Choosing a Standing Seam Metal Roof
A standing seam metal roof is becoming a popular choice with homeowners and builders alike. It offers a distinctive look and provides very good durability and can provide years of trouble-free protection from the elements for your home. This type of roof provides a wide range of styles and colors for homeowner to chose from and can really add a lot of value to the home as well as increase its resale value considerably.
When choosing a standing seam metal roof, there are a few ways that these roofs are designed and installed and which method is chosen is up to the contractor. The style used is largely determined by the shape of your roof and the area you live. If your roof has a lot of architectural details, the contractor might decide to create the roof panels onsite so that they can be customized precisely for your roof. This allows him the freedom to build these panels to your exact specifications and can also help eliminate a lot of material waste as well. The creation of the panels is done by shaping raw metal stock that arrives onsite on a large roll. This is then cut to the proper size and formed by using a machine called a brake. The contractor can form these panels to accommodate for the various peaks and corners of your roof and allows him to incorporate openings for vents and chimneys. These panels are then attached to the roof with clips, and secured to each other by being crimped together. This crimp is a permanent union between the panels and is done through the use of a mechanical crimper. Because this process involves a lot more labor, these types of installations tend to be more expensive. The advantage is that by using the crimp style seams, the metal roof is much more resistant to wind damage. This is because the manual crimp bonds the panels together so tightly they act as one sheet of metal. The only consideration this style of crimp requires is to allow for expansion and contraction during the changing seasons. Because the crimp binds the panels so tightly, a space at the top and bottom of the panels needs to be maintained so they have room to move.
The other style of standing seam metal roof is shipped to the home as a set of standard panels that are modified to fit the roofline. These panels can also be joined with a mechanical crimper if a high wind resistance is needed. There are also several styles of clips that can be used in areas of low winds as well. Using these clips can speed up the installation and lower the cost of the roof.
Whichever style of standing seam metal roof you choose, you will be happy with the finished product. If installed correctly it will give you decades of use with no maintenance required.
