A burning roofing question submitted by a site visitor:

When it comes to a new roof, most people are happy for any savings they can get (like our flash sale!). One such possible savings can happen when you are re-roofing one or two layers of composition asphalt shingles. One of the many advantages of re-roofing with metal is that its extreme light weight means it can often be installed directly over the top of existing comp. There are primarily two reasons not to do this, however, and instead remove the existing layers before installing the new roof. One of these reasons is regulatory and the other is structural.

Someone posted a question in one of our popular blog posts, "Pros and Cons of Going Over Existing Roof Material." Essentially, she had received conflicting advice from several different roofers regarding her failing composition shingle roof, and she was trying to make a decision between tearing off the existing shingles and replacing them with new shingles or upgrading to metal and going over what's already on her roof. Here's our advice to her and to anyone else debating their options when it comes to re-roofing.

We received an inquiry the other day with a question in the comments form that essentially asked whether a metal roof "catches" more heat than a non-metal roof, making the home underneath warmer.

After dealing with asphalt shingles, many people consider the wisdom of upgrading to metal come the inevitable replacement time. In fact, we've got our very own comparison sheet that goes into detail about both materials. Here are four popular misconceptions that pop up when people compare asphalt shingles to metal roofing:

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:
 

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."

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.

As suppliers of the best roofing material you can buy, maybe we're a little biased. But it still boggles our minds when we see projects in the midst of construction - beautiful, impressive custom homes - topped with composition roofing material rather than something long-lasting and eco-friendly.