Metal mastery - PODCAST TRANSRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Renee Ramey from the Metal Roofing Alliance. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast!

Megan Ellsworth: Welcome to the AskARoofer podcast where all your roofing questions find their answers. Your hosts, Megan Ellsworth and Lauren White peel back the layers of the roofing world to reveal the knowledge, tips and FAQs you've been curious about. From shingles to skylights, metal to asphalt, we're here to demystify the system above your head. So, get ready to ask, learn and explore the fascinating world of roofing one question at a time on the AskARoofer podcast.

Hello everyone. My name is Megan Ellsworth.

Lauren White: And I'm Lauren White.

Megan Ellsworth: And this is the AskARoofer podcast. Welcome back. Today we have Renee Ramey here from the Metal Roofing Alliance and we're so excited to be talking about their new Buyer's Guide, the newest version and some new initiatives that they have coming out. So Renee, hello.

Renee Ramey: Hello. How are you guys?

Lauren White: Doing good. Excited to be here.

Renee Ramey: Me too. Thank you for having me.

Megan Ellsworth: So, let's just start out, have you introduce yourself a little bit and tell us about the MRA.

Renee Ramey: Okay. My name's Renee Ramey. I'm the executive director of the Metal Roofing Alliance. Been in this role for I think going on my seventh year, but within the industry, for over 25 years. So been around the industry for a while. And the Metal Roofing Alliance is a non-profit trade association that exists to drive consumer awareness about metal roofing and then provides some education and marketing to those homeowners so they are fully versed on the benefits and great qualities of metal roofing and with the hopes that when they get ready to re-roof their home, they will at least consider metal if not go with metal on their re-roof. So that's why we exist.

Lauren White: And we love your MRA Buyer's Guide that is available and we hear that there's a new version coming out. So what are some of those updates or maybe improvements that you're making to that MRA Buyer's Guide?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Well we refreshed the look. Obviously, that's a simple update, but we were finding that over time, new studies come out, new data comes into being and we just try to keep the Buyer's Guide as up to date as possible. We also try to add sections or clarity within sections as we do the revisions. So with this particular revision, we went in and did a complete overall of the comparison guide. So within the Buyer's Guide there is a series of tables that cross-compare metal roofing to other materials in certain categories such as environmental impacts and other benefits, weather performance, things of that nature, as well as cost and typical length of warranty. And so that's one of the bigger updates with this version of the Buyer's Guide is updates to the comparison tables that are in there.

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing. So how does the Buyer's Guide help owners, homeowners that is, make informed decisions about metal roofing? What are some of the new stats that you're including that can help people be informed?

Renee Ramey: Okay. Yeah. So it's meant to help a homeowner from really the initial phase of do we need a new roof? And providing insights and guidance around what to look for to decide if yes, we do need a new roof. We then take them through some questions and some information around regional differences. So where you live matters and based on where you live, the architecture style of your home, those types of things, we give some recommendations on what they should consider when selecting a new roof. And then we introduce them to metal roofing as far as there's a lot of myths about metal roofing out there and so it's important to us that they're aware that it does come in a variety of different styles, colors, can look like any other roofing material out there.

So we kind of guide them through that and then we help them through not just the roofing material itself, but what are the other accessories or things that go into a roof replacement. We talk about underlayments in detail. In the new version we talk about-

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, that's great.

Renee Ramey: [inaudible 00:04:33] we talk about the vents or the roof jacks or whatever goes into the roof above and beyond the actual roofing material. We try to guide them through that. And then something we're focusing on this year that I'm excited about, and I believe it's long overdue, is a lot of homeowners I think have this misperception that with a roof, when they're going to re-roof their home, they need to be in a financial position to stroke a check or make some sort of a massive payment all at once for their new roof and we're finding more and more that there are financing options out there for homeowners when they do a re-roof that would be similar to buying a new car or a new refrigerator or putting in a new heat pump.

It gives homeowners the option of making payments just like they would on any other discretionary income type product. And I just don't think a lot of homeowners know that. So we have a pretty decent financing section that just walks through things to consider, but certainly we want them to be aware that nobody expects them to stroke a check for the roof up front, that there are a lot of options out there that make it 100% viable for any homeowner.

Lauren White: That's great. Yeah. That's so daunting to see such a big number when you need a new roof and-

Renee Ramey: Yeah.

Lauren White: Yeah. Yeah.

Renee Ramey: Yeah.

Lauren White: That's great that you provide that.

