North Idaho Home Architecture, (was: North Idaho Roofs) (house, water heater)

[countryboy73]

I have been building houses for thirty years. Most of the roofs in MO are shingled. Mine is metal, because I know better. If you can swing it, get the standing seam style, or at least the covered fastener type. No exposed screws or washers to eventually leak. A good metal roof with no exposed fasteners should last nearly a lifetime. The paint warranties are forty or more years, and it will turn water for probably a few more decades after it starts to get ugly...

Your builder is likely pushing you toward shingles because he already has a roofing crew for that. He will likely need to subcontract a metal roof, which is more work(and less money) for him. There is NO reason why a shingled roof is better than a good metal one. Unless you LIKE replacing your entire roof every fifteen years or so...

Two things ruin a house. Bad foundations, and bad roofs. Spend the money to do these right.

[DvrGrl]

We faced a similar dilemna in building our guest house (accessory dwelling unit or ADU in Bonner county terms.). Our builder, whom we trust, recommended the composite roof. We like the look and idea of metal roof but the price went through the roof (literally) this year,--we think due to the tariffs-- so we went with composite. Another factor was our house has some angles that would have been challenging for the metal roofers, thus increasing the cost. We couldn't justify the additional cost and most of our neighbors who have lived there for years have composite roofs.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

The good part of a metal roof is that it sheds snow. The bad part of a metal roof-is that it sheds snow. It can break loose all at once and sound like a small avalanche. Or it can creep along like a glacier and you hear the plop, plop of falling snow for half an hour (neither are a lot of fun when you're trying to sleep-AMHIK). All that falling snow is going somewhere-you have to keep that in mind with your decks, walkways or plantings. Trying to shovel a 6 foot high mound of half melted snow off your deck is not a good time-trust me! A metal roof IS nice-so long as you plan around those issues when designing the home. You can also put up barriers that do hold the snow and keep it from sliding if you need to keep a certain area clear-which which defeats a primary reason of metal in the first place.

Like so many things-pick your tradeoffs.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Our builder had us change our proposed location of the stairs to the porch for that same reason--otherwise they would have been buried in snow slides all winter long. Now we have the stairs directly under our balcony, so the snow slides to the sides. The snow does pile up on the balcony, though! It has to go somewhere...

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Our builder had us change our proposed location of the stairs to the porch for that same reason--otherwise they would have been buried in snow slides all winter long. Now we have the stairs directly under our balcony, so the snow slides to the sides. The snow does pile up on the balcony, though! It has to go somewhere...

What is always...entertaining when someone uses a home plan from an area that doesn't get snowfall. And then runs the pitch of the roof side to side-so the snow falls right in front of their garage doors. I have seen a few homes like that.

[countryboy73]

Making sure the entances to the home, as well as decks or plantings, are under a gable end eliminates avalanche issues. A chalet style is good in this respect, or similar structure that can shed snow to the sides, while focal walls of the structure are at the gable ends. In addition, tuckng the main porch under the extended gable of the roof, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, can create a sheltered location that prevents snow buildup right outside the main door. There is little reason to do anything other than metal on a new build. You just need an architect/bulder who can design for the conditions in the local area. A good designer knows how to site the home properly to take advantage of a location’s positives and mitigate its deficiencies, and also knows how to design a house that the inhabitants can live in without undue maintenance and livability issues. Ever notice a light switch in the wrong location for ease of use? You noticed because it is more common for such a switch to be placed in an instinctive location for ease of use. The same principles apply to exterior design. Design the home for ease of living, rather than some particular look, and you will love living there.

[javatom]

Unfortunately, no one has common sense as a priority when making exterior design decisions. What it looks like is usually the top priority.

[aiden_is]

I designed homes for a while, and it always amazed me when I looked at "professional" architect plans for homes where they would:

• put switches and electrical outlets in non-intuitive places
• make door swings in awkward directions
• have no consideration for closet quantity or usability
• locate kitchen islands with no allowance for refrigerator installation
• design inconsistent roof pitches with overly complex valley configurations that guarantee massive ice dams
• completely ignore localized environmental factors such as predominant wind direction and seasonal sun orientation when determining window and door placement

At the end of the day, it's the homeowners responsibility to ensure they are getting what they want. Employing a seasoned professional contractor and a good architect are the foundation. But verifying their decisions throughout the process helps guarantee you get what you pay for.

Just do everyone involved a favor and educate yourself first, before inundating your contractors with "what ifs" and "why are you doing it that way" type questions. Like you're doing in this thread regarding metal roofing.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by aiden_is

I designed homes for a while, and it always amazed me when I looked at "professional" architect plans for homes where they would:

• put switches and electrical outlets in non-intuitive places
• make door swings in awkward directions
• have no consideration for closet quantity or usability
• locate kitchen islands with no allowance for refrigerator installation
• design inconsistent roof pitches with overly complex valley configurations that guarantee massive ice dams
• completely ignore localized environmental factors such as predominant wind direction and seasonal sun orientation when determining window and door placement

At the end of the day, it's the homeowners responsibility to ensure they are getting what they want. Employing a seasoned professional contractor and a good architect are the foundation. But verifying their decisions throughout the process helps guarantee you get what you pay for.

Just do everyone involved a favor and educate yourself first, before inundating your contractors with "what ifs" and "why are you doing it that way" type questions. Like you're doing in this thread regarding metal roofing.

Of course you're right, in principle. But laypeople who just want a great place to call home can do research until they're blue in the face, and still be ignorant about basic stuff that will make a contractor cringe if they are asked. We waited 5 whole years before we broke ground, and we hired a local builder who knew (and knows) everything worth knowing about weather, winds, and sun, and who also happens to be a craftsman. For three summers we moved our travel trailer around on the property to locate the ideal building spot, and during fall, winter, and spring we did research into siding, roofs, floors, insulation, everything we could imagine. But we couldn't even imagine the half of it--there were so many details that needed decisions (from 1400 miles away, to boot), so at some point you have to rely on the advice of your builder/contractor who hopefully is both honorable and knows your style, like ours. And we still may end up having made some mistakes.

Asking questions in this forum is a terrific part of doing research. That's how I ended up deciding on a wood stove rather than a fireplace or a pellet stove--because of research, common sense, builder's input, plus great advice from friends in this forum.

[javatom]

This is the list of bad ideas that everyone currently wants.
BARN DOORS - This is trend that will date your house. As a designer, I don't often use them because they are costly and rarely add much substance.
POCKET DOORS - They often fall off the track. They also sometimes get destroyed by a homeowner hanging a picture.
ON DEMAND HOT WATER HEATERS - They are expensive and wear out quickly and no, they will not save you any money.
SKYLIGHTS - They usually leak. If you insist on one, please not in a bathroom. The condensation will destroy the framing.
GREAT ROOMS WITH GIANT GABLE END TRIANGLE WINDOWS - It might seem like a good idea during design but you will eventually need to get a 24' ladder to clean them.