Any place you buy your metal from will have the proper screws / nails with the washers. I have never had a problem with the screws or nails. You just have to make sure you do not tighten the scews down too tight. I have seen where the nails will back out over time due to expansion / contraction of the metal though. Screws are my preference. I have never had any issues with paint peeling of the metal...but it will fade over time. The weather / sun is cruel! You can buy metal with 10-yr / 20-yr "no fade" gaurantees...but they are just more expensive. In the long run...all metal will fade. If you can get them to back the product they will just throw you a couple dollars to repaint it. Also they will send someone out to make sure the metal was installed "EXACTLY" like the manufacturers instructions. If it wasn't...and I gaurantee they will make something up even if you did...they will not even give you the couple bucks. My suggestion is to buy the "residential or seconds" grade. It is just as good and it is cheaper! I built my house 5-years ago and put green metal on my roof. The distributor I bought the metal from told me there was absolutely "zero" difference between his $45 per square and his $90 per square material. One came with a gaurantee and the other one didn't. Both fade over time...it is a fact of life. Brian

We, too, are looking into the world of synthetic slates. We've narrowed our search down to Ecostar and Davinci which seem to offer the best product and warranty. Davinci looks the best to me, but you have to get one of their authorized installers to do the work, and in our area (VA) there is only one -- which naturally drives up the price tremendously. My understanding with ecostar is that any roofer can install it(product is available through specialty building supply stores), but in order to get the 50 year warranty, you have to have a certified installer do the work. They, in turn, have to use mostly ecostar supplied materials (ie specific nails, underlayments, etc) and an ecostar rep comes out to inspect/certify the roof installation which again means $$$. We have heard a number of the complaints regarding fading of the product and curling of the edges. Still, it sounds like these problems have occurred when installation procedures (expressly outlined in the manufacturers instructions) are not followed correctly. So far, we are still seriously considering using a fake- slate, but do think the product is such that a roofer experienced with the product needs to do the installation. Also, it is a premium roofing product which comes with a premium pricetag.

I figure after demo part I’d just need to do the insulation between rafters.. then cover with drywall, plaster, paint.. ? Have you been to the attic? Got any wiring up there? Any ductwork? Any plumbing vents? What is your plan to vent the roof? How are you going to insulate? What R value will you have? How do you plan to brace the trusses? What about climate control--HVAC? You will be adding a lot of cubic feet of new space that, in all likelihood, your HVAC system isn't designed to handle. Not only additional cubic feet but also the problem of stratification. How & to what do you plan to fasten the new drywall? You can't fasten drywall into the side of the truss; you will have to install some nailers/ ledgers to fasten drywall to. Trusses are typically constructed of 2 x 4's. Of particular note, the top chord is a 2x4, meaning there will be 3.5" between the roof deck and the bottom of that chord. Which will be buried in insulation. So, you need to realize that you will not see that top chord from the room below. What is you plan to deal with/ cover the gaps in the drywall caused by the trusses themselves? IOW's, what you want to do is a good deal more complicated and labor intensive than what I *think* you are thinking it will be.

Hi Anne, You can choose either place to insulate, but from what appears to be happening, I'd guess that any existing insulation in the attic floor is probably inadequate, and is likely lacking a proper, continuous vapor barrier. I say this because it seems that the concensus is that warm, moist air is making its way into the attic from the rooms below, with that moisture condensing on the cold nails coming through the roof sheathing. If you choose to insulate the attic floor, you need to make sure that you have a proper vapor barrier between the insulation itself and the heated space below. The problem will be getting a continuous vapor barrier in place - this is much more difficult to do once the ceiling's drywall below the attic has been installed. It's not impossible by any stretch of the imagination - it can just be somewhat difficult to acheive. If there isn't already insulation in the attic floor, I should think that the easiest approach would be to insulate between the roof rafters, and install a continuous vapor barrier, connected to the undersides of the the rafters. From an air circulation standpoint, and from an insulation standpoint, this brings the attic space inside the overall building envelope. If there is already insulation in the attic floor, you will need to remove it (as well as any existing vapor barrier that may be present) if you choose to insulate between the roof rafters. But, for that matter, even if you don't choose to insulate between the roof rafters, you should remove any existing insulation in the attic floor anyway in order to address the moisture infiltration issue that is ultimately leading to the condensation on the nails. If it was my house, I would likely remove any insulation in the attic floor and insulate between the roof rafters. This will have the effect of keeping the attic cooler in the summer, thereby lightening your cooling load for the rooms below. Plus, it's easier to get proper insulation and vapor barrier installed between the roof rafters than in the existing attic floor (just my opinion - others may agree or disagree...). Sorry for being so long-winded! Good luck! Dwight