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TOPIC: Noise

METAL ROOF NOISE

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This is a great site. Lots of great information. I wanted to ask one of the experts about my biggest concern about putting a metal roof on my house, will it be noisy? I live in an area of the US that gets occasional hail storms. Another thing is that I have this tree that has these little apple-things, not sure what they're called, that fall on the roof I have now. And when they fall, it could get annoying.
Guest User

3/27/2001
Good question. That's one I get asked more than anything. And the answer is no, they're not noisier. When we install a metal roof, there is a sheathing that goes between the metal roof and the surface of your current roof. No roof is "quiet," but you'll find that a metal roof controls noise from things like hail and tree-debris like you're talking about as well as a regular asphalt roof.
Guest User

3/27/2001
I have 2 questions and don't know what catagory they would fall under. #1 Can a solar tube and a cupola for a weathervane be installed on a metal roof? #2 Does a metal roof interfere with regular TV reception.. my children have TV's in their rooms that do not have cable.
Guest User

4/3/2001
I live in the Bahamas and was wondering how well your product will hold up to hurricane gail winds!
Guest User

4/3/2001
Our roof is very noisey when it rains, the squirrels run and etc. Is there something that I can coat or put over / on the roof. Also, anything that can help insulation value. Thank you. Juan
Guest User

4/3/2001
When the wind blows our gutters and/or down spouts vibrate causing a drum effect, the house being the drum. It gets so loud it wakes us up at night. We tried shims but they don't stay in place. Is there any cure for this or was something done wrong in the installation?
Guest User

4/5/2001
I put a metal tile roof on my home over the top of the existing asphalt roof. I live in the Seattle area where we get a lot of rain, although, only occaisional downpours and I rarely hear the rain on the roof. We mostly hear the rain on the skylight we put in with the new roof or in the downspouts from the gutters.
Tom Black
Metal Roofing Alliance

4/16/2001
What if you install a metal roof on a new home and do not have an existing roof, is the noise greater without an under-roof?
Guest User

4/17/2001
builder est for me 44 thousand for terracotta tiles and an additional 10 thousand for install and reinforcement---how would metal tile cost compare. thank-you
Guest User

3/31/2004
It does vary by market as in high wind areas such as Florida metal is generally less money as concrete tile needs extra work to meet the wind requirements. Same holds true in California as metal helps meet the earthquake reuirements. As metal only weighs about 12% on concrete tile you will not need the structural reinforcement so you should be ahead by at least that amount of money with metal. A number of our members have tile profiles and some like Dura-loc have them in granular variegated finishes. Have a look at our web site at www.duraloc.com
Allan Reid
Dura-Loc Roofing Systems, Inc.

3/31/2004
We are currently having part of our metal roof replaced and the contractor is not using insulation. Our problem is noise. The rest of the house is insulated with a sheet directly under the metal and the noise is greatly reduced. The contractor says that we will have to put up with some noise in the new area due to the need for ventilation. He is putting the metal directly onto the rafters without any sheeting or insulation. Is this a customary practice or are we being abused?
Patrick Ward

5/21/2005
I am a believer in ventilation -- intake at the bottom, exhaust at or near the ridge. However, most residential metal roofs are designed for installation over decking and underlayment, not direct over lathe. In that case, the ventilation is done beneath the decking. Some products can have insulation put on top of the decking. Again, it is up to how the roofing product has been designed and tested to be installed and used. You must check with the manufacturer of the roofing to see if they are in agreement with the installation methods being suggested by your contractor.
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

5/22/2005
So it is okay to put the metal roof on over the asphalt shingles? We have stuff growing on the asphalt - moss, as we live "in the woods." It would save us a huge amount of money if we could just take the moss off and then put the metal roof on over the asphalt shingles!
Guest User

3/30/2009
THis is commonly done with many metal roofs. Checking with your metal roofing manufacturer is always a good idea.
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

4/5/2009
THis is commonly done with many metal roofs. Checking with your metal roofing manufacturer is always a good idea.
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

4/5/2009
We are considering roofing materials for an old porch addition that needs a new roof. Right now the whole house has slate and it would be too expensive to replace the addition's slate. Metal roofing was something we were looking into. However we were concerned about the noise, not necessarily in the addition itself, but in the bedrooms directly over the addition. Is this a fair concern? Our thinking is that even a roof that is well insulated underneath would be loud on top. The only other option we can think of is Duraslate. But I fear it will stand out like a sore thumb compared to the real slate roof on the rest of the house.
Guest User

10/18/2009
I have lived in three houses with metal roof, and also my office. I have never had problems with objectionable noise except from a skylight and that issue was the skyligt not the roof.
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

10/21/2009
I like Juan would like a solution to a very noisy roof when it rains or acorns are falling.
Guest User

12/6/2009
Todd, I live in California near San Francisco where there are earthquakes from time to time. If I install the long sheet metal roofing will it be ok if the house shifts a little or is there a specific type of metal roofing to use in earthquake areas?
Guest User

9/19/2010