How to Install Standing Seam Metal Roofing
We're installing a Standing Seam Metal Roof. We're going to install solar panels on the south-facing roof that you can see right behind me. And we don't want to worry about leaks or replacing this roof for at least 30 years. We're also going to be collecting rainwater off of this roof surface. So we want our rainwater to be as clean as possible, and definitely avoid the petroleum residues that you might get from asphalt shingles. I've learned a lot from the mistakes I've made over the last 20 years. And I wanted to share that wisdom with you so that you can avoid those same mistakes and build a better home.
Let's talk about roof underlayment for a minute. The purpose of roof underlayment is to provide a waterproof layer that drains water away from your wood refraining typically most underlayment installation is simply a layer 30 pound felt paper, we go above and beyond to extend the life of the roof. It's cheap insurance, we install grace select, as it seals around fasteners to keep a leak-free roof. Alright, so now we dive into measuring and layout. Knowing how to measure and layout your roof is super important. After all, you don't want to stop in the middle of your project and realize your way short of critical material. We want to make sure that we have the same distance between the edge of the roof and the first rib on one side as we have on the other side. So what we're going to do there, shift the panels and split the difference so that we have a 10-inch wide rip on the right and a 10-inch wide rip on the left. You might be thinking Hey, hold up Logan, how do I even know when to install a metal roof into that I was Install roofing after your roof framing is complete and ideally when you're finished facia and underlayment are installed as we have here. You also want to have your roof penetrations event flashings, plumbing vents and other events like chimney pipes can and should be cut in after you have a chance to layout your panels so they don't land on a rib or any other awkward spot to waterproof. So make sure that you order striations on your metal panels. It'll keep the roof looking really good and keep it from bubbling up and doing that oil canning that nobody likes to see. so will your roof require venting? That's a really important question to ask. In this case, we're spraying eight inches of open-cell Spray Foam Insulation in the roof deck. Typically with that kind of installation, you won't need to vent the roof because it'll be all sealed up from that spray foam. On, however, we're using a product called tech shield that has an aluminum face on the bottom which reflects all the rage heat from the roof and that needs a one-inch air space. So we have to put vent baffles up in the rafter base to create some air space and have that breathe.
Essentially we're creating a vented roof. So we've got a vented soffit that's going to allow air to get in from the low end of this roof right down below and travel up the rafter Bay, through that one-inch airspace and out the roof. If that moist air gets trapped inside of our reframing and it gets really cold outside, that moist air is going to condense into little water droplets and where's it going to go? But rock or wood framing, so we really have to make sure that we vent this roof. You've got air space in your roof, you got to vent it, get that moist air out of there. We're installing spray foam in the rafter base here. Checking for square with diagonals and fright so squaring up your slope edge to the drip edge and snapping a reference line for the first panel. We're coming at eight inches from each corner of the roof snap a chalk line. And then from there, we're going to do a 12 1620 foot right triangle to make sure that that first-panel layout is square to our drip line, we're going to pull 16 feet from here and we're going to pull 20 feet on a diagonal, and then wherever those cross 16 and 20 is our point. So Mark that point, and then snap a line straight through that point where the 16 and 20 intersect, and bam, you've got a straight line to your grip edge, and that's the reference line that you're going to measure your first panel to. Right so step three, installing drip edge flashing. And here's a Standing Seam Metal Roofing the drip edge services that cleat the whole the bottom edge of your roof panel so that when doesn't pick it up and blow it off, and it creates a waterproof transition from your metal panel straight into your gutter. So it's really important to either tuck that drip edge underneath your underlayment, or if you have to as we do here, tape the drip edge to your roof on the nail or screw the drip Washing every eight inches and a staggered pattern and just make sure that it goes into your sub facia wood framing. For this rake that goes up right here, that's going to be a square drip edge, it's going to be bent at 90 degrees because it's following the roof pitch all the way down.
For the drip line down here we have a 10 and 12 pitch on this gable roof. And so we want to bend that drip edge so that it's plum because we've got plum cut facia, and it's the top edge is going to have that 40-degree slope for that 10 and 12. That's really important because if you try to put a square drip edge on a pitched roof, it's going to go like this. And then what's going to happen is it's going to take a dip at the end and it's going to pull your metal roof panels up like that.
The layout is key. Spend the time upfront measuring and making sure that your layout is right and the rest of the panel installation is going to go smooth. I'll guarantee it.
