Boston Metal Roofing

Metal roofing in Boston is about as perfect as roofing gets for a climate like Beantown's. It's incredibly tough and durable, lasts for years (40-50 year warranties are pretty commonplace), and it's ideal for the harsh winters that make Boston famous. About the only drawback in the minds of most Bostonians is looks, but with huge advances in technology the past several decades, metal roofing can now also be counted as one of the more attractive roofing solutions on the market. If you're in need of a new roof, and are ready to look beyond traditional roofing materials, it's worth your time and money to consider Boston metal roofing to protect your home.

The Advantages of Metal Roofing in Boston
Since metal roofing in Boston is still relatively new to most homeowners, we'll take a second to enlighten you as to what this roofing material has to offer, starting with it's effectiveness in protecting your home from Boston's harsh weather. Its advantages are pretty straightforward in that regard. Because it has a relatively smooth, uniform surface in most cases, it sheds rain, snow, and ice much easier than other roofing options. It's also known to be ice-dam proof, a huge plus in an area where ice dams not only damage roofing, but can also have disastrous consequences for the rest of your home in the form of water damage. And on a purely practical note, and contrary to popular belief, metal roofing is actually quite a bit lighter than other roofing materials. It's so much lighter, in fact, that it can often be installed directly over old roofing materials, cutting down on labor costs associated with roof removal, and reducing the amount of waste that gets shipped to the local landfill.

Boston Metal Roofing Styles
Also unknown to most homeowners in Greater Boston are the options that you have in choosing the perfect metal roof for your home. The vertically ridged sheets that pop into most homeowner's minds when they picture metal roofing are still the most popular choice when it comes to metal roofing, and to be honest, they are also the most ideal form of metal roofing in Boston when it comes to protecting your home from Boston's infamous winters. If you like a little more variety, however, you can also get metal roofing in the form of shingles. Shingles come individually, or as larger sheets with shingle textures stamped into the metal. They can now even be purchased in designs that imitate other popular roofing materials such as shake and stone shingles and ceramic tiles.

Boston Metal Roofing Materials
Besides the style of roof you purchase, you'll also need to decide what type of metal you want. If you live in one of Boston's signature Victorian or Federal homes, or in a more modern home in one of Boston's upscale neighborhoods, you might consider copper or stainless steel for your roofing. Both are stunning, long-lasting, and very expensive. They can't be beat if you can afford it, and there isn't anything out there that can rival the look of copper roofing tiles on an older historic home (of which Boston has its fair share!). Aluminum and steel, on the other hand, are the most common forms of metal roofing for the masses. Aluminum has the advantage of being lighter, though be sure to purchase a thicker gauge if you go this route, since aluminum is less durable by nature than other metals. In fact, steel is the most common choice just for that reason and is the recommended choice for Bostonians across the board.

Baked on Enamel Coatings: The Best Thing to Happen to Boston Metal Roofing, Period
While metal roofing in and of itself is an excellent roofing material, it's really the advancement of metal roof coatings that have thrust this alternative roofing material to the forefront of the metal roofing industry. Thanks to advances in technology, baked on enamel coatings have virtually eliminated problems with corrosion that sometimes surfaced with metal roofing in the past. They also play a large role in increasing the efficiency of metal roofs. By reducing the amount of sunlight absorbed by the roofing itself, enamel coatings greatly reduce the heat transferred into your home during Boston's hot, humid summers. Don't go too light when choosing colors, however. You do want some heat to build up on the surface to aid in shedding all that snow and ice during the winter months. Baked on enamel coatings have also made unconventional metal roofing designs, like shingles that imitate cedar shake and stone tiles, possible, since it can re-create textures that regular paint cannot. And finally, the new enamel coatings are the main reason metal roofing manufacturers now commonly provide 40 to 50 year warranties on their materials, making Boston metal roofing likely the last roof you'll ever have to install on your home.

A Final Note on Metal Roofing in Boston's Historic Homes
Metal roofing looks great on older homes, with their steep slopes and high ridge lines. However, if you live in a historic home in one of Boston's many older neighborhoods, be sure to check with any entities that oversee the historic preservation of homes in your area as to whether metal siding is suitable roofing material in their eyes. The unconventional look of aluminum and metal sheet roofing, for example, might raise some hackles in historic circles. You'll rarely hear any beef about copper roofing tiles, of course, and you'll have an easier time making the case for some of the more innovative metal roofing materials out there, like the shake and stone imitation shingles mentioned above. Nonetheless, despite seeming to be an excellent solution for historic homes, you may run into some roadblocks regarding metal roofing if you live in one of Boston's many historic dwellings.

That being said, whether you live in one of Boston's many older, storied homes, or in a new house out in the suburbs, a look at metal roofing in Boston is worth your time. When it comes to roofing materials, metal roofing is to Boston what Larry Bird was to the jump shot: a near perfect fit.

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