What information do you need before putting a metal roof on a home?
Short answer. Before choosing a metal roof for your home, know which system you are buying, standing seam or exposed fastener, the metal gauge and paint finish, what underlayment and ventilation will go under it, how penetrations and gutters will be handled, and what your HOA, permit office and insurance policy say. Those details decide how long it lasts more than the brand does.
Questions for the installer
- Tear-off or recover? Covering old shingles saves money but hides the deck. Ask how they will check it.
- Gauge and coating: get the gauge, the metallic coating and the paint system in writing.
- Warranties: the paint warranty on fade and chalk, the metal warranty on perforation, and the installer's workmanship warranty are three separate documents.
- Underlayment: it should be rated for the heat under metal.
- Fastening: clip or screw spacing for your wind zone.
- Penetrations: how pipes, chimneys, skylights and vents will be flashed, and whether they use flexible pipe flashings made for metal.
- Ventilation: how the attic will be vented at the ridge and soffits.
- Experience: how many metal homes they have done, with addresses you can drive by.
Questions for everyone else
- Your HOA: many Georgia neighborhoods restrict or require approval for metal on the main roof, and some allow it only as an accent over porches and bays.
- Your building department: most Georgia jurisdictions require a reroofing permit.
- Your insurer: ask whether your policy excludes cosmetic damage such as hail dents on metal, and whether a metal roof changes your premium.
Practical details
Metal sheds water and pine straw quickly, so gutters take bigger bursts of runoff. Satellite dishes, solar mounts and future repairs all need metal-specific methods, so plan for them now rather than after the panels go on.
See HOA roof approval in Georgia, roofing permits in Georgia and metal roofing in Georgia.