Renee Ramey: We can be, and we're not blind to the fact that if you're going for a quality metal roof, one of the benefits is you put one on versus potentially three or more asphalt roofs. So there is typically a little bit more expense upfront for a metal roof than there is an asphalt roof, but how long that roof lasts is, as I just said, three to four times as long. So you get your money's worth out of it and then some, but it's hard. It's hard for homeowners to justify paying that much upfront.

Lauren White: For sure. But well worth it.

Renee Ramey: Yes.

Lauren White: So, for homeowners who are considering getting a metal roof, what are some things that they should consider when selecting their materials?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. So it goes back to, in my personal opinion, I think the industry as a whole agrees it's a lot to do with where you live. So if you live in an area that's getting hurricanes or high winds, you need to be cognizant of that and that needs to fall into your consideration set when you're picking that material, what's it made out of? Will it withstand high winds? How does it withstand high winds? What's keeping it on the roof? So wildfires, I'll throw out just a slightly different example. If you live in an area that's got a lot of wildfires and you run the risk of being in a situation where there's burning embers flying around, that should be in the consideration set when you're looking to buy a new home and pick those materials is what's going to help your home be fire resistant if you're in that situation?

And then the other thing is we like to push is the aesthetics, right? Metal roofing's beautiful and really can look like any other roofing material out there. And so why wouldn't you want to put the best roof you could on a home that's going to help you protect all the stuff inside the home, including yourselves, your possessions, in the event of weather events and whatnot. So it's just kind of educating everybody about where they live and the true benefits of putting a metal roof on.

Lauren White: Yeah, wildfires. I mean, that's huge.

Renee Ramey: So-

Lauren White: And doesn't the, sorry, doesn't MRA Buyer's Guide kind of go through that, what you should consider based on the climate that you're in?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Not only does the Buyer's Guide go through it, but we feel pretty passionate about helping homeowners skip through all the noise of areas or things to consider in areas that they don't live in. Where do you live? And so on the MRA website, we actually have introduced regional web pages. So as a homeowner, all you have to do once you get to our site is click on where do you live and we'll bring up things to consider and take different aesthetics of homes typically in the area, but yeah. We try to make it easy for a homeowner to find what they need without combing through everything.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, that's super cool. So you kind of already have answered this question, but are there any other tidbits in the Buyer's Guide that help homeowners? How does ultimately the Buyer's Guide help a homeowner decide what they're going to do with the roof?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Well I think to summarize it a bit more succinctly, it gives you all the things you should consider. Built within the Buyer's Guide are notes pages like it's designed to be a working document. You go through, "Yep, we need to think about that. Yes. We have questions about this," and it really is meant to flag the homeowner so when they actually meet with whomever they're considering going with in the roof install process, they are educated somewhat of what to expect and they know what to ask and that's the ultimate goal of the Buyer's Guide in my opinion is giving them enough education to be able to have intelligent conversations with the installers, to ask the right questions to make sure that the roof they get is the one that they need for their home. So that's a big benefit of the Buyer's Guide.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. That's huge. I love the note pages. That's cool.

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Well if you're like me, you forget things as you go. So it's really nice to have those pages with those note lines to keep you front and center on what you're thinking.

Megan Ellsworth: Me too.

Lauren White: For sure. Can you share any success stories or feedback from homeowners who have used the MRA Buyer's Guide?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. I love that. I hear from homeowners all the time, just thinking about specific stories. We had a homeowner who was re-roofing their home. They actually had solar on their home previously, but it was on an asphalt roof. The roof had run its life. They were looking to re-roof and going with metal ended up saving them thousands of dollars potentially in the future because they never had considered the fact that a metal roof outlasts most roofing systems, solar systems excuse me, that you put on the roof. And so that was a testament. That they were going through this massive headache of pulling all the solar off the roof so they could take all the asphalt roofing off so they could put more on. It was quite the headache and they were just thrilled at the idea of learning that if you put on a metal roof, you don't have to take that solar stuff off again, right.

Once it's put back on, it's there and you're good. So that's one example, but I hear from homeowners quite a bit. I get a lot of homeowners that actually want a hard copy printed version and I've got homeowners that call and want more copies because they're handing them out to all their friends. So I think it gets used a lot. We definitely, obviously on the marketing front, we track who's visiting what most often and the Buyer's Guide is the most visited document, most downloaded document that we have on the MRA website, which tells me that people are finding a lot of value in it.

Lauren White: That's so great.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. I think that's so cool. And I mean, as a first time home buyer, I think that's just so what a great resource as well when you're looking at a house that already has a roof and maybe it has a metal roof and you can kind of see what your maintenance is going to look like too maybe and all that stuff.

