Metal Roofing Pros and Cons

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Learn about these metal roofing pros and cons before repairing your roof. If properly maintained, metal roofs don't have to be eyesores. Understand metal roofing pros and cons, and spot
Learn about these metal roofing pros and cons before repairing your roof. If properly maintained, metal roofs don't have to be eyesores. Understand metal roofing pros and cons, and spot "tin tops" on just about every style and size of building around. For example, painted steel "shingles" on a beautiful older house.
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Terneplate on a turn-of-the-century railroad station.
Terneplate on a turn-of-the-century railroad station.
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A copper-topped gazebo.  
A copper-topped gazebo.  
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Aluminum on a smaller home.
Aluminum on a smaller home.
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Galvanized steel, the
Galvanized steel, the "old standard". 

Metal roofing pros and cons, includes tips for for evaluating and repairing metal roofs.

A Guide to Metal Roofing Pros and Cons

When my husband and I first moved to the country, I was amazed at the number of homes in our neck of the Georgia woods that had metal roofs . . . and at the number of those tin-topped abodes that displayed “For Sale” signs out front. So the next time I spoke with a local realtor friend, I asked him if he found it difficult to market metal-roofed houses. At the question, his face cracked with a knowing smile.

“Anything with a tin roof is going to sell for less . . . if you can find a buyer for it at all,” he told me. “Even your typical back-to-the-lander doesn’t want to take one of those buildings on. And most of the people to whom I do manage to sell metal-topped homes tell me they plan to replace the roof as soon as they get the money together.”

“Well,” I said to myself, “if my friend is right, and if my area is typical, it seems that buying a home topped with tin might be one way to save a good bit of money . . . and such a move could make it possible for a would-be ruralite to settle in the country that much sooner.” In short, my curiosity was whetted, and — since we had some city friends looking for a bargain-priced house near us — I decided to learn all I could about metal roofing pros and cons. I wanted, above all, to discover why they suffer such a poor reputation . . . and if they deserve it. It’s taken some time, but what I’ve learned has really opened my eyes to the hidden benefits of tin-tops . . . and I’d like to share some of that knowledge with you here.

  • Published on Mar 1, 1984
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