roofing in puerto rico

What about it?

adlin20 wrote:

What about it?

It gets hot in the summer.

Gatos satos on hot tin roofs.

Metal roofing rusts, goes flying during huracanes and causes damage to people, animals and other cars and structures. What is your question?

That is one thing (the only thing?) PR and Switzerland have in common: The houses are concrete bunkers!

Wooden homes have metal roofs but insufficient anchorage so they fly away. A few concrete homes have them also but a bunch lost them during Maria. Some houses have very sturdy Aluminum roofing in their side or back balconies and even if heavy metal several still suffered some damage.

The heat and direct sun makes it impractical in a sealed home, most wooden houses have a space between the walls and the metal roof to allow the heat that accumulates to escape otherwise you have an oven and not a house.

In the mainland it makes sense since most areas only get 60 miles an hour winds during a storm and the people build up to government building codes. A metal roof in the states is an asset as it let snow live off more easily, and is more permanent than roof shingles. In PR not a good idea.

If you are planning on purchasing a home and specifically a wooden home, it will have to be cash, no bank will give you a loan for a wooden house.

Also, I would not recommend purchasing a wood property. You don’t know how was built and if the structure was made to specifications. Aluminum roofs are set up with screws on metal beans. Most wood houses are build with wood rafters.

The old wooden Puerto Rican houses are lovely but sadly they don't hold up for long in the weather. The wood is what makes you feel the historical connection.

Wood house is also subject to be eaten by Comejen (termites) and by polilla also. You never know how good of a job they did in treating the wood.

I wish I had stumbled onto this topic when it was first brought up, because it seems there are some misunderstandings with metal roofing here.  Most GOOD metal roofing will come from a company that provides a warranty of anywhere between 30 and 50 years.  Once painted, rust is not an issue.  Also, many structures in places like Florida have metal roofing BECAUSE of how they hold up during hurricanes.  Often times, the reason a metal roof is compromised has nothing to do with the roof itself, and more to do with the rest of the structure.  Most roofing will be made of steel or aluminum, depending on the needs of the structure.  Price is a factor, because steel is much cheaper than aluminum.