When homes, churches, commercial structures, police stations, fire houses, and other buildings throughout Ontario require new roofs, Courtland, Ont. based Metal Roof Outlet is called upon to respond. The company has long been known as a go-to resource for quality roofing products and installation expertise.
Through much of its nearly 30-year history, the company has worked closely with metal roof maker Allmet to help it serve growing demand for metal roofs. The company now installs more than 300 Allmet Roofing Systems yearly.
What Metal Roof Outlet’s officials have learned about roofing durability, aesthetics, energy savings, and value during that time period could provide a “higher education” to anyone in or considering entering the roofing field.
In addition to distributing roofing products to numerous area contractors, Metal Roof Outlet employs eight or nine crews to handle its own installation business. Re-roofing projects represent the biggest portion of sales, but the company also takes on a large volume of new construction roofing jobs.
These days, Metal Roof Outlet is witnessing a business boom. A recent confluence of weather phenomena, including last winter’s Polar Vortex, and this year’s punishing rain and wind storms, have helped convince home and business owners to consider turning from traditional roofs to metal roof systems.
Company president Brian Cosyns believes that is a wise decision. “People are getting tired of having to replace asphalt shingles every 10 to 12 years,” he said. “They’re at 10 years; they’re at 12 years. Or they’re at 14 years and a year or two late in replacing the roof. People are becoming more and more educated about metal roofing, and seeing the longevity of it.”
Cosyns and his father launched their company in 1985 and incorporated it the next year. In years since, Metal Roof Outlet has expanded its service area, and now supplies customers from Windsor to Ottawa—including the huge metropolitan Toronto market—with metal roofing. Cosyns reports customer response to Metal Roof Outlet’s roofing systems and installation has been strong. The positive response, he believes, is a result of the time and money savings, maintenance freedom, and energy efficiency linked with metal roofing systems.
In addition, customers appreciate that the metal roofs are offered with 50-year transferable warranties.The company educates customers to metal roof’s other benefits such as their non-combustible and non-flammable qualities, fade resistance, and lower energy costs due to improved insulation and decreased heat intake.
Metal Roof Outlet installs its Allmet metal roofs atop a batten system, which creates an air pocket between the roof deck and roof system. “That helps to keep the attics cooler than the traditional asphalt roof,” said Cosyns, adding that this cooling buffer helps result in energy expenses being trimmed. “As well, the stone coating breaks up the raindrop, so you don’t get the drumming some experience with traditional metal roofs,” he said.
“We do Allmet’s entire Signature Series, including the shake, the tile, and Allmet’s Shadowline product—which is a slate product,” Cosyns said. “The Granite Ridge shingle is a product we’re doing more of all the time. This is a stone-coated metal roofing, so it’s a natural look, not a shiny one.”
Product availability is important, because demand is high. This has been a banner year not just for Metal Roof Outlet, but for all Ontario roofing firms.
