Nearly 30 years ago when Pap and The Deer Hunter built our house metal roofs were just beginning to get popular in our area.
We took a long time debating on the color of roof we wanted…even though the only way to see it is to climb the ridge above the house 🙂
That was the first metal roof The Deer Hunter and Pap ever put on. In other words they learned what not to do on our roof.
They followed the instructions of the day which was to insulate the roof and strip it before putting the metal down with screws.
We moved into the house about three days before the girls were born in September. The first good heavy rain came in November when The Deer Hunter was gone hunting and I was here alone. The sound of the rain was deafening. I sat on the couch and wondered if the roof was going to fall in on me and the babies. Of course it wasn’t—it was just loud, especially since I had never lived in a house with a metal roof.
Another weird thing that resulted from the way they installed the metal was that in the perfect conditions (about once a year) when the temperature outside and inside reached a certain place there was condensation. That condensation would run down the walls and find its way through the window jams and door frames in streams of water.
Eventually The Deer Hunter decided to pull all the metal off, plywood the roof, and put the metal back on. That’s what was happening in the photo above. Paul and The Deer Hunter working on the roof with Pap supervising from below.
That roof work was done about 16 years ago.
With metal roofs the screws need to be changed or re-screwed every 10-15 years to ensure a good seal. Ours haven’t been changed since the plywood was added.
Last summer The Deer Hunter decided instead of worrying about the screws we would switch out the metal for shingles. The only problem is we’ve been waiting on those shingles for months now.
It’s almost as if the metal knows it’s on its way out 🙂 Since the roofer was called and the shingles ordered a couple of leaks have shown up on the porch.
Getting the windows replaced last summer made such a difference in the house. I know replacing the roofing will too.
Last night’s video: Putting the Quietus on People in Appalachia.
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I remember those days when whatever needed doing or fixing got done by whoever was around. Unfortunately for us, no one has the skills needed anymore. I kick myself in the butt all the time for not getting involved back then. One of my greatest regrets is not having the know-how or the tools to fix & build things. You’re very lucky to have Pap & Matt. Hope you & the girls have paid attention.
We have a conglomeration of roofing, as our house has been added on to multiple times in the 200+ years of its existence. The metal roof is the easiest to deal with, with our snowy winters. It just slides off when it gets a little warm. We have a rubber roof on the front part of the Italianate addition of 1898. It had tin laid down on it, but my ancestors failed to take care of it. They let trees lean over & never cleaned the leaf litter off. It eventually ate through the tin. When we moved in, we didn’t have the $ to replace the roof, yet. My hubby would have to get up & patch the tin over & over. Seemed like every time it rained it leaked in a different spot. He finally figured out that every time he was getting up there to fix one part, he was unintentionally making new weak spots with his shuffling around. He said he felt like he was in a 3 stooges movie & that at some point he would go into the girls’ bedroom & water would shoot him in the face from the wall. Once we did the rubber roof, it solved those problems. Luckily, (if you can call it that), the wind is so fierce, whipping across the field facing the house, that the snow never settles on the flat roof. Often, the front yard is scoured clean of snow. The wind literally never stops blowing here.
So sorry you are having to wait for your shingles Tipper, it seems everything comes from other countries now and is much harder to get, as well as more expensive. I wanted to tell you how much I relate to you and your wonderful family. I enjoy watching ya’ll so much. I ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it.
When I was very young my Mother had a friend who lived in a shack on a hill above the railroad tracks. The shack had only single ply walls and a tin roof. One can easily imagine the noise that ensued when the train came by. When it rained there was even more noise, because there was no insulation under roof. I still remember how quiet everything became when the rain stopped and the train got through. Except possibly for a hobo’s shack, one would be hard pressed to find such a structure nowadays
I miss our tin roof so bad. 🙁 The sound of the rain on a tin roof is so peaceful. It’s like a lullaby. When we had to move into a place without it, it was hard to get used to. If we’re ever able to get a tin roof again I will take your advice, Gary. 🙂 I hope it’s not hard for you to get used to when your shingles arrive, Tipper.
We have a metal roof. I’ll need to check on that loose screw situation you mentioned. I thought metal was better than shingles and was not as susceptible to wind damage.
We had to reroof our house 4 years ago. The contractor who put the original shingle roof on did a shoddy job. We thought about a metal roof, but after talking to the contractor we hired he didn’t recommend it. We have a steep pitch so any maintenance due to the pitch would have been a bear and a metal roof is slick. On the back side of our house it’s a 35 foot drop! I grew up with a metal roof and love the sound of the rain falling on it.
I grew up in a home with a tin roof and I loved the sound when it rained. Our home here is a shingle roof and we had new shingles put on about 8 years ago. I am sorry you are having to wait so long but I know you will enjoy them. They surely are not cheap, but everything has gone up so much. Have a great day!!
