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TOPIC: Insulation Concerns

Must metal roof be insulated?

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I am building a house in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. I want to use metal roofing without ceilings and 10ft walls (i.e. the aluminum beams will be exposed). This is because the climate here is very even with temperatures varying only by 4 to 6 degrees all year! It is also nicely warm but never too hot. I will not need air conditioning or heating and will have a jack roof to allow heat to escape naturally. I have been told that I will need to insulate the metal roof because: 1. It will absorb the midday heat and radiate it down into the house (especially because I will not have ceilings). 2. The roof will be very noisy when it rains (most days) I am told that the insulation will be like aluminum foil and will be held in place with chicken wire which sounds ugly to me! Do I need insulation? If so, is there a better way to do it?
Guest User

11/5/2010
Use a light colored roof that will avoid much of the absorption of the sun's infrared energy. A radiant barrier can be used in this case, however, radiant barriers require an airspace between them and the roof. The only way to control sound will be to insulate the roof.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

11/5/2010
Thank you for your response. I have seen advertisements saying that these roofs are not that noisy even without insulation. Is that true? What kind of roof would you advise? Zinc? Coated?
Guest User

11/7/2010
If the roof is of a heavy enough gauge metal, it will not have that tin-ee sound of rain on a thin roof. Zincalume (Galvanized steel) would be a good choice for coastal applications.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

11/7/2010