"Do It Yourself" Steel Paneled Residential Roofing

Roofing your own home can save you a lot of money. It is a physical job but, with the invent of newer materials and a little know how, the work can be accomplished by a "do it yourselfer". It does take physical ability and two or three people who can work together installing the steel panels.

Measuring and cutting, sawing and driving nails and screws are the main requirements for this job. You will also have to climb up and down a ladder so many times you can do it in your sleep.

Find A Steel Roof Panel Manufacturer

A lot of planning and thinking go a long way in order to do as good a job as a hired crew but the pay is worth the effort. First thing is decide which manufacturing company you are going to purchase your material from. Research is important so take your time and look at what is out there.

The material we picked is manufactured by Midwest Manufacturing and the name of the product is PRO-SNAP. It has the highest rating for extreme weather conditions and will qualify for a tax credit. The panels can be installed over an existing asphalt shingle roof. This was a deciding factor because of the time/labor involved in removing the old roof. This is also the brand carried by a local building supply store we do business with often. The Menards store will make a convenient, computer generated layout that is based on the measurements of the individual roof design.

There are many manufacturers of steel paneled roofing. Make sure to research the one's available in your area vbefore making a purchase.

First thing to do after you have decided on a certain steel panel is to make very accurate measurements of the area to be roofed. The measurements will have to show all of the ridges and valleys and the perimeter of the home. Make a drawing based on the measurements before you go to the store to place your roofing order.

The sales rep for the manufacturer will help do all of the figuring to place an order for the steel panel roofing and other materials required to do the job yourself. The important thing is to make accurate measurements and make a drawing that will explain to the sales rep what your needs are. Jot down all your measurements along the lines on your drawing. The more detailed you make the drawing the better. This will be a great help when your are ordering.

This information will also aide in ordering all necessary hardware to complete the roof. There will be screws, nails, caulk, trim, vents and other items specialized to your roof needs. That is why the measurements and drawing taken to the design center should be as accurate as possible.

The information put in to the computer will generate a print out that shows where each steel panel ordered goes on the roof. This will be the diagram followed as work progresses during the installation process.

It is advised to apply the new panels over a roof that is smooth as it can be. This might require removal of curled edges on the old asphalt shingles as well as removing the overhang. There was an overlap that had to be removed all the way around the perimeter of the house. it was cut flush to the existing flashing so that a new flashing could be installed. This work can be done while waiting for material shipment.The estimated time for shipment will run from one to two weeks for your custom order.

There was also a double row of ridge caps that had to be removed. Removal makes the steel panel application lay nice and flat. This was started and was not done until the day before shipment was expected. The wait was based on weather expectations. Pay attention to the weather forecast so no water damage occurs prior to replacing the roof. The old asphalt shingles can be cut back and the curled edges easily removed with a zip saw and a sharp boxed knife.

It was advised to also lay a layer of insulated foam sheeting across the entire roof for added insulation and an extra smooth finish to apply the new panels to. The foam sheets go under the new flashing and across the entire roof. The plan was to do the sides and front and then work across toward the center and to the back. A plan of attack was based on how the project would unfold. Each roof is unique but thought should be given to how the roof will be constructed. This will help with progress as working together as a crew is important. Try to avoid walking on the new panels as much as possible.

Hammers, screwdrivers and power tools with battery packs are a good idea. It is good to have plenty of tape measures, a few good box knives and a square, a straight edge, a triangle and other measuring devises. A chalk line and a ball of string are handy to make your ridge runs straight. Installation requirements call for accurate installation of ridge hardware that snaps together. The material must be installed to specific measurements in order for the parts to snap together properly.

Aviation shears are a must for close trimming. Large cuts can be done with a jig saw, power nibblers or power shears. Have plenty of replacement blades available for all tools being used.

It is a must to have ladders and, a scaffolding really comes in handy if one can be borrowed from a friend.

Work In Sections

Since you do not have to remove the main layer of old shingles you can work in sections just enough to keep the job going. That means putting down the foam, nailing down the flashing and anchor rails known as J-Trim and Reverse J-Trim by this manufacturer. These all go on top of the foam.

It is recommended to wear good leather gloves to avoid cuts from the sharp steel edges. I would also recommend sunscreen.

Most houses will not measure TRUE or SQUARE and minor adjustments have to be made as you work. The best thing is to work slow and calculating and take plenty of time before making final cuts. Following the diagram will help in deciding which length of panels to use for which cuts.

The panels will be delivered in lengths sufficient to cut all the angles needed with relative ease. Once a few pieces are cut and installed the job becomes mostly routine and repetitive. Be prepared to do a lot of nailing and driving various kinds of screws.

All of the ridges have to be run on top of the foam sheeting. This is best done in sections rather than putting the foam sheeting across the entire roof first. The foam sheeting is somewhat slippery and HOT. Foil faced sheeting that helps reflect heat is like working on a hot grill. The surface is cooler to touch than the asphalt by many degrees but the reflection is hard on your eyes as well as your skin being sunburned.

• hammers
• tape measures
• chalk line
• steel straight edge
• a square
• a triangle
• carpenters pencils
• power jig saw, power nibbler, power shears
  
• power screw driver
•  a zip saw with metal cutting blade
  
• aviation shears
• box knives
• extra blades for all cutting tools
• ladders and scaffolding
• extention cords
• a ball of string
  

The steel panels will have to be cut to the angles of your existing roof. Having a place to accommodate the length of these panels was improvised from the boards used to crate and ship the steel roofing material. It worked perfect and will most likely be recycled to make work bench for my art studio in weeks to come.

The strength of the shipping crates was made specifically to handle the steel so the idea seemed perfect. Adding a sheet of 5/8" plywood ripped in to two 2' x 8' pieces made the bench surface. Then nailing sheets of the foam board down for a padded surface gave a surface that would not scratch the steel panels as they would be slid around to adjust for marking and cutting.

A hole cut in the top toward one end made a clearance for the saws to run through the panels without hitting the bench structure. This bench really took care of accommodating the long steel panels. The hole cut out from the middle gives support to both ends of the panel that is being cut. This really helped to steady the panels, as they were being marked and measured too.

It also allowed for one person to be measuring a piece ahead of the one being cut providing an assembly type situation. A 20 ft 2" x 4" board was nailed on the back of one side of the table to provide a stop and a straight edge. This made cutting so much easier and the back side made a good place to lay out rails that needed holes to be pre-drilled before attaching to the roof.

The money saved by doing this steel paneled roof installation yourself is measurable. The work might take a little longer to complete but the savings will be several thousand dollars. It is costly to hirer a roofing company. The added savings taken as a tax credit at the end of the year is an additional advantage in your favor. Chances are you will never have to put another roof on the house with steel paneled roofing because the roof should last 50 years.

The ever rising cost for heating and cooling a home is enough to make anyone consider using steel paneled roofing when it comes time to replace an asphalt shingled roof. Doing the installation work on the steel paneled roofing can save enough money to really consider the advantages of doing the job yourself.

We had one person who could work full time and then deal with part time helpers, usually no more than two on the job at the same time. there were only two or three afternoons when we had three people on the job.