The metal roofs look very nice but I would have to agree…from what I’ve heard from others…shingled is the way to go. Hopefully you’ll get yours soon.
I’m looking so forward to your cook book you’re working on being published. Can you give any more information on when it will be available and how I would go about purchasing a copy. I was so excited when I heard your were putting out a cookbook and I don’t want to miss out on having a copy.
I love your blog, utube channel and the Pressley girls utube channel. Thanks for all y’all do to help in keeping my North Georgia memories alive. You don’t even know the impact you have on my life and memories. Y’all are a blessing!!
Kathy-thank you so much! We expect the cookbook to be available in May. You will be able to buy it directly from me as well as at bookstores 🙂
Thank you so much for the update. I now know my wish for my Mother’s Day gift this year!!
Have friends who not only have a metal roof but also metal siding. I think I’ll stick with shingles and painting. Thanks for the information.
Good to know about some of the issues with a metal roof. Hopefully by now the roofing companies have figured out the issues with the metal roofs and maybe others won’t have those same issues. We’ve always had shingle roofs and they are fine with us.
Congratulations on getting a new roof soon and hope you enjoy it! Hopefully you won’t miss the rain sounds you’ve got use to doing the rainy season.
Just for everyone’s information, there is a metal roofing product called a standing seam metal roof. It goes on in 16 inch strips and has no exposed fastening screws. Each strip covers the screws holding down the previous piece and the trim holds down the final pieces. It is a bit more expensive than the usual metal roofs, and valleys in the roof are more difficult during installation, but it is well worth the cost. We had a leaky metal roof when we moved here and had 2 shingle roofs after that (in about 40 years). Our current standing seam roof is the best we have ever had, and I expect it to do us the rest of the way .
Gary-thank you! That sounds great 🙂
We couldn’t afford a metal roof when we built but wanted one so much. I love the sound so much. We went with a shingle, paid extra for longer life shingles and paid for a very respected and well known roofer to do the job. After 13 years – it’s leaking. It shed so much black mini gravel like pieces that I hated to have my plants under the eaves. It is now almost 18 years old and needs to be replaced but we can’t afford it yet – so much for 30 year shingles. I’ve heard that the new construction and roof replacements in south Florida (due to last year’s hurricane) has left building materials on short supply. We can’t even get a large garbage can as any store that orders them must wait for the manufacturer to finish supplying South Florida before they can get their orders filled. So many homes destroyed and devastation for those in the path of that storm. We were so blessed to be spared!
Here in the bourbon capital of the world, you will see metal roofs everywhere. They are easier to clean when the whiskey mold settles on them. I loved my metal roof but it was costing me too much to keep it very long. It was installed by a scammer that my attorney is still looking for. After spending so much money on inside and outside repairs I had to go back to shingles.
I have always lived in homes with singles except for when we first married and lived in a mobile home with a metal top. I loved the sound of a gentle rain on that roof. It was like a listening to a lullaby at night. Many people in my area are also switching to metal roofs, longer lasting and not so much worry about wind damage. Concerning the screws backing out or getting loose, I know of someone using green (uncured) sweet gum wood to strip a barn before putting on a tin roof . He was told once the wood dried or cured you could not unscrew the screws without twisting them off, or pull out a roofing nail. 35 years later the tin roof seems to be as good and tight as the day it was put on. The wood will forever as long as it does not get wet. I know that is not the same as a house and building codes might not allow it to be used on a home.
My first glance at your “waiting on shingles” title, I thought why would Tipper be waiting on shingles, oh, roofing shingles, better, much better.
Metal does seem to be all the rage right now, we reroofed about 5 years ago with shingles and are very happy with it. I bet knowing you dad and the deer hunter built your house you feel like they are hugging you all the time, how nice is that. ❤️
We had a metal roof put on the house about 2 years ago. So far, there have been no issues.
Our “Family Home” in New Augusta, Mississippi, had a corrugated tin roof, probably added during the 1930s. Listening to the rain on the roof was a real treat to hear, plus depending on how loud it was you knew whether to get up or roll over and sleep longer. My father in his eighties would climb onto the roof to patch holes where the rain got in.
Good thing Matt and Pap could do most of the work.
Tipper, everyone has always done shingles around here and now metal is the going thing. My honey, Daddy, and father in love put our shingle roof on in 1997. We had a metal roof put on in 2015 and it is guaranteed to last for 50 years. I told the roofer it would take us on outta this life…unless we live to be a hundred! Always nice to get things updated.
OHHHH….when we lived in north Georgia in a log cabin, we had a tin roof. I just loved that sound. I think, since moving to Florida in a Modular home, I really miss it. Be safe and well you guys and God Bless.