If the roof of your home or building has been damaged by a big storm or high winds, it's critical to manage the situation properly. Doing so will minimize the chances that others will take advantage of your misfortune. Here are five things to know about your storm-damaged roof:
 

Another recent reader question: "Is it possible to use a copper roof for rainwater harvesting for potable water?"

Someone recently asked us, "Will metal roofing stand up to being pounded with golf balls? I live on a golf course and my tile roof has many broken tiles. I need something that will help prevent breakage."

One of our most frequently asked questions has to do with the bottom line - what's a new metal roof going to cost me? So without further ado, here are five things you need to know about metal roof prices:

Here's a question someone recently posted on another blog post we wrote about popular metal roofing colors:

Let's say that after researching your roofing options, you've decided metal roofing is the way to go. The longevity, green factor, permanence and durability, all benefits of metal roofs, have sold you, and now the question becomes, "Which type of metal roof is right for my project?"

Green is the new black, and solar panels are exploding in popularity. But before you throw an eco-friendly, energy-efficient solar panel system up on your roof, it's worth thinking everything through. It's glaringly obvious in hindsight, but most people - us included, at the beginning - don't give a thought to the fact that they're planning to install that expensive solar energy collection with a life expectancy of a generation or two atop a roof covering that only has a fraction of that lifespan remaining. True story! We've seen state-of-the-art solar collection systems costing more than $30,000 mounted on $5,000 roofs already halfway through their 20-year life expectancy. We've had to explain to homeowners why the cost of replacing their roof will be double what it would otherwise cost because their solar panel assembly has to be de-commissioned, removed, reinstalled and re-commissioned - something no one wants to hear. Ever.

Like almost all other businesses, the Internet has dramatically changed the roofing business. In the not too distant past, anyone building or re-roofing had only the material choices provided by the local building supply or roofing supply yard. But those days are rapidly fading. The Internet now makes it possible for buyers of roofing materials to literally shop the world. And while traditionally roofing was a highly regionalized industry - with roofers becoming used to whatever materials are most commonly inventoried locally, and suppliers inventorying what roofers request - we've seen first hand how quickly this is changing now that building owners can do their own research on materials. Even though roofers tend to resist change (because routine helps profitability and to upset routine with new materials make it more difficult to manage for profit), owners are no longer subject to the narrow selection offered by the usual local sources.

Having been in the business for a few decades now, we've had plenty of exposure to roofers. And one thing is certain - they're something Forrest Gump's mother could easily compare to a box of chocolates, because you never know what you're gonna get. We've seen it happen plenty of times - the same product is examined by two different roofers and judged in totally opposite ways.

Our diamond shingles are one of our favorite profiles - nothing else makes quite the same statement. So have a look at a current project featuring this distinctive roofing style.