Residential Metal Roof and Spray Foam Insulation ???

I've been in my forever home a few years & have high electric bills. I do not have enough attic insulation (I can see my joists). My attic ventilation is also inadequate given the very high summer attic temps I've experienced.

I've been in my neighbor's attic with spray foam insulation in the summer & I was shocked and decided this is the way to go given this is my forever home.

So, before I do that, I decided to have my roof & decking checked out. I have gotten an insurance claim for hail damage. So, I'm in the process of getting bids for a new roof.

I live outside Tyler, Texas. We have hot summers & cold winters (by my standards haha) & are quite humid & get a good amount of rain.

Also, my house was built in 1962 but has had a few additions & is just over 3,000 sq ft. I have a 5-ton air source heat pump, which I've been told is the largest residential unit available & is undersized for the house. As I understand it, the foam will help the heat pump load & a reflective metal roof will also help in the summer. True? Will they work well together? Or can they cause problems together?

As I am 36 years old & this is my forever home & I do have the money to invest in upgrades now & reap the cost savings for years to come, I am interested in a metal roof & spray foam insulation. Given everything, does this make sense to do?

I've spoken to many roofers here, but none have any real knowledge about energy efficiency. With so many different ideas and opinions on what would be best, I am writing here to ask for advice on what you would do if it were your home.

With longevity over price in mind, I am leaning towards concealed fastener panels, unless standing seam would be better?

My house is very isolated in the country ? looks are not a concern to me. I read about the PVDF paint, but I've been told that bare metal (galvalume) would perform just as well at reflecting the sun & should last my lifetime and save some money on install. True? But will it rust or dull over time & lose its reflectivity? Making painted the better choice?

With a metal roof and spray foam insulation, is there a need for thermal or moisture barrier anywhere?

What about around my chimneys? They are brick & mortar. I've read the alkaline will be a problem for galvalume.

All things considered, what would you do if it were your home? Are there better options than these?

So far, the leading roofing bid has proposed to tear off the shingles, install stormguard in the valleys, new synthetic felt, new chimney & plumbing flashing, & concealed fastener 24-ga. nonpainted galvalume. His BBB profile shows an A+ rating & he has been in business for 15 yrs. He says his price will be lower than the rest because he owns his own metal-forming machine which he will bring to my house and cut & form the metal onsite. How does all of this sound? Any red flags? What kind of screws should be used? What corner cutting should I look for?

Thanks for reading and replying.

Lets see some pics of the home.

I found these on a realty website. Tell me what kind of pictures you want and I can take them tomorrow. (it's already dark)

Todd, I understand that standing seam panels are held by clips held by screws and mechanically seamed at the joints.

The leading roofing bid was not standing seam, but still had concealed fasteners. The panels are screwed down on one side and the other side sits over the next panel's screws and snaps into place. Any thoughts on this type of panel? Thanks. I e-mailed you.

Pretty piece of property and home there.

How is the roof vented in this case? If you are building a once and done solution here (i.e. forever home), there are things you can do to help with the solar rejection from the attic or if you want to go that route and condition the attic in total.

As a default, the metal (assuming a similar color range), will keep the attic dramatically cooler here.

The attic currently has 2 electronic exhaust fans in the roof and lots of soffit vents AND gable vents. I know it is not working properly and there is inadequate air exchange. It gets VERY VERY HOT.

The spray foam insulation and conditioning the attic appeals to me as I could then use the attic for storage as a bonus.

I am definitely looking for a once and done solution so I want to do it right the first time.

So, I figure a metal roof and spray foam insulation would be the best for longevity and energy efficiency.

I'm here to verify if this all makes sense and advice on all of it. Thanks.

I certainly don't have to resort to foam. I know i could fix the ventilation to help in the summer.
But the foam just seems like a win-win-win.
I believe foam will help save more energy in the summer than proper attic ventilation.
I believe foam will help save energy in the winter. I don't believe attic ventilation will.
Same with the metal roof, I believe it will only save energy in the summer. I believe the foam will save energy in summer and winter.
These 2 factors are the #1 considerations as I believe they will help my undersized heat pump performance. It runs A LOT in the summer and winter.
Will the foam help in summer and winter as I believe? And pay for itself over my lifetime? I'm 36 and this is my forever home.
Keep in mind, if I didn't do spray foam, I would still have to pay to add more insulation in the ceiling and fix the ventilation.
As a bonus WIN, the conditioned attic space offers me more storage options. Right now I don't keep anything up there due to the very high summer temps and freezing winter temps. If it was conditioned and sealed off, I would feel comfortable keeping anything up there.
So, does the foam make sense given these considerations?
And how will a metal roof function with the foam? Will they work well together? Or cause problems? Any humidity or condensation concerns? Or any other concerns?
Have there been tests of bare metal roofs vs. the PVDF paints? It's hard to believe a dark paint could outperform bare galvalume and it wouldn't qualify for Energy Star.
If I do get a metal roof and spray foam insulation, is the paint worth the extra cost energy wise? Does the paint extend the life of the roof?
Again, thanks for your time and all of your info. Trust me, I'm reading and considering everything you've sent and written and using it all to make my final decision.

Is there any HVAC in the attic? If not, I see no reason to condition the attic here.

I have an undersized air-source heat pump. The condenser is outside obviously, with the inside unit in a closet with the plenum and ducts in the attic.
My logic for the foam is: it seems like a win-win-win.
I believe foam will help save more energy in the summer than proper attic ventilation.
I believe foam will help save energy in the winter. I don't believe attic ventilation will.
Same with the metal roof, I believe it will only save energy in the summer. I believe the foam will save energy in summer and winter.
These 2 factors are the #1 considerations as I believe they will help my undersized heat pump performance. It runs A LOT in the summer and winter.
Will the foam help in summer and winter as I believe? And pay for itself over my lifetime? I'm 36 and this is my forever home.
Keep in mind, if I didn't do spray foam, I would still have to pay to add more insulation in the ceiling and fix the ventilation.
As a bonus WIN, the conditioned attic space offers me more storage options. Right now I don't keep anything up there due to the very high summer temps and freezing winter temps. If it was conditioned and sealed off, I would feel comfortable keeping anything up there.
So, does the foam make sense given these considerations? Thanks.

If the duct work is in the attic, in Texas heat, I can see an argument for conditioning the attic in that case.

That said, if you want to get inventive about how you do it, you can use rigid foam and above deck venting to make a really efficient roof system and avoid the expense of spray foam.

Are there any downsides (other than initial cost) to a metal roof with spray foam insulation?

If done correctly, no.