like it BUT…. It has a shake shingle roof that looks original. (been repaired but the home inspector thinks it has 5 more years in it) Not if I can help it in this fire prone region. Now the questions: 1. Is it fact or fiction that I’ll get a break on my fire insurance with a metal roof? 2. the pitch isn’t too steep and I don’t mind hard labor; can I do-it-myself? 3. 15 pound felt then insulate then metal or what? 4. Cuts around the roof penetrations, flashing,fasteners? I need to go the inexpensive route and while fancy metal shakes would be one thing,I will need to get the new roof on quickly so the old fashioned sheets will do as well (with some forest green coating as a nod to modern techniques). Advice and guidance please. Does a drip edge have to be installed? Thanks; Monkeycam
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Yep, in California shakes are a disaster waiting to happen.
As to metal roofing, everybody says "oh yeah... fireproof", but I've never seen a manufacturer or insurance company say that metal roofing is any more fire-resistant than other Class A fire-resistant roofing materials. Can anybody enlightenment me? The answer has an effect on this roof because good ol' three-tab composition shingles are much easier for a homeowner to install. (They are less expensive too.)
1 - only your insurance agent can answer that one. yes, in some locations and some companies
2 - how handy are you with tools and hard work? Some folks can and some folks only think thy can. After the roof is torn off is a bad time to fiond out you are among the latter.
3 - specs vary with different manufacturers. Select the product, then study their spec shhets. Almost all have then posted on line in PDF format.
4 - full sheet installation is not necessarily any faster than aluminum shakes. A lot depends on the configuration of your roof.
5 - drip edge is always a good idea.
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In a wild fire prone area like parts of California I supect that it is a little difference. Would not be surprised to find that a new owner could not get any fire insurance, AT ALL, with a wood roof.