Why Choose Metal
Architectural metal products in general have properties that allow them to last and protect substantially longer than other forms of siding and roofing with minimal maintenance. There is a reason many government and commercial buildings utilize metal siding. Our 24 gauge commercial steel is double the strength of the 29 gauge steel. It's roughly 133% stronger than our competitors 26 gauge steel. Another benefit to metal is that it requires minimal up keeping. Saving you time and money. Maintenance for wood and cement board products typically costs around 50 cents a square foot annually. Another win for metal, they don't get brittle and fade from uv rays like most vinyl products. . Generally speaking metal last substantially longer than other materials. Even if scratched or dented (unless you put a slice completely through it) metal doesn't lose its performance or protective quality's. With metal roofing the sound of rain and snow sliding may be slightly more noticeable than say asphalt shingles, but it also has a lot of upside beyond lower maintenance costs. Metal roofs are very practical for Alaska where we receive heavy snowfall. Metal roofs allow for easy snow shedding preventing buildup and structural damage. with its high impact resistance ice and snow damage can be reduced. Metal is non-flammable, creating a layer of fire protection from sparks or embers coming at the exterior of your residence. When you weigh some of these factors and look at overall value per the life of the materials, metal separates itself in long term protection from other siding options. If you are looking for long term value, performance, and no ten year repaints/maintenance, metal is the best choice for you.
What types of metal roofs are out there?
We break up metal roof panels into 4 groups. The first group is the exposed fastener panels. These panels have screws through them to hold them down. Some common names you will hear are Norclad, Delta rib, Ag or 5 rib. These panels typically provide 36" of coverage width. For residential panels these are usually the thinnest (29 gauge) material. They are the lowest cost panels. Due to their exposed screws these panels last 30+/- years having the shortest lifespan of metal panels. Over time they leak at the screw penetrations. This softens and rots the wood at the penetration point as well as rusts the exposed edge of the hole. these panels are usually 36" wide. There isn't mobile machinery for this panel. We can however order through our partner and can get heavier gauges if requested. The second group of panels are the hidden fastener, slotted screw fin, snaplock panel many refer to as the "skyline" panel taken from the ASC trademark name. This is a good panel that can last years beyond the exposed fastener panels by protecting the screws from weather and not having any screws through the panels except at the bottom when not notched and hemmed. This panel needs a relatively flat deck, free from dips and bows to protect the snaplock from exposure to adverse pressure. This panel also needs to be installed over a surface tight to the panel bottom. The panels weak spot is wind blowing up from the bottom and peeling the screws heads loose from the screw fin. Thus it is extremely important that this panel is not installed over purlins. This is a good panel profile and will provide years of beautiful protection and coverage. Our panel in this style is the Wrangell Panel. It's our most installed panel and for good reason it's practical, cost effective, and long lasting. This panel family is rated to roof slopes as low as 3:12. These panels can provide protection for around 40 years. The third group of panel are the clipped and clipped rib snaplock panels. These panels utilize metal clips instead of the screw flange on the skyline style panels. The metal clips provide for a better hold down. This panel fails from the screw physically having to be torn from the plywood or snaplock disengagement. This panel provides for greater expansion and contraction but needs to be installed over a semi flat deck to protect the snaplock clip integrity. This family of panels can have location specific wind engineering done to provide hold down tailored to the environment it is in. These panels can be run typically to 2:12 pitches. We don't provide this panel due to the fact that other than engineering we don't feel it offers a significant enough advantage over the wrangell panel and if one is needed we are inclined to believe the client would be better served to use the Denali panel. The last family of panels is the true mechanically seamed clipped panels typically seen on commercial facilities. These panels are the authentic standing seam panels. Each panel is laid over the previous clipped panel and then rolled/seamed together to form a virtually impermeable surface when caulked. They can be engineered to go over purlins, have multiple clip styles different strengths and expansion tolerances to provide the longest lasting roof systems. These roofs can be engineered and once seamed can be run on pitches as low as 1/2:12 These roofs fail by tearing the screws from the plywood, with engineering to determine clip spacing and panel width the potential for this is greatly reduced and the panels in thicker gauges can last 50+ years. Our panel in this line is the Denali Panel
What is notching and hemming and what is the benefit
Notching refers to a mechanical punch shearing off the bottom 1" of the ribs on a panel. This leaves 1" of the flat portion of the bottom of the panel to be able to be folded over 180 degrees (hemming) to hook over a special designed drip edge. Not only is this aesthetically pleasing by covering the overhang of the panel with the painted side but it also locks the panel on the drip edge allowing you to avoid using the bottom panel hold down screws and thus creating less infiltration points, better snow shedding which in turn increases roof life. this can also be done in valleys to provide no exposed handcut panel ends. the fold essentially folds the cutter under the panel at the valley.
