I will need to re-roof my home in the next couple of years and have been very interested in metal roofing. I’d like something that goes on like shingles and have just found a product called DECRA shingle. I asked for information and was sent a video and it looks very doable for a do-it-yourselfer. The shingle pannels are 49″ long and 19 3/4″ wide. They lock together and you screw down the top edge. The metal is coated with a fine crushed stone and you can walk on it during installation. Anyone have experience with this & do you recommend it? It looks like something I could do. Weight is 125 lbs/100 ft2, 50 year waranty – don’t know the cost.
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http://www.decra.com/shingle.html
There's a link.
As with any metal roof, the devil is in the details. You've got to rely on caulk for waste vent and similar penetrations. If you've got a straight gable roof with no dormers or valleys and few penetrations, then this could be a DIY operation, not much different from asphalt shingles. If your roof is real steep, high, cut up or a combination of these, it would probably be best left to a pro.
Another word of caution: It has been often discussed here and the concensus is pretty much "Don't put this stuff on over exixting asphalt shingles no matter what the sales literature says".
The metal is coated with a fine crushed stone and you can walk on it during installation.
That's assuming you can walk on your roof to begin with. I didn't completely read the installation manual, but I didn't see any reference to how to stage the roof if necessary.
Birth, school, work, death.....................
Yeah, it doesn't sound like you can use roof jacks, does it. Do like these guys I saw... throw some rope over the ridge, tie to the chimney on the other side, and tie it around your waist.
I GC'd a house a couple of years ago on which the owner insisted on the panelized metal "shingles" as you describe but a different supplier.
After checking them out, I refused to install them as did several local roofers who'd had experience with them. They were stamped from very light gauge metal, were expensive relative to steel standing seam and laborious to install.
The HO eventually found a crew out of state to install them.
As Greencut pointed out, the flashing details on this type of roof requires special attention, especially if you have any hips, gables, valleys, pitch changes, etc.
Personally, if we're talking apples and apples here, I think you'll find some better metal roofing options that are more durable AND more user friendly, and less expensive.
I just put three squares of standing seam copper on my place. Metal in general is an excellent choice for keeping water out, and for light weight. 360 lbs. of copper replaced about 3600 lbs of tile.
What are the dimensions of your roof? Would the 49" modules require an unpleasantly small row somewhere? My pans are long enough to go from ridge to eaves in one piece, which makes things a bunch easier to install and harder to screw up.
-- J.S.
The cost is high, $300-$400 per square. The real selling point for me was the insurance discount. The metal shingles are nearly hailproof, and little dents are invisible, unlike standing seam metal. So State Farm offers a 27% discount in this hail-prone area. Those savings make the metal tile roof eventually pay for itself. I'm sure I won't have to worry about a new roof in my lifetime.