Renee Ramey: Yeah.

Lauren White: So-

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, go ahead if you want to say something.

Renee Ramey: I was just going to say, I liked your point there is that it's not just we focus a lot on the re-roofing industry, but it's not just the re-roof industry. I am familiar with a builder in an area, a high value area, that I have a home in that won't install anything but metal roofs and he gives that guide to people as they're having their custom homes built as letting them work through it themselves, but ultimately showcasing why he really subscribes to doing metal roofs and why they should want to do a metal roof. And so that feedback's always been good too.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. That's cool. I mean, I love the look of metal roofs so much better than asphalt and I just think they're so chic honestly and I think they just look great. So everyone out there listening should have a metal roof.

Renee Ramey: Agree.

Megan Ellsworth: How does this new revamped version of the Buyer's Guide, how have you adapted it to some of the new trends and technologies? I know you mentioned financing. Is there anything else that you're covering in this new version?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Financing is probably the biggest new thing we're covering. Again, as I said before, we usually do a revamp of the Buyer's Guide every year to two years because just things change. And so for example, one thing that has changed is the estimated amount of cost savings a homeowner might get from putting a metal roof on versus an asphalt roof. And so we've included some updated energy cost savings information from various third party entities such as the Department of Energy. And so it's trying to get the most up-to-date information in there. Sustainability and environmental friendliness to our Mother Earth is a top priority for a lot of people right now. And so we went in and added some additional information around just metal roofing sustainability and we didn't add as much as I would like. That's such a good story for metal roofing and so much to add.

But we did add some and the intent is, again, just to continue to fill that area out as we go, but certainly we see trends in sustainability, trends in trying to find some cost savings, the financing is huge and the other thing that we are starting to see pop up more often is I think we've done well at getting awareness out there about metal roofing. I think homeowners are aware that it's an option now. And so it's just continuing that train if you will to start putting more and more examples of different roof styles, to your point Megan, that are out there. And so we've changed out some of the imagery in the guide as well to just try to showcase some of the different options that are out there for style and for color. Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Yeah. That's great. I mean, I saw at the IBS Show, International Builder Show, that GAF came out with metal shingles, which was cool. So there's all sorts of new evolution to the market at all times.

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Yeah. We just had a member that has partnered, couple different roofing companies that have partnered, one of MRA's members is involved in that, with a really cool panel that has solar, is specifically designed for the solar side of things as well. So yeah. It's always changing.

Lauren White: Yeah, definitely. And just based on consumer demand and what people are interested in and all that. So it's great. And something that I haven't heard of from the MRA is your mini guides. So can you tell us what those are?

Renee Ramey: These have not even been rolled out yet. We are in the process of building a new website and that new website is planned to be rolled out in late May, early June. And part of the rollout of the new website will be an inclusion of these mini guides, but the gist of the guides is the Buyer's Guide is very comprehensive. I think it's 36 pages now of just packed full of information that we think is important to a homeowner, but sometimes homeowners are just curious about what to look for when they need a new roof, not necessarily all the rest of it or what considerations should we take into account based on region.

And so the mini guides are really going to be broken out of the main Buyer's Guide, but more into smaller topical guides that prevent a homeowner from having to walk through the whole MRA Buyer's Guide for a specific topic that they're looking into. So we will be peeling those off and creating those as their own entities. We're working on that right now, but they will be ready, as I said, probably the end of May. So we're excited about those.

Lauren White: Exciting.

Renee Ramey: Yeah.

Lauren White: Little bite-size guides.

Renee Ramey: Yeah. Yeah. We're hoping that, like I said, for people who don't want to download and read the whole thing, they'll be a little more enticed to grab what they need.

Lauren White: Very exciting.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely. Do you have any topics on the top of your head that the mini guides are going to cover?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. There'll be four mini guides and then, as I just shared, one will be kind of how do you know you need a new roof? Things to consider there. The regional aspect will be a big one because we do really believe that the roof you select, the system itself, the panels and the system itself, are very important to your search for the new roof. And then there is one that kind of speaks to the install. So if you've already selected your roof and you're already along that line, you haven't read the Buyer's Guide, the full guide, but now you want to know what to look for during installation, there's one that's focused specifically on, "Okay. You're walking through this installation, what should you be asking? What's the installer, what should they be doing as you're watching them put your roof on? Things you can look for to make sure that they're looking at everything they should be looking at."

