As the surface of your home that faces the greatest exposure to the elements, when having a roof installed the specifics — such as the shape and the materials that are used to construct it — need to be considered very, very carefully, as these aspects of your roof will have a significant impact on its longevity. The truth is though that the average homeowner doesn’t actually give as much consideration to these factors as they should, and the vast majority just tend to go with what is seen as the “norm,” which these days is a Hip or Gable style roof with asphalt or concrete shingles. However, we would advise against following the masses or selecting your new roof based on price alone. As the leading metal roofing manufacturers in Toronto and Mississauga, we would strongly advise you to consider a steel roofing installation, which offers a considerable number of benefits.
The Benefits of Choosing a Steel Roofing Installation
You may hear many building contractors say that asphalt shingles are “king” when it comes to the residential housing market, and based on the sheer number of installations, they are not wrong. It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of roofs in North America are built using asphalt shingles. However, this is largely due to convenience if not anything else, with asphalt shingles being cheap to purchase, easy to install and relatively attractive. In terms of performance though, asphalt roofs cannot compete with a steel roofing installation, which offers the following benefits:
Extremely Lightweight
The framework that is built for the roof, in addition to your property’s walls and foundations, needs to be able to support your new roof, otherwise the roof may begin to sag, or even worse, exert so much pressure that the core structure of the property is compromised. When standard roofing materials are used, the roof can weigh several tons. A steel roofing installation is extremely lightweight by comparison, weighing just a ton on an average sized home in Toronto or Mississauga.
Do Not Absorb Water
Unlike asphalt shingles or concrete shingles, a steel roofing installation is impervious to water, meaning that when it rains, the weight of your roof does not increase. Since annual rainfall in the Greater Toronto Area is relatively high, this is a huge advantage. Just to make this clear, a steel roofing installation will always be approximately the same weight, whether wet or dry, while other standard types of roof can increase in weight by as much as 10%, putting extra pressure on your property’s roof supports and foundations.
Unrivalled Longevity
One of the main reasons to choose a steel roofing installation is the fact that they can outlast other types of roofing by decades, making them by far the most cost efficient solution available. London Eco-Roof offers a 55 year warranty on all steel roofing products, while the vast majority of concrete or asphalt roofs come with a 20 to 30 year warranty.
Reduces Heating & Cooling Costs
Another way in which a steel roofing installation is more cost efficient than other types of roofs is through its ability to reduce your heating and cooling bills. How does it do this? Rather than storing heat energy as the sun’s UV rays hit your roof, this heat energy is reflected, meaning your roof naturally cools down much quicker, reducing your dependence on air conditioning units during the sweltering summer months we enjoy here in Toronto. A steel roofing installation will also typically come with a superior R-Value, which is how a material’s ability to insulate is graded, to both asphalt and concrete. So in addition to reducing cooling costs, your heating costs in the winter are lowered too.
Minimal Maintenance Required
Once your steel roofing installation is complete, there’s really very little to do other than let it do its thing. The rainwater will naturally wash its surface down and keep it looking visually attractive, and steel roofs don’t utilize any bonding agents to secure it in place like shingles do, which may weaken over time. This minimizes the chances of the roof getting damaged to virtually zero, unlike traditional roofs where shingles often crack and become loose .
Unlimited Design Possibilities
If you are picturing the kind of big, ugly tin type roofs that you see on warehouses across the country when you think of a steel roofing installation, you couldn’t be more wrong. Many homeowners are surprised at just how beautiful these things are. Steel roofs can be designed in a vast range of styles and colours and the experts at London Eco-Roof can help you come up with the perfect design to fit in with the other architectural elements of your home. It’s a material that can be manipulated to suit either a modern style home or something more classic.
A new roof is a significant investment and London Eco-Roof’s only goal is to help you make the right decision. In the past 4 years we have successfully completed hundreds of different orders in the Toronto and Mississauga areas, and our products offer an exceptional blend of affordability, quality and visual beauty.
