Hire Us for Steel Roofing Installations in Orillia

A steel installation is always a good option for your roof, it really is worth the investment if you can afford it. This blog will address the accessories or options you should consider. There are three important additional options to consider beyond profile, style, venting options, colour and gauge (thickness of the steel).

• Strapping
  
  It isn’t necessary to strap all roofs prior to installation. Strapping improves the overall performance and longevity of your steel roof as it provides air circulation between the roof deck and roof material, but it isn’t always necessary and could be an eliminated option if the budget is tight. Some steel roof profiles are designed to allow airflow to pass under the roof panels. Generally the lower the profile the more likely you will need strapping.
  
  
• Snow stops or snow guards
  
  Our opinion at Roofing For Less is that you always need snow stops and they should be made of steel that is 26 gauge or lower, any higher gauge and they won’t stand up to winter conditions. In our service areas of Orillia, Barrie, Midland, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, Simcoe, Muskoka and Georgian Bay this option is extremely important with the amounts of snow and ice that come off of a steel roof. If snow and ice accumulate it will come off the roof in an avalanche not only making it dangerous for exit and entry to the home but it can cause damage to things on the roof such as vents and chimney stacks and to things on the ground – cars, decks, furniture or anything within 15 feet of the perimeter of the house. In 99% of our installations we install steel snow stops in the same colour as your steel roof product. The plastic snow stops do not stand up over time and eventually become brittle and turn yellow. In most cases we custom bend the snow stops in varying lengths and install them in a staggered pattern, we can also order 10 foot lengths from the manufacturers, but not all roofs require 10 foot lengths everywhere and we usually end up cutting them down anyway – cost is about the same either way.
  
  
• Eavestroughs and strapping of eavestroughs
  
  The main function of eavestroughs is to divert water away from the foundation of your home so pretty much every home should have eavestroughs and even more so with a steel roof as the water cascades down the roofline at a much faster pace than with a shingle roof and can cause a waterfall effect resulting in rapid and deep water accumulation right next to your foundation. If you have a very steep pitched long-lined roof, eavestroughs may not be an option as the snow load will almost certainly rip the troughs off each winter regardless if snowstops are in place or not. If you have eavestroughs and a steel roof we recommend strapping them to the roof (not the fascia board). The straps should be placed no more than two feet apart to be effective. The strap is fixed to the roof and wraps around the outside of the trough, up and behind and attached at the other end to the roof. Generally, we make our own straps and use the same colour as the eavestrough. Strapping significantly reduces the chances of the eavestroughs being torn off by sliding snow and ice.
  
  

The final stages of accessories on your roof include the steel and metal components or flashings. Below are the various flashings we commonly see on most roofs:

• Drip edge or eaves starter
  
  The main purpose of drip edge or eaves starter is to help keep ice from backing up over the eavestrough and up and under the shingles which leads to damaged shingles and possible leaks. Drip edge can be installed at either the eaves or the rakes (peaks) or both and it is never a bad option for our service areas like Orillia, Barrie, Midland, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Muskoka or Simcoe.
  All of the flashings and metal work we install are pre-painted enamelled steel and there are various parts of the roof that need the metal replaced. We offer:
  
  
• Chimney flashing
  
  Chimney flashing is only replaced if necessary and sometimes it is removed while other times it is just replaced by going over existing flashing depending on how it was installed. A new chimney flashing ensures and protects against possible leaks at the base of the chimney and helps to preserve the integrity of the chimney structure.
  
  
• Wall or step flashing
  
  Wall flashing goes on any horizontal areas where the roof surface meets a wall such as above a garage, overhang or under a window. Step flashing goes on any diagonal or inclined surface where the roof surface meets a wall such as the above attached garages and down the sides of dormers. Both serve as an extra barrier to keep the weather out of a possible entry point and to preserve the life of your roof along the outer edges.
  
  
• Skylight flashing
  
  This flashing goes around the perimeter of your skylight. New skylights generally come with the appropriate flashing kit. If you are re-using a skylight it is sometimes best to re-use the existing flashing and just reseal it with ice and water shield unless it is too deteriorated to do so.
  
  
• Valley
  
  Steel valley material should be present in every valley whether the valley is "closed" or "open". An open valley is where you can see the steel valley and a closed valley is where you only see shingles in the valley area but there should still be a steel valley underneath. Most of our valleys are open as we believe that open valleys are less likely to leak since water and snow can run off more easily and closed valleys have faster shingle deterioration in that area setting the stage for a possible roof leak.
  
  It's very important to have metal flashings in good shape on your roof, installed and caulked properly and checked regularly for possible cracks in the caulking as that is the most common area we see leaks starting from.