And then follow up, it's really just the how do you clean a metal roof? How often should you clean? What should you use? What should you ask for on the warranty side and how does that work? So it's kind of broken up into chunks such as those. The guide is meant for any level of experience and I guess it is like anything else, when you get something and you're already familiar with this bit of information, you thumb through quickly to the bits you don't know. And so we feel like it's appropriate for everyone regardless of how knowledgeable you are about the re-roof process or putting a new roof on a new house, the roofing process in general.

So that's kind of where we're at. We really have it tailored to a beginner, intermediate or advanced. I do see where over time one of the things that we'll probably do once we get the initial mini guides up and running is build out on those a bit more. What I envision is, as we dive into more detail and whatnot, we won't necessarily make the main Buyer's Guide bigger. It will stay as that kind of one-stop resource, but as you want to dive deeper into the different sections, certainly the mini guides will develop out based on what we see from homeowners and from the industry, questions that are coming up and things that need to be addressed in some form.

Lauren White: Very cool. Great.

Megan Ellsworth: So, you said that these are launching end of May, early June. Are there any other sneak peeks you could give us into the mini guides? Maybe a potential fifth mini guide coming out after the fact or anything like that?

Renee Ramey: We will have potentially more guides. I don't have them lined up yet. Probably big news for us as it relates to all of this is we've got a massive unveiling coming at the end of May, early June. We are, as I said, rebuilding the website and we're rebuilding it with homeowners in mind. So we are streamlining how the menu options work. We're getting rid of a lot of the old data that we've been packing, which is still good data, but maybe outdated and maybe there's more current stuff there. So we're really just doing like a big flush of what has been and building up a new one and we're very excited about that because as part of the new website, we're going to launch the new revamped Buyer's Guide, the full guide. We're going to have this little section for the mini guides.

We're really honing in and promoting on the regional front a lot. So we're building out the things people need to consider as they're going into the re-roof process, depending on where you live. So there's a lot of things that are wrapped up in this new website launch. So I'm happy to tease that because we're super excited about that. We're always looking for projects to highlight or testimonials as well and that's a big thing for us with the new website, you'll see a lot more testimonials, a lot more case studies out there and maybe even building that into some sort of and we've talked about this as an association, but some sort of an aesthetic guide.

So for the homeowners that are more interested in the look and feel, we touch on it a lot through all these other guides, but there isn't a dedicated guide that just goes into, "Hey, look, if you've got a craftsman home, here's what we think will go best on your home and here's what you should consider from a color perspective, from a profile perspective," things of that nature. So that's something that will be coming and I guess we can tease that as the fifth guide if we want to call it that, but the extra architectural guide is on the horizon as well. And we had a board meeting recently and it was suggested that we have done a really, really good job as an association of bringing attention to the benefits as they pertain to weather events.

So metal roofing is great in high winds, it's great in wildfire areas, et cetera. And we focused on it so hard that we really feel like we need to take a step back and just remind people of just how beautiful the product is, how amazing it is. You can achieve looks and colors that you can't achieve with other roofing systems and just kind of focus back in on that for a bit as well.

Megan Ellsworth: It's chic, I'll say it again.

Renee Ramey: It's chic. I've shared this instance before, but it happens consistently. I'll be walking through our neighborhood and you'll see a new roof going on and you'll have to do a double take and sometimes I've even asked the homeowner that's standing out in the driveway, "Is that a metal roof?" I've been in the industry for 25 plus years. I would like to think I know what a metal roof looks like, but they're just so good now at looking like other roofing materials that you just, I saw a tile, metal tile roof the other day. It was a stone-coated product, but it was shaped like tile and it was just beautiful. It took me a hot minute to figure out that that wasn't like a clay tile roof it. So it's just really neat to see how far the products have come.

Lauren White: It's pretty incredible what has been made capable from metal and all the possibilities.

Renee Ramey: You just have to think about it.

Lauren White: Yeah. It's kind of a create your own roof adventure with metal now. Yeah.

Renee Ramey: Exactly. And we have a visualizer on our website that it gets used pretty frequently. Not as much as we would like, but it gets used quite frequently and it's always kind of neat to go back at the end of the month and see how many people uploaded the pictures of their homes and what they played with as far as the roof styles and stuff and it's neat to see the creative side of what metal can do for a home. Yeah.

Lauren White: Is there anything else about the Buyer's Guide or the mini guides that we haven't touched on that you think homeowners should know about?

Renee Ramey: Get yours. That's what I would say. They're free. They don't cost anything. I've seen other people launching guides and I went to download one the other day and figured out it was going to cost me 49.99. Right. So just use them. Use what you want of them. Download it. Get a hold of me if you want a hard copy of it. We just are about sharing information, wanting to make sure that the homeowner is fully educated on the things to ask, the things to look for.

