The owner of this beautiful Shakopee home called us because his 20-year-old cedar shake roof was leaking and it was time to replace it.  The roof was leaking in a particularly vulnerable area, and it was causing damage to the brick and wood of the home's structure. His problem isn't unusual - we get lots of calls from people with wood shake roofs that are having problems after about 15-20 years.

Another concern for this homeowner was the potential for fire since the home is in a heavily wooded area.  And like other wood roofs that don't get a lot of direct sunlight, algae and moss build-up was also an issue.  Both algae and moss can cause a wood shake roof to deteriorate prematurely.  As a result, cedar and other wood roofs require a lot of maintenance.

Another major factor was that due to the wood roof, the owner was no longer able to obtain homeowner's insurance at a reasonable cost.

The owner desired to pass this home on to his son, but he didn't want him to inherit the roof problems along with the house.

For all of these reasons, we suggested a metal roof.  

The roof the owner selected was an ArrowLine steel Enhanced Shake from Edco in T-Tone Blend.

The Benefits of a Metal Roof for this Home

Let's start with lasting beauty.  A cedar roof is attractive when it's installed, but it doesn't take long before sunlight and weather cause the wood's appearance to fade and the color to turn a dull gray.

Close-up of roofing (courtesy of Edco)

This shake roofing has a natural weathered appearance, but unlike wood, the color it is today is the color that it will remain for as long as the roof is on this home.  Its Trinar® finish provides exceptional color retention, and it's virtually fade-proof.   If for some reason a section of this roof needs to be repaired in 40 years, the section put in will match perfectly.

Its Trinar® finish provides exceptional color retention, and it's virtually fade-proof.   If for some reason a section of this roof needs to be repaired in 40 years, the section put in will match perfectly.

 

Now let's move on to how the metal roof we installed addresses the homeowner's concerns.  

Before we put on the new roof, we redesigned the roof saddle to eliminate areas where water accumulated and did not drain.  And the qualities of the roofing took care of the other issues.

  • Insurance won't be a problem any longer.  Many homeowner's insurance companies even offer discounts for homes that have metal roofs since they are highly fire resistant.
  • He doesn't have to worry about replacing this roof again in 15-20 years.  It will most likely outlive even the son who will inherit the home.  And because the lifetime non-prorated warranty is transferable, that son will also enjoy the same guarantee the of quality.
Metal roofing - like this steel ArrowLine roof from Edco - is our specialty.  More and more Minnesota homeowners are making the switch to metal roofs for the same reasons this owner did.  And there are many other benefits as well. If you'd like to find out more about having a metal roof installed on your home, please contact us for a free consultation.  We are a licensed Minnesota roofing contractor, and we install steel and other metal roofs in the entire Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area.