There are two forms of metal roofs. Standing-seam steel, a residential application of which may be found in Sunriver on Cluster Cabins or Pole Houses. This variety has a long vertical ridges about a foot apart extending down the roof. It comes in a full selection of colors.
Another variety is an Alcoa aluminum panel formed to closely resemble a cedar shake roof in both texture and color. An example of this treatment may be found at Inn of the 7th Mountain. The aluminum variety is about 1/3 more expensive than the standing-seam metal, which in turn, is about 10-15% (I'm not sure of this figure) more expensive in initial cost, than composition.
Composition comes in 25-year, 30-year and 40-year grades. The 40-year grades have more texture than the shorter-lived varieties, and are the only ones approved for use in Sunriver. An example of this treatment may be found on Mountain Lodge condos (visible from the 15th Fairway of the Meadows Course). They also come in a full selection of colors.
Proponents of composition believe that a 40-year material such as "Arch 80" is attractive, cost effective and offers the least trouble in Sunriver climates. Proponents of composition find standing-seam metal roofs (as are to be found in the village) to be "industrial looking". They suggest that snow slides too easily off of metal roofs, piling up on walkways and driveways. They point to instances where ice dams formed on metal roofs, then when the thaw arrived, the ice slid off of the roof, sometimes damaging the metal seam or taking a portion of the chimney with it.
Proponents of metal roofs do not believe they look "industrial". They point to the fact that devices called snow breaks are successfully installed to prevent snow from sliding off of the roof. They believe metal is less susceptible to deterioration from pine-needle accumulation, more fire-proof, and because of its longer life (50 years) and cheaper fire insurance rates, less costly when amortized over its lifetime.
The Alcoa Aluminum form of metal roof can be installed with an (optional, at additional cost) underlayment of styrofoam. This provides extra rigidity to the relatively flexible aluminum, and provides additional insulation to the dwelling.
Metal roofing is more slippery for workmen than composition. Rain falling on metal roofing has an audible patter that most find restful, but some might find annoying.
Gary Bell, of Sunriver Lodge, is a proponent of composition roofs and provided much of the information I used above.
Ray Cook, our former Association president, is a proponent of standing-seam metal roofs, and would be very happy to give you additional information about them.
My husband John and I have an Alcoa aluminum roof installed on our personal residence in California. We are very happy with it, but have no experience with the material in an Oregon climate. Given our Association's bugetary limitations, I believe that aluminum is less cost-effective than either of the other two options. I would not recommend aluminum for our Wildflower II condos unless a majority of the owners really wanted to assume the additional cost.
