Old time metal roof.

[peternap]

I remember when I was growing up in the mountains, that farm houses with metal roofs used rool roofing, not the corrugated panels we see now.

Why the shift?

[Don_P]

I'm not familiar with a metal roll roof. Most of our old ones are standing seam, metal shingle, or... can't remember the name, legal paper sized pieces of metal folded to lap up the roof and standing seam on their sides, I've replaced one of those that was solid zinc. I'd say labor is the reason.

[peternap]

As I remember them Don, the metal was about the size of tarpaper and was applied the same way.  I have no idea how they handled the exposed edges but I suspect it was nailed all the way around and just painted over.

[glenn kangiser]

I took down one that was put on in 1866 or so.  It was flat metal plates about 18"x2 feet, about 26 gauge and the edges were all soldered together solid. 

Under it was a layer of red brick to make a thermal flywheel keeping the warehouse cooler during the day and giving off the heat after sundown.

[Don_P]

One of the prettiest roofs I've seen was on an old abandoned miners shed waay back in the black mining hills of Dakota. It had a fish scale scalloped appearance. The lids from cyanide drums 

One thing I have seen cause premature failure and is warned against in the instructions from one company, don't apply metal on oak without tarpaper or some kind of break, the acid in the wood is hard on steel. I used solid pine sheathing, tarpaper and metal roof on my shop and it's worked well, no sweating even though it doesn't have a slab yet. The sawshed I just skip sheathed and covered with barn tin, it rains in there daily. One fellow I know got a deal on the smooth aluminum panels they put on the roof of freightboxes, he used them for a roof, worked fine.

[Pox Eclipse]

Many a homesteader's cabin in Alaska had a roof made of flattened Blazo cans (white gas).

[rick91351]

When I was a kid there were a number of sheds and barns around here that were roofed with expired auto and truck license plates.  One or two that I saw were even sided with such.  Those old guys used what they could find for sure.  I just wonder how they went about collecting that many license plates, but they replaced plates every year then.         

[peternap]

One of the prettiest roofs I've seen was on an old abandoned miners shed waay back in the black mining hills of Dakota. It had a fish scale scalloped appearance. The lids from cyanide drums 

UH oh.....I wish you hadn't said that Don. That got me thinking and that's always dangerous..