This metal roof installation was more of an emergency job. During Hurricane Irene, a large (1500 lbs.) tree fell on the roof of this house in Cumberland, RI, breaking much of the framing and roof sheeting, and leaving a huge hole in the roof, as well as destroying a previous roof that was on the house – Interlock’s aluminum shingles roof, that was installed just a few years prior.
The homeowners – Mary and Rafael were looking for a Metal Roofing Contractor to install (replace) the damaged roof with a new metal roof. For reasons unknown to me, they decided not to hire the original installer to redo their roof. At the same time, they were working with a General Contractor (GC), that was doing other damage repairs (framing / insulation / electrical / plumbing and other interior work) in their house, and we were hired as an independent roofing contractor to do the metal roof.
About the same time, we had just finished our own metal roof in North Attleboro (full review coming soon), and Cumberland being only 5-10 minutes away, was very close for Mary and Rafael to look at our work. Their General Contractor – Joe, took a drive to our No. Attleboro office, and spoke with us – we then went to see the job, and got the ball rolling.
Emergency Roof Replacement
Old metal roof, damaged in hurricane Irene – roof framing repaired, and temporary underlayment installed:
It was essential to do the roof replacement as soon as possible, as the interior work in the house was progressing, but building inspectors would not sign off on the electrical work, winter was looming (this was in late November), and cold temperature was settling in. At the same time, we dedicated the entire month of December to last minute emergency roofs, and pushed back less urgent work.
With this roof it was a race against time – while we had to take care of other badly leaking roofs – some with water leaking into bedrooms, or one with no roof at all (old Trocal PVC roof that completely shattered), and we also needed to finish this roof before Christmas.
Another factor affecting installation timing was the fact that around the holiday season, most manufacturers shut down their plants, and take a long break. At the same time, orders keep piling in and it takes manufacturers some time to catch up after the holidays, which can easily create delays as long as 4-6 weeks in getting the materials.
In this case, we needed to have our materials on hand before the holiday season, but the contract was signed after Thanksgiving, which gave us and the manufacturer little time to get everything for the job ready. Fortunately, the materials arrived on Dec. 13, and we could start installing the roof that week.
Roof installation
On this job, the GC was in charge of getting the roof deck ready for new roof to be installed. That included tearing off old metal shingles, and as was discovered later, another layer of asphalt roofing shingles, under the metal roof (while it is acceptable by building code to have two roof layers, it is always best practice to remove old roofing first – especially when you are installing a lifetime metal roof, and we wonder why the original contractor did not remove the asphalt shingles).
We had to help the GC with installation of roof underlayment to our standards (especially in valleys) and flashing the chimney. We coordinated a day when GC’s guys removed old roof shingles, repaired / replaced damaged plywood roof sheeting, and helped to install GAF Deck Armor breathable roofing underlayment.
We began installing the new roof the next day. Fortunately, this was a walkable roof (relatively low slope), which made installation much simpler than if it was very steep. The most challenging part of this roof was the timing – we had to get everything done fast, and hoped weather would cooperate with us (which it did).
From a technical perspective, the most complicated part was the valleys, but overall, it was a straightforward roof installation.
We installed Tamko Steel Shingles Metal Roof in Vermont Blue Color. We also installed about 47 snow guards total – 33 in the front of the house, where the main entrance door and garage doors are located, and another 14 in the back, above the rear door.
We also installed a ridge ventilation system along roof ridges, and a special order split pipe flashing to waterproof the electric conduit, which was sticking out of the roof and electrical wires did not allow us to use regular pipe flashing. This pretty much completed this installation, and Mary and Rafael had their new roof for Christmas!
If you are looking for a new metal roof in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, fill out our roofing estimate form.
Similar metal shingle roofs installed near Cumberland, RI:
Metal Shingles Roof in North Attleboro, MA (installed in Oct. 2011 – coming soon)
Metal Shingles Roof in Johnston, RI (installed in Sep. 2007 – coming soon)
Roof Portfolio – check out other flat and metal roofing jobs that we installed in MA, CT and RI.
If you are interested in metal roofing, but wonder how much a metal roof costs – try our roofing calculator to estimate the cost of your roof, or read our metal roofing prices guide.
Those metal shingles look great. As a roofer myself, I tend to stay away fro metal and flat roofs, but you guys are doing a great job out there!
Nice job on the roof, especially on short notice. I’m getting ready to install a very similar system on a client’s home here in Anchorage. How do you like that GAF Deck Armor? Never used that particular product before. Thanks
-Dan
This roof top look fab, well few days back my roof started leaking and Thank God my friend helped me out to find the best roofing work company and I was really satisfied with their work