Wednesday, December 23, 2009

7 Reasons to Choose a Blue Roof

The blue steel roof is one of the visually distinctive features of our home. Although beautiful, it was initially chosen for function. Here are seven reasons to invest in a steel roof.

Steel panels are...

1. Long Lasting
Galvalume* panels boast a 25-year warranty, with a 30-year warranty against chalk and fade of the color of your choice. Panels are available in 18 different colors.

2. Fireproof
Steel panels are noncombustible.

3. Waterproof
Steel is impervious to water. Snow and ice are shed in the winter.

4. Recyclable
The panels are made of 25% recycled steel and are recyclable.

5. Quiet
Contrary to popular belief, steel panels provide a quiet roof. The mental image of rain drumming on a metal roof comes from barn roofing, where the noise originates from open framing and no insulation.

6. Affordable
Although a steel roof may initially cost more, costs are lower over the life cycle of the roof.

7. Ideal for Rainwater Collection
Haven was designed around a system of cistern tanks that serve as our sole water supply. According to Suzy Banks and Richard Heinichen, the best roofs for rainwater collection are metal (16).

We chose to purchase the Galvalume* steel panels and construction supplies from American Building Components. (*Galvalume is the trademark name of the coating applied to their bare sheet steel products.)

Readers who have been with me from day one know why our roof is blue. Fred and I traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii in July, 2005. Many of the homes there have metal roofing in a variety of colors. The color that I identify most with Hawaii is a tranquil blue. While I knew it would be an impossibility to transplant my life to Hawaii, choosing a blue metal roof for my new home was my way of acknowledging my inner wish to live the rest of my life out at South Point on the Big Island.

Are you curious as to what the runner-up color choices were? I thought so!
Life Under an Ivy Green Roof
Life Under a Burnished Slate Roof
Life Under a Burgundy Roof
Life Under a Koko Brown Roof

Koko Brown? Yeah... I've put up with too much brown in my life. For me, I'm happy to write from under my blue roof.

xxoo





American Building Components
www.abcmetalroofing.com

Banks, Susan and Richard Heinichen. Rainwater Collection For the Mechanically Challenged. Texas: Tank Town, 2004.

6 comments:

  1. I think it took guts to go with a blue roof since you couldn't see how it would look until you were committed. However, it really does look wonderful!

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  2. You're very kind! I have to admit, I took a long time choosing, and I worried about the color on such a large roof. But I really didn't want to go plain. When we lived at Terra Dei, we kept everything neutral since we were choosing colors that other people would have to live with. Now we need some color in our world! Thanks again!

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  3. Plus, let's face it. Blue is simply a wonderful color. (Okay- I have to admit it. If it were up to me, everything would be a shade of blue!)
    I love your roof!

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  4. Very nice text art, you have added here one photo with nice text, i just want to say thanks for sharing. Metal Roofing Professionals

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  5. Thanks for giving us an insight into why you chose your blue roof. I know it’s definitely not easy to choose what roof to put on a house, but the reasons you listed will definitely be helpful for anyone going through the same dilemma. I think you made a great choice by going with a steel roof, by the way!

    -- Elizabeth Hoffnung

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