Roofs – Modern, Elegant, and Built for Florida’s Climate
Metal roofs stand strong against storms, heat, and salt air – the ideal choice for coastal living.
After much deliberation, we opted for a white metal roof – an aluminum roof with concealed fastenings and a light-colored coating, to be precise. It suits the coastal climate, looks modern and is designed to withstand wind loads in accordance with the Florida Building Code.
We always wonder how some people in Florida can opt for a black roof with any kind of covering. They are becoming more and more popular and seem to be modern, but let’s be honest: under the Florida sun? For us, only a light-colored roof was ever an option. You can find out how we ended up with a white metal roof in our color session. Even though metal roofs have some disadvantages, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
Advantages and disadvantages of a metal roof construction
A metal roof – ideally as a standing seam made of aluminum – plays to its strengths in Florida: It can withstand high wind and suction loads (FBC/Miami-Dade-approved systems with concealed clips), is durable and non-combustible, requires little maintenance and keeps the house measurably cooler thanks to a light-colored “cool roof” coating. Near the coast, aluminum scores with very good corrosion resistance; solid formwork, sarking and insulation ensure that rain is acoustically unnoticeable.
This is offset by higher acquisition costs and the need for perfect execution: the bottom sheet, flashings, ridges and penetrations must be planned professionally, otherwise tightness and storm resistance will suffer. Dents are possible in the event of heavy hail, the wrong mix of materials (e.g. foreign screws) promotes galvanic corrosion, and too thin a sheet thickness or sloppy installation can make “oil canning” visible.
Regular spraying every few years to remove salt spray and traces of mildew keeps the roof permanently beautiful. Then it delivers exactly what we wanted: storm-proof, energy-efficient, maritime look. With a tiled roof, on the other hand, mildew and dirt accumulate more and more quickly.
Metal roof types from simple to high-quality
This is how the metal roof panels are supplied.
The metal roof panels are precisely cut to size beforehand.
It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.
Metal roofs in Florida range from inexpensive profiled sheets with visible screws to high-quality standing seam systems. At the lower end are R/AG and 5V crimped steel panels: inexpensive and quick to install, but with many penetrations (screws/sealing washers) that require maintenance over the years. This is only ideal to a limited extent near the coast.
Snap-Lock/Nail-Strip standing seams with concealed fastening form the middle class; depending on the material (steel or better aluminum) and paint structure (PVDF/Kynar 500), they offer good wind values at moderate costs.
The upper class are clip-fastened, mechanically seamed standing seam roofs made of aluminum with system-tested details, high suction load resistance (FBC/Miami-Dade) and minimal maintenance. After gathering extensive information and making a special trip to the supplier in Sebring, we opted for white-coated 24-inch (2-ft) standing seam panels: Aluminum, concealed mounting, “cool-roof” coating for reduced heat build-up – tough in storms, corrosion-resistant on the Gulf and visually beautiful.
The full-surface timber cladding, a self-adhesive sarking membrane as an additional “water barrier” and cleanly executed ridge and valley formations lie beneath the metal. All penetrations of vents, dormers and solar panels are solved with matching metal flashings.
Insulated metal roof with storm resistance
Good for the roofers that it’s cloudy
Our roof will soon be finished and is already very promising.
The so-called soffits ventilate the roof space.
The visually appealing metal roof construction is finished
Standing-Seam with concealed clips can withstand high suction loads and is clearly superior to the frequently used sheet metal profiles with visible screws. In Florida, the FBC approval/Miami-Dade/Florida-Approval is important and professional wind mitigation as a defense against strong storm winds. As a side effect, you usually get better insurance discounts with a metal roof.
The light-colored , highly reflective coating reduces the heating of the roof; together with ridge/soffit ventilation and good parapet insulation in the form of foam under the roof, the house stays measurably cooler. Inside, it’s not much louder than shingles – timber boarding, carpet pad and insulation reliably dampen rain. Aluminum is the right choice near the coast: it is corrosion-resistant and insensitive to salt, as long as the different metals remain cleanly separated.
The roof characterizes the look of the entire house: with its clear lines, narrow standing seams and white coating, the house appears calm and of high quality. Even if the metal roof construction costs more initially, the additional costs are saved later on during maintenance and you feel safer during storms.
