Having roofers in Oshkosh WI install a metal roof on a residential structure is a big investment. Many homeowners choose asphalt shingles because the material is more affordable, but a metal roof lasts decades longer and significantly boosts the value of the house. When trying to decide which material to order for roofing, learning a variety of facts about steel and aluminum roofs can help.
Metal roofs are advantageous in areas that tend to receive a lot of snow. The entire state of Wisconsin certainly qualifies in that regard. Snow on sloped metal roofs simply slides off at some point instead of accumulating, melting slowly and refreezing again and again, and causing ice dams in rain gutters. When properly installed, the roof will prevent any leaking due to snow and ice ever again.
Many homeowners choose not to bother with rain gutters once they have a metal roof installed, but others need an effective drainage system. Special installation procedures prevent problems with snow hitting the gutters as the material slides off the roof. For instance, having the gutters placed a bit lower than the roof and having the roof extend partway over the gutters is a combination of effective strategies.
If the house already has two layers of asphalt shingles, those shingles must be removed before re-roofing with asphalt shingles. Otherwise, the layers will be too heavy for the roof to be considered a safe covering for the house. In many cases, however, a metal roof can be installed over two layers of shingles. That’s because metal is a very lightweight roofing material. Roofers in Oshkosh WI can verify whether this is true for any particular home and its existing roof structure.
Metal roofing is available in a broad range of colors, with more than 100 hues available. Aluminum and steel roofs are available in panels and interlocking shingles. Manufacturers produce the roofing products in the traditional metal appearance as well as in styles to look like cedar shakes and slate. It even can be produced to resemble asphalt shingles. A company such as Business Name can install a metal roof at any time of year, which is not typically the case with asphalt shingles. Roofers usually want to wrap up their shingle-roof work by late fall in this type of climate.