Any help on best type of roof (house, tile)

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

Hello everyone,
What is the best kind of roof for Tennessee area? Does anyone have something they really like? I have thought about possibly a tin roof but don't like the rusty look. Give me your opinion on the different ones you guys like. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row. Would love to get input from everyone.
Have a great week-end.
Thanks

[Bones]

When I replace my next roof it will be metal......

[mbmouse]

I had tin on one of mine here and my folks have tin now. New tin roofs are coated much better now than they used to be and the color is "baked" in so you don't deal with rust like you see on the old barns. Mine was an old one and I did have to coat it every two years but the new ones no. I have shingles here now.....prefer the tin LOL!.

[harry chickpea]

I like metal as well, but there are a few downsides. The first one is one I wouldn't have considered, but recognized immediately when it was pointed out - firefighters can't easily direct a stream of water into a burning attic when there is a metal roof, and the possibility of the entire house burning in a fire is therefor greater! Other possible problems include hail damage, poor radio reception, fading and chalking of the surface, and noise.

Dimension or architectural shingles are made to last a fairly long time. Slate lasts forever, but nobody uses it anymore because of cost. There are some composite corrugated asphalt based materials, but I don't much care for the look. I also don't like tile roofs, which tend to accumulate heat during the day in the summer, and radiate it into the attic in the evening when the need for cooling is the greatest. Upgrading from the old tarpaper underlayment is probably as important as the type of roofing. Shingles are there primarily to protect the tarpaper membrane that actually keeps the water out.
Upgrading to EDPM or other longer lasting material can stretch the time between replacements.

I'll probably eventually go to a metal roof, but at the same time I'll have a dry iron sprinkler pipe installed under the ridgeline, and connected to a downpipe and dry hydrant by the driveway. That way if there is a fire, the pipe can be connected to a pumper from a safe distance.

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I really appreciate all of them.

[cncguy2000]

architectural shingles to me are great.
I like the 50 yrs. models. cost are not that much higher when installing, and they hold up much better then a regular 3-tab.

Metal roofs are nice too but costly.

-henry

[Beretta]

We have tin on the cabin at the lake and composite shingle here at the house. Both have worked well here in east TN. I love the sound of the rain on the tin roof!

[TN Tin Man]

I like the metal roof most I see have up too 50 year warranty.
But here's a alternative a number of companys are making these..............

DaVinci Roofscapes.Beautifully Authentic Synthetic Roofing Shingles (http://www.davinciroofscapes.com/support/inquiries.html - broken link)

[GatorTrout]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

I like metal as well, but there are a few downsides. The first one is one I wouldn't have considered, but recognized immediately when it was pointed out - firefighters can't easily direct a stream of water into a burning attic when there is a metal roof, and the possibility of the entire house burning in a fire is therefor greater! Other possible problems include hail damage, poor radio reception, fading and chalking of the surface, and noise.

Dimension or architectural shingles are made to last a fairly long time. Slate lasts forever, but nobody uses it anymore because of cost. There are some composite corrugated asphalt based materials, but I don't much care for the look. I also don't like tile roofs, which tend to accumulate heat during the day in the summer, and radiate it into the attic in the evening when the need for cooling is the greatest. Upgrading from the old tarpaper underlayment is probably as important as the type of roofing. Shingles are there primarily to protect the tarpaper membrane that actually keeps the water out.
Upgrading to EDPM or other longer lasting material can stretch the time between replacements.

I'll probably eventually go to a metal roof, but at the same time I'll have a dry iron sprinkler pipe installed under the ridgeline, and connected to a downpipe and dry hydrant by the driveway. That way if there is a fire, the pipe can be connected to a pumper from a safe distance.

Any time the Fire Dept. thinks about spraying water thru your roof and into a burning house, it's already a total loss.

[harry chickpea]

"Any time the Fire Dept. thinks about spraying water thru your roof and into a burning house, it's already a total loss."

Uhhh, not always. Think chimney fire. The area around the chimney goes into flame and the rest of the house and attic is fine.

I'm paranoid about fires like that, since I've seen the results of too many of them. When I installed my own metalbestos chimney in an earlier house I tossed out the clearance specs as being way to liberal. My thimble was 18 gauge sheet metal with a 10" clearance to rafters, and heat shields on the rafters. The rule of thumb I have always used is - if you can't hold your hand on it because of the heat in a worst case scenario, it had better be metal or masonry or rock. That house did have a chimney fire once, and other than the roaring and sparks until I quenched it, it was no big deal. If it had been close clearance under a metal roof...