How much does it cost
There is a lot of variables that we need to account for in the final cost. We develop a price based on travel distance, order quantity, shipping cost, metal price, flashings, fasteners, access, ice and water, raw material price and any other options you request. Our goal is to sell you a turnkey package. That means no need to add on screws or individual flashings, and no missing or extra parts you have to dispose of. A simple bare bones package in our local area for the wrangell panel with basic trims typically costs around $4.25-4.75 a sq ft and our 24 gauge pvdf panels. The estimated cost for more complex flashing details and metal facia, notching, hemming, and crickets cost start somewhere around $7. The Denali panel is Typically a couple dollars more than this to account for the clips and can be higher if there is any need for engineering or submittal data. please keep in mind that the prices shared are not exact and only here to give the you an idea of cost. The tariff situation can affect prices daily, as well as the supply and demand market. Because siding is done out of a narrower width and the flashing detail can be more complex. Siding usually starts around 5.50 a square foot. If you want to have these installed through us, there is a lot of variables involved that change the complexity of a project, thus changing the man hours required. The price for installation of our wrangell panel is between 7 to 10 dollars a sq foot and can be higher depending on roof complexity, pitch, ect.. Siding costs is similar in price. Though the workers compensation insurance is cheaper, however there is quite a bit more vertical movement and the flashing work tends to be more difficult. One thing to keep in mind is you will more than likely paint a wood house 4 times during the lifespan of the same house outfitted with metal siding. A small house can cost 10 grand or more to paint each time thus costing at least 40,000 dollars in deferred maintenance over the lifetime of a potentially zero maintenance metal job. Metal will usually last roughly double the life of vinyl as well.
What is the difference in metal paint
Most painted metal roofing and siding panels are painted in either SMP or PVDF paints. SMP paints dry harder, so they can have the benefit of being less prone to scratching, tissue type of finish can be better suited for high traffic areas. PVDF paints are softer in nature, but have superior color retention and corrosion resistance properties. PVDF seems to not grow algae as easily and its ani UV aging and color retention can leave your project looking new for years beyond SMP paint. PVDF paints are almost always required by government and commercial customers because they are a superior product to SMP paints. SMP paint can blister or micro fracture during the roll forming due to the hardness not showing up until a few years later thus shortening the lifespan of your roof or walls. We only do SMP paint if it is requested by a customer
Is our metal just painted or is there other protection under the paint
Yes, there is a galvanizing layer under the paint. Most of our competitors use G90 rated galvanizing. We feel G90 is well suited for interior Alaska or the Matsu-Valley. Since their climate doesn't contain the humidity and salt in the air. With a substantial amount of our work being in Prince William Sound, Valdez and Cordova in particular we try to stay with AZ50 and AZ55 coated steel. The difference is aluminum is added to the zinc coating of G90 and provides much better corrosion resistance. In tests both G90 and AZ50 show similar wear at the cut edges during the first 10 years. However after 10 years the rust rate of G90 rises substantially. The mils(thickness spec) on AZ50 and AZ55 is higher as well
Why we chose our wrangell panel profile
There are a 3 distinct reasons why we chose our wrangell panel profile. We didn't just chose the 1-1/2" tall rib for its elegant look, it serves a purpose. Taller ribs help channel water off your roof much better with less sideways or uphill transfer. In the event something needs to be screwed into the ribs there is enough room between the two panels to avoid contact with the lower panel. This allows the roof to expand without expansion and contraction. Avoiding pulling apart the penetration point, which leads to earlier screw hold failure. We liked how this profile had a themed up clip to keep the edge of the metal out of the water contact area. This slows down rust at the panel clip point. We also like how are panel has a built in raised spot to float over the screw heads better. This keeps the lower panel fasteners from denting the other panel when it is clipped on.
Why batten board siding instead of lap profiles
we chose our batten board profile to meet the demands of our heavy snowfall environment. we felt this panel had more surface area that was in contact with the wall substrate and would be able to sustain more abuse before denting by having a backing behind most of the surface area. we also felt that the style is trending away from lap siding and the rustic farm look will be the style moving forward.
How is metal thickness measured
sheet metal is measured in what is called gauge. gauge is the opposite of bigger number is thicker. the smaller the gauge the thicker the metal. most off the shelf exposed fastener metal panels are 29 gauge. they are the cheapest and thinnest and should not be used for any of the snaplock panels unless the supplier can show you engineering that the panel won't fail in wind uplift testing. 26 gauge is the next thicker panel and is what our competitors use in alaska. it is a fair gauge and much thicker stronger and better than 29. we choose to provide you 24 gauge steel as we feel its impact resistance, clip strength, lower oil canning properties, and the ability to move 50 ft panels without kinking outweigh the cost difference. 24 gauge takes longer to rust do the thickness as well. we can run up to 22 gauge if requested. to my knowledge machinery to do 20 gauge isn't in alaska and requires shipping in from the lower 48.
How long will it take to get my steel here
to provide you with the variety of colors and options we are a custom order only operations. Generally speaking it takes roughly 4 weeks to get the steel material delivered to alaska. we work on a first come first serve basis barring emergencies. we try to be as honest, unobjective, and as responsive as we can during the process.