The last two weeks have been inspection weeks as the various government inspectors have been through the home approving the plumbing, electrical, roof and pool rough-ins. You can see that Phoenix has also finished installing the windows and that the exterior elements of the home site are taking better shape. With approvals in place we can now move into the interior finishes phase of the home, with the drywall for the walls and ceilings already underway. Paul’s Metal Roofing is also installing soffit trims as we begin the roof finishes.
We have been using Paul’s Metal Roofing for the past few years because he is one of those hands-on owners – out to the site himself every day to monitor progress and quality.
Paul illustrates the various folds that are part of creating a quality section of standing seam roof.
The material, which locally will be either aluminum or galvalume, comes in various gauges (material thickness) from .26 ga to .40 ga with the .40 ga aluminum, which we are using here, being the highest quality. The paint type used is also very important to the life of the roof – we are using a Kynar 500, a fluoropolymer resin based paint product renowned for its durability and corrosion resistance, but be aware that other products are out there and the price and performance differences can be quite dramatic. Also be conscious that darker colors, while sometimes more dramatic, will attract more heat to the roof and will as a result break down and fade more quickly than reflective colors like white, cream or grey.
Another area where large quality differences can be apparent is in the spacing of the vertical ribs of the roof:
The local standard spacing is 16” between ribs, but if solar panels or other equipment are to be installed on the roof - who is not looking at this seriously these days - consider opting for 12” between ribs for greater structural strength. Also make sure that metals in affixed applications are compatible with the roofing material as corrosion can occur otherwise.
So you can see from this review that standing seam roofs can vary greatly in terms of quality, and therefore durability, and can not be judged upon price alone. It is important to know what specific product you are buying, exactly who is installing it and what warranties are available with the product and provider you have selected!
