LESLIE: Brian in North Dakota is taking on a roofing project. How can we help you with that?
BRIAN: I was wondering, I’ve got a – it’s time to reshingle my roof and the original shingles have lasted for 27 years. But I’m kind of liking the looks of a metal roof, from what I’ve been seeing.
TOM: Right.
BRIAN: What’s the pros/cons of going metal against asphalt shingles?
TOM: Well, I mean the pro of a metal roof is that it’s a lifetime roof; they last a long time. Depending on the type of roof you put on, you could go 50 to 100 years.
BRIAN: OK.
TOM: The cons are they’re really expensive.
BRIAN: OK.
TOM: So this better be a house that you’re going to be in for the duration, Brian, because it’s just a very costly roof to install.
The other advantage of a metal roof is that they have low-E coatings on them today. And I don’t know that a low-E coating is going to last you 50 to 100 years but at least for the first 10 or 20 years of it, this low-E coating works to reflect the sunlight as it hits it and it keeps the home cooler in the summer.
BRIAN: OK.
TOM: So it acts just like low-E would in, say, a replacement window.
BRIAN: OK. How about now in the winter, snow build and ice, I guess, with the asphalt? They use a snow rake when you get a lot of snow in the winter up here?
TOM: Yeah, you have to have a snow guard on the edge of it, especially in your neck of the woods, because the snow will slide off it and of course, you don’t want to get hit with those chunks of snow when it comes down off your roof.
BRIAN: Right.
TOM: It definitely doesn’t have the friction that an asphalt-shingled roof has, so you definitely will have more snow sliding off it.
By the way, if you do decide to put one on, I would recommend that you take off the asphalt shingles as part of that process.
BRIAN: Oh, OK. Strip it right down to the plywood?
TOM: Yeah, put it right on the plywood. If you’re going to spend this kind of money, let’s not trap the old roof underneath it.
BRIAN: OK. I guess that was my question. I sure like the looks of the metal roofs I’ve been seeing. They’re kind of few and far between in my area.
TOM: Yeah, they’re beautiful, aren’t they? Mm-hmm. Yeah, they’re gorgeous. Yeah and I’m sure it’ll contribute to your home value, too, but get some prices and then you can make a better-informed decision.
BRIAN: Alright. Thank you, sir.
TOM: You’re welcome, Brian. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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