So you have two clips within the first eight inches of the bottom to keep that wind from picking up your roof and then every two feet from there, you're going to fast in another clip types of flashing and where you'll need them we're going to put a link in the description below. From the manufacturers' website on particular flashing said that you can make sure you've got the right ones for your roof. This is a simple gable roof so all that we need is a drip edge and red cap. Your rich cap covers the gap between both ends of your roof. Since the standing seams are an inch and a half high, you're going to have a gap between each one of those panels. So right there, you're going to install a z closure to provide a waterproof anchor point for that rich cat to connect. It's going to allow moist air to escape but it's not going to allow a lot of windblown rain to get up in there to take a piece of the ridge up on top of the roof. Set it on top, see how it plays in and take a pencil and mark both sides of your ridge cap to make sure you know exactly where your Ridge caps going to land and exactly where you need to fasten the Z closures. Secure each one of the pieces of z boss with two screws in each and make sure that you've got butyl tape to seal up the bottom edge where the z bar attaches to your roof panel. Now that you got your clips and your z bar installed, it's time to set that red cap. Hook one side of the ridge caps him on anchors making sure that all the clips are hooked. You want to really get under there and make sure that that all the clips are hooked because sometimes some of those can hang low and they're not doing anything. Then stretch the flashing over the top of the ridge on the other side and hook it on to the other z bar.
And then all you got to do is come back and take an eighth-inch drill bit, drill a couple of holes through the edge of the roof cap through the z bar and pop rivet them together.
Then you've got a waterproof roof. Now it's really important to make sure that you're not installing the leading edge of your z bar your z closure on that chalk line because of one that chalk is actually on the outside of your ridge cap. And you want to actually give a little bit of expansion and contraction room and a little bit of room because remember, you've got to you're hooking one side of the ridge cap and you're stretching it over the ridge and hooking it on to the other so you have to have enough wiggle room to be able to get it over and hook back. So you don't want to make it too tight where it's just No way you can stretch that ridge cap to hook your other side of the z bar. And don't forget to overlap each one of those pieces of rich cap four inches and caulk the joints.
So this is where it starts to get pretty weird. But it makes your roof super awesome. At each peak on either end of your roof, what we're going to do is we're going to run z bar horizontally like all the rest of them, and that we're going to run up the roof back down the peak and back to the last rib that z bars got to go all the way to the very edge of the roof so that there's no metal panel break at the ridge. So fold and miter the ends of the ridge cap around that z closure on the hands for a nice waterproof look. The devils in the details, that's what they say. And then just like that, you're done. pat yourself on the back baby. You just learned how to build a better roof that will last a lifetime. Save a bunch of money doing it How are we going to get safely down from this roof wants to put the bridge cap on it seems really sketchy.
You're going to give it to tie two, two by four to span the ridge. So we'll have a safe place to stand on this 10 and 12 super steep pitch and be safe and actually not be fumbling around with drills and drivers and screws and clips and all that. So here we go.
Fixing or repairing a roof is not very easy. If you'd like to hire a professional you should go to https://chandoconstruction.com/ and work with them for professional help.
We're installing a Standing Seam Metal Roof. We're going to install solar panels on the south-facing roof that you can see right behind me. And we don't want to worry about leaks or replacing this roof for at least 30 years. We're also going to be collecting rainwater off of this roof surface. So we want our rainwater to be as clean as possible, and definitely avoid the petroleum residues that you might get from asphalt shingles. I've learned a lot from the mistakes I've made over the last 20 years. And I wanted to share that wisdom with you so that you can avoid those same mistakes and build a better home.
Let's talk about roof underlayment for a minute. The purpose of roof underlayment is to provide a waterproof layer that drains water away from your wood refraining typically most underlayment installation is simply a layer 30 pound felt paper, we go above and beyond to extend the life of the roof. It's cheap insurance, we install grace select, as it seals around fasteners to keep a leak-free roof. Alright, so now we dive into measuring and layout. Knowing how to measure and layout your roof is super important. After all, you don't want to stop in the middle of your project and realize your way short of critical material. We want to make sure that we have the same distance between the edge of the roof and the first rib on one side as we have on the other side. So what we're going to do there, shift the panels and split the difference so that we have a 10-inch wide rip on the right and a 10-inch wide rip on the left. You might be thinking Hey, hold up Logan, how do I even know when to install a metal roof into that I was Install roofing after your roof framing is complete and ideally when you're finished facia and underlayment are installed as we have here. You also want to have your roof penetrations event flashings, plumbing vents and other events like chimney pipes can and should be cut in after you have a chance to layout your panels so they don't land on a rib or any other awkward spot to waterproof. So make sure that you order striations on your metal panels. It'll keep the roof looking really good and keep it from bubbling up and doing that oil canning that nobody likes to see. so will your roof require venting? That's a really important question to ask. In this case, we're spraying eight inches of open-cell Spray Foam Insulation in the roof deck. Typically with that kind of installation, you won't need to vent the roof because it'll be all sealed up from that spray foam. On, however, we're using a product called tech shield that has an aluminum face on the bottom which reflects all the rage heat from the roof and that needs a one-inch air space. So we have to put vent baffles up in the rafter base to create some air space and have that breathe.