So yeah. Grab one, download it, we'll send you one, whatever you need, but make sure you go in eyes wide open on the process because if you don't, the sad part of this is that I talk to homeowners almost every week who have had a subpar product and/or it was not installed correctly and they need access to a lawyer or they want to know if we have anybody that will come out, inspect it for them and the heartbreaking stories are real and there's a lot of them. So, take the time to make sure you're getting a quality installer, a quality product and that you know what you're doing. Saves you a lot of headache.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely. So what's your website, just so the people know?

Renee Ramey: Metal Roofing, that's an ING, metalroofing.com

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing. And then everyone out there, you can also find the Metal Roofing Alliance on askaroofer.com as well as rooferscoffeeshop.com. So go check out their directories. And Renee, you've done lots of podcasts with us. So everyone go listen to our other podcasts.

Renee Ramey: Yes. Love you guys.

Megan Ellsworth: We love the Metal Roofing Alliance and can't thank you enough for joining us today. This has been great.

Renee Ramey: Oh, it is. Always good to see you guys.

Lauren White: Thanks Renee.

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing. So everyone out there, go check out the Metal Roofing Alliance directories on the sites and make sure you're subscribed and you follow along for all new updates and we'll see you on the next AskARoofer podcast.

Oh my gosh, what a great episode that was.

Lauren White: I know. We love Renee from the MRA.

Megan Ellsworth: Renee from the MRA. Metal Roofing Alliance. She's the best.

Lauren White: Yes.

Megan Ellsworth: She's so well-spoken.

Lauren White: She is and she has so much to say about metal roofing and we love metal roofing.

Megan Ellsworth: I know.

Lauren White: Here at AskARoofer.

Megan Ellsworth: She is so knowledgeable on metal roofing. I feel like she knows everything about metal roofing.

Lauren White: Yeah. I know. In this episode we were talking about their amazing Buyer's Guide and their new mini guides for homeowners. They're completely free, which I love.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah.

Lauren White: And it's just a free resource for anybody looking to get a metal roof or re-roofing their house and considering metal.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah.

Lauren White: All sorts of fun updates.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah.

Lauren White: To that Buyer's Guide.

Megan Ellsworth: You said bite-sized, which I thought was appropriate for the mini guides because I think, if you're paging through a 36-page document, especially if it's a PDF like on your computer, that can get a little overwhelming for sure. So I think having the mini guides is definitely more bite-sized, approachable for a multitude of people.

Lauren White: Definitely. And lets you focus on that specific topic that you need more information on. And I love too that they have notes. So it's kind of like a workbook. It's not just a guide, it's a workbook. So you can jot your questions down or maybe you have a contractor friend or somebody who's really knowledgeable about roofing or metal roofing and you can add those notes in there for when you are talking to your contractor and asking those more detailed questions about what to expect.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. I also forgot and was refreshed today that the MRA website has a visualizer. So you can upload a picture of your house and then play around and put different roofs on it and different materials and all sorts of stuff, which is so cool.

Lauren White: Yeah. I know. Such a great resource to be able to see. There's so many different options with colors and even texture and just the look of metal. So finding what you really like and what fits with the aesthetic and the curb appeal that you're trying to achieve. And I love too that their website is getting an update and-

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Exciting.

Lauren White: Way more user-friendly apparently and they're going to break down their content by region. So whatever region you're living in and your home is in, you can get detailed information about metal roofing in your region, which I think is huge. I love that idea.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. That's great. And what was their website? It was metalroofing.com.

Lauren White: Yes.

Megan Ellsworth: I think. So everyone, go check that out and play with all the new things and check out the mini guides and then you can also find that website through askaroofer.com and through rooferscoffeeshop.com.

Lauren White: Absolutely. Yeah. So lots of exciting things to come. I think those mini guides are getting released end of May, beginning of June. So just in time for summer, for your summer reading.

Megan Ellsworth: Exhilarating summer reading.

Lauren White: I mean, why not?

Megan Ellsworth: Why not? Educate yourselves on metal roofing people. Well, Lauren, this has been a great episode. Thanks for co-hosting-

Lauren White: It has been great.

Megan Ellsworth: As always.

Lauren White: I know. Looking forward to the next one.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. See you on the next one. Bye. If your roof needs answers, subscribe now to the AskARoofer podcast. We've got your questions covered, one episode at a time. Go to askaroofer.com to submit your questions and learn more. Stay tuned and keep those questions coming.