Think about the last roof you’ll ever need for your home or business. Advanced Metal Roofing, 335 Route 125 in Brentwood, is your professional metal roofing and energy efficient contractor for NH, Maine and Mass. Pictured with the on-the-site ultra-modern roofing machine are, from left, Wayne Wilusz, owner, and Dave Lacroix, project manager.

HOW TO GET A ROOF THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME

Replacing the roof is a chore that homeowners dread. But if your roof is aging you may spend your winter worrying about it, or picking up damaged shingles from your yard. If you don’t have a metal roof, that is. “People are sick and tired of old asphalt and changing it every ten to fifteen years,” said Trent Lavin, marketing director at Advanced Metal Roofing and Siding in Brentwood. “With a metal roof there is no maintenance.” “It’s the last roof they’ll ever need,” said Owner Wayne Wilusz.

Advanced Metal Roofing and Siding installs metal roofs in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. The company has been installing roofing since 1966, but during that time the type of roofing has changed immensely. Fifteen years ago, about sixty-percent of Wilusz’s business was asphalt roofs. Today, 98 percent of his business is metal roofs. A lot of the shift has to do with value and warranties, he said. Asphalt companies offer limited lifetime warranties, which usually equate to about ten years, he said. Meanwhile, the metal roofs that Advanced Metal Roofing installs are guaranteed for forty years, but will last much longer. “At end of forty years, the only thing that happens is color has lightened,” Wilusz said. “There’s no disintegration or curling.”

In addition to lasting a long time, metal roofing also has energy benefits. The panels that Advanced Metal Roofing uses are energy-star rated, and will help cut down on cooling costs during the summer, without affecting the cost of heating the home. For eco-conscious homeowners, metal roofs are a great choice, because they are compatible with solar panels, and can often be laid directly over the existing roof, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. “It keeps the project a green project,” Wilusz said. Maintenance is lower, since a metal roofs shed snow and ice, reducing the need to shovel snow or remove ice damns.

Despite the advantages, there are a lot of myths around metal roofs. “A lot of homeowners think that it’s a commercial look with the longer panels,” said Lavin. “But we have many different looks. We even have metal shingles. If you still want the shingle look they can get that in metal.” Advanced Metal Roofing offers thirty different colors for roofs, and a variety of finishes to fit your home’s design. “It looks like it belongs on a residential home,” Wilusz said.

The other myth that stops homeowners from choosing metal is the thought that the roof will be loud when it rains or storms. “That’s a total misconception,” Lavin said. “Everybody thinks it’s the old tin barn. There are a lot of things between the metal and the living space, and there is no difference in noise between a metal and a traditional roof.” People considering switching to a metal roof still have plenty of time to do the project this year. Although asphalt roofs need to be installed when the temperature is above fifty degrees, there is no such requirement for metal roofs. “Metal roofs are not temperature sensitive, so they can be done year-round and most are done during the winter,” Wilusz said. “It doesn’t change anything. The roof just becomes more manageable, so you don’t have to worry about your husband up there shoveling snow.”