Essentially we're creating a vented roof. So we've got a vented soffit that's going to allow air to get in from the low end of this roof right down below and travel up the rafter Bay, through that one-inch airspace and out the roof. If that moist air gets trapped inside of our reframing and it gets really cold outside, that moist air is going to condense into little water droplets and where's it going to go? But rock or wood framing, so we really have to make sure that we vent this roof. You've got air space in your roof, you got to vent it, get that moist air out of there. We're installing spray foam in the rafter base here. Checking for square with diagonals and fright so squaring up your slope edge to the drip edge and snapping a reference line for the first panel. We're coming at eight inches from each corner of the roof snap a chalk line. And then from there, we're going to do a 12 1620 foot right triangle to make sure that that first-panel layout is square to our drip line, we're going to pull 16 feet from here and we're going to pull 20 feet on a diagonal, and then wherever those cross 16 and 20 is our point. So Mark that point, and then snap a line straight through that point where the 16 and 20 intersect, and bam, you've got a straight line to your grip edge, and that's the reference line that you're going to measure your first panel to. Right so step three, installing drip edge flashing. And here's a Standing Seam Metal Roofing the drip edge services that cleat the whole the bottom edge of your roof panel so that when doesn't pick it up and blow it off, and it creates a waterproof transition from your metal panel straight into your gutter. So it's really important to either tuck that drip edge underneath your underlayment, or if you have to as we do here, tape the drip edge to your roof on the nail or screw the drip Washing every eight inches and a staggered pattern and just make sure that it goes into your sub facia wood framing. For this rake that goes up right here, that's going to be a square drip edge, it's going to be bent at 90 degrees because it's following the roof pitch all the way down.
For the drip line down here we have a 10 and 12 pitch on this gable roof. And so we want to bend that drip edge so that it's plum because we've got plum cut facia, and it's the top edge is going to have that 40-degree slope for that 10 and 12. That's really important because if you try to put a square drip edge on a pitched roof, it's going to go like this. And then what's going to happen is it's going to take a dip at the end and it's going to pull your metal roof panels up like that.
The layout is key. Spend the time upfront measuring and making sure that your layout is right and the rest of the panel installation is going to go smooth. I'll guarantee it.
So you have two clips within the first eight inches of the bottom to keep that wind from picking up your roof and then every two feet from there, you're going to fast in another clip types of flashing and where you'll need them we're going to put a link in the description below. From the manufacturers' website on particular flashing said that you can make sure you've got the right ones for your roof. This is a simple gable roof so all that we need is a drip edge and red cap. Your rich cap covers the gap between both ends of your roof. Since the standing seams are an inch and a half high, you're going to have a gap between each one of those panels. So right there, you're going to install a z closure to provide a waterproof anchor point for that rich cat to connect. It's going to allow moist air to escape but it's not going to allow a lot of windblown rain to get up in there to take a piece of the ridge up on top of the roof. Set it on top, see how it plays in and take a pencil and mark both sides of your ridge cap to make sure you know exactly where your Ridge caps going to land and exactly where you need to fasten the Z closures. Secure each one of the pieces of z boss with two screws in each and make sure that you've got butyl tape to seal up the bottom edge where the z bar attaches to your roof panel. Now that you got your clips and your z bar installed, it's time to set that red cap. Hook one side of the ridge caps him on anchors making sure that all the clips are hooked. You want to really get under there and make sure that that all the clips are hooked because sometimes some of those can hang low and they're not doing anything. Then stretch the flashing over the top of the ridge on the other side and hook it on to the other z bar.
And then all you got to do is come back and take an eighth-inch drill bit, drill a couple of holes through the edge of the roof cap through the z bar and pop rivet them together.
Then you've got a waterproof roof. Now it's really important to make sure that you're not installing the leading edge of your z bar your z closure on that chalk line because of one that chalk is actually on the outside of your ridge cap. And you want to actually give a little bit of expansion and contraction room and a little bit of room because remember, you've got to you're hooking one side of the ridge cap and you're stretching it over the ridge and hooking it on to the other so you have to have enough wiggle room to be able to get it over and hook back. So you don't want to make it too tight where it's just No way you can stretch that ridge cap to hook your other side of the z bar. And don't forget to overlap each one of those pieces of rich cap four inches and caulk the joints.
So this is where it starts to get pretty weird. But it makes your roof super awesome. At each peak on either end of your roof, what we're going to do is we're going to run z bar horizontally like all the rest of them, and that we're going to run up the roof back down the peak and back to the last rib that z bars got to go all the way to the very edge of the roof so that there's no metal panel break at the ridge. So fold and miter the ends of the ridge cap around that z closure on the hands for a nice waterproof look. The devils in the details, that's what they say. And then just like that, you're done. pat yourself on the back baby. You just learned how to build a better roof that will last a lifetime. Save a bunch of money doing it How are we going to get safely down from this roof wants to put the bridge cap on it seems really sketchy.
You're going to give it to tie two, two by four to span the ridge. So we'll have a safe place to stand on this 10 and 12 super steep pitch and be safe and actually not be fumbling around with drills and drivers and screws and clips and all that. So here we go.
Fixing or repairing a roof is not very easy. If you'd like to hire a professional you should go to https://chandoconstruction.com/ and work with them for professional help.