[SustainableTompkins] sustainable roofs for houses (so far as ispossible)

[Joel and Sarah Gagnon]

Jon has covered the pros and cons of steel roofing very well. I would only 
add that I do not agree that it would detract from the appearance of your 
house. Steel (terne) roofs were common on houses very similar to yours in 
the period in which it was constructed (looks like teens or twenties) -- 
but not around here. Drive through Virginia and you will see them all over 
the place. Almost always standing seam, usually painted red. Very durable 
as long as they were kept painted, which is a pretty labor-intensive 
technology using no-longer-available lead-based paints. The new finishes on 
steel will last at least 25 years without any maintenance at all, if 
properly applied.

There are other options, but as Jon also pointed out, they at even pricier. 
Slate look-alikes and wood look-alikes are made in metal and composition 
versions with very long warranties. Some of these share the end-of-life 
recyclability of steel. Asphalt is recyclable in some areas, but not here 
as of yet. It may be recyclable by the time your roof needs replacing 
again, but who knows?

As a practical matter, unless you go with wood shingles or sheet roofing, 
you will either have to fill in the skip sheathing to support the new 
roofing or apply wood sheeting (plywood or OSB) overall, and that 
additional cost needs to be reckoned when comparing options.

Hope that helps.

Joel Gagnon

At 09:41 AM 8/9/06 -0400, you wrote:

>We ended up choosing steel roofs for the second neighborhood at Ecovillage.
>Compared to asphalt, it has the following advantages:
>
>1.  Longer life expectancy
>2.  Recycled content
>3.  Cleaner runoff (for rain barrels, etc.)
>4.  End-of-lifecycle recyclability
>5.  Avoided need for plywood roof deck--installed directly on purlins
>bracing the trusses(not relevant in your case)
>6.  Reduced heat build-up in summer.
>
>Disadvantages were higher cost for the roofing material itself, less
>flexibility in terms of roof penetrations, and need to avoid scratching
>during installation.
>
>We did look at embodied energy content as well but I don't remember the
>details.
>
>We also checked out some of the recycled rubber faux slate products and
>found they were outside our budget.
>
>We used Fabral Grandrib, which is significantly cheaper than standing seam,
>quick to install, and comes in many colors.  Dormers and valleys aren't a
>problem.  You can get rubber roof jacks for plumbing vents, etc.
>
>We've had the metal roofs on for 4 years now and have been very happy.  My
>biggest complaint is that the snow slides off in big packs--at certain times
>of year you need to watch out going out your front door.
>
>Jon
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: sustainabletompkins-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org
>[mailto:sustainabletompkins-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org] On Behalf Of Simon
>St.Laurent
>Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 3:00 PM
>To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv
>Subject: [SustainableTompkins] sustainable roofs for houses (so far as
>ispossible)
>
>I've been repairing my old house for a few years now, and I've been
>postponing replacing the roof.  It's time to stop doing that, and I now
>plan to replace it next year.
>
>What are the options for a roof that will last as long as possible with
>minimum negative impact on the environment and minimum need for
>maintenance?
>
>Most of what I can find online about sustainable roofs is for commercial
>buildings, and I suspect climate matters a lot for this, so I'd be
>especially interested in local input.
>
>As you can see at:
>http://livingindryden.org/images/home/completedFront06242005A.jpg
>
>The roof is fairly steep and has a few extra things popping out of it.
>The back is a simple slope.  It needs to be a complete tear off.  The
>bottom layer is cedar shingles, and the top two layers are asphalt.
>
>A green roof (with plants growing on it) won't work on that slope, and
>solar panel roofing tiles are also unlikely to generate much power
>because of surrounding trees.
>
>I'd really prefer not to go with metal, both for aesthetic and for
>long-term maintenance reasons, but could consider it, and certainly
>would be interested in hearing what options there are.
>
>I don't think the house was built to support a slate roof.  It probably
>could, with all the old barn lumber used, but somehow that feels like
>overkill.  Though maybe there's local slate?
>
>Cedar shingles are intriguing, though I've heard they have dire impacts
>on home insurance rates, and I'm not sure how genuinely sustainable they
>are anyway. (I've heard awful things about cedar mulch, though I don't
>know how comparable that is to shingles.)
>
>It may well be that asphalt or recycled plastic are the best options - I
>just can't find much that gives me a detailed comparison.
>
>I know roof-buying is an occasional thing, and new would probably be
>different from renovation, but I'd be very interested to hear from
>people who have ideas for minimizing the negative impacts of this
>one-time project on the world.
>
>(I'm planning to do some other improvements along with the roof.  First,
>gutters that flow into water catchment for the garden.  Second,
>eventually a solar water heater and possibly a small solar installation
>on the back of the house.)
>
>Thanks,
>Simon St.Laurent
>http://livingindryden.org/
>
>
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