Roofing lessons from the Home Show – Effingham Daily News

When it comes to building a home or remodeling, it doesn't take long to realize it's a big investment.

And one way to protect that investment is in the roofing materials.

Information and samples of various aspects of the home building industry were part of the annual Effingham Area Home Builders Association Home Show held over the weekend at the Keller Convention Center in Effingham.

Materials for roofing range as much as the number of contractors willing to roof your home.

Besides the contractor, things to consider are the life expectancy of materials, cost of materials, various of materials, color, and texture.

If you don't have a good roof, it doesn't matter what the rest of your house looks like, said Russell Sanderson, lead sales for Alpha and Omega Construction in Salem. The roof is the most important part of your home.

Roofing materials to select from could include asphalt shingles, but also wood, cement, tile, slate and metal. Metal could be as much as three times the cost as asphalt shingles.

If metal roofing if what the homeowner wants, the stone-coated shingles are the best way to go, said Justin Matthews, owner of Alpha and Omega.

These look like traditional asphalt shingles but are stone-embedded and are very durable, said Matthews. With traditional metal, the warranty is on the paint, but not on the metal.

When it comes to metal roofing, there's plenty to learn.

One roofing contractor said much of what is being used on residential roofs is actually an agriculture or pole barn material with exposed fasteners, because they tend to deteriorate in five to 10 years, said Sanderson.

He doesn't recommend exposed fasteners for homes, although it is OK for agriculture use. A better option is the standing seam metal roofs, or those with concealed fasteners for houses.

Sanderson also suggested if using a metal roof, it shouldn't be placed over an asphalt shingled roof.

That's because the screws or fasteners won't bite in as well; the asphalt shingles will scratch and scar the backside of the metal roofing material; and metal also creates a condensation issue on the home.

Metal roofs fade over time and the material doesn't always fade evenly, creating a roof line with shades of whatever the base color once was, said Matthews.

Cramer Siding & Windows in Champaign was represented at the Home Show. The company typically doesn't install metal roofing, according to its representative.

There's a pretty high overhead in that industry, said Jacob Wilson. We do grain shingle roofs and provide customers with different materials for varying life spans.

Wilson also said paint fades on the sheet metal material.

We suggest a clean cut look with original asphalt shingles, he said.

Shani Hasan, of NextGen Metal Roofing in Edwardsville, said sheet metal roofing has been around for ages, but stone coated steel or metal shingles is what his company promotes.

Sheet metal roofing may show signs of rusting, fading and oil canning, which is when the metal has raised up spots from the expansion and contraction of the materials.

Steel tile or shingles won't do that, Hasan said about the effects of hot and cold weather against metal.

Contractors said the gauge of metal makes a difference, as well, on how it withstands weather and elements it gets exposed to on a home.

I would use stone coated metal over sheet metal on a home anytime, said Hasan.

His company offers clay tile, standing seam metal and wood shake styles of roofing materials.

The Metal Roofing Alliance said there are myths about metal roofs in its safety and noise, for examples.

Although metal conducts electricity, lightning is not drawn to it. Metal roofing is often quieter than an asphalt shingle when installed with solid sheathing, and the metal roof can take decades of abuse from all kinds of weather.

The alliance, at http://www.metalroofing.com, stated that today's metal roofing systems are built to last. Steel metal roofing has a metallic coating that prevents rust from forming and is bonded to the steel at the factory. Paint is applied over the coating for long-lasting color, it reported.

Contact Dawn Schabbing at dawn.schabbing@effinghamdailynews.com or 217-347-7151, ext. 138

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Roofing lessons from the Home Show - Effingham Daily News