Tony Blue, owner of Squared Away Contracting in Greenwich, New York, prides himself on delivering customized solutions for his customers. When a homeowner in Saratoga Springs, New York, approached him about a large addition, Blue and his team executed the project according to plan, including installing the standing seam metal accent roofs that became the star of the show.
Metal roofs are a hot commodity in the Saratoga Springs market, according to Blue. “For seven years I owned a roofing business — shingles, metal, light commercial,” he says. “We did some remodel work as well. In 2016 I transitioned to more of a residential remodeling company — mostly additions. But there was still such a need for standing seam and custom metal work, so we also operate a metal fabrication shop and do a lot of standing seam installations. We complete a majority of the work in-house.”
The request for the 2,000-square-foot addition in Saratoga Springs came from a previous customer. “About six years ago I completed an insulation and shingle replacement project for the homeowners,” says Blue. “A couple years later they asked me about building this place. Since I am the general contractor, I hired me for the roof.”
The scope of work on the project included 1,400 square feet of asphalt shingle roofing and approximately 600 square feet of standing seam metal roofing. “Standing seam was 24-gauge galvalume dark bronze Petersen PAC-CLAD, 1-inch double lock,” Blue says. “We fabricate our own flashing, trims, and panels in our shop.”
The Roof Systems
The addition was framed over the winter months and dried in with ZIP System sheathing and tape. “We basically treated the addition as a new construction job,” Blue says. “We ran the wall flashings first and then the shingles went on so that we could install our siding, soffits, fascia, gutters, etc., and not run the risk of anyone dropping a tool or damaging the standing seam metal. We slide the metal panels in last.”
Flashings and trim were fabricated in-house by Squared Away Contracting from the same Petersen PAC-CLAD metal used for the panels. “We get 4-foot-by-10-foot sheets, all 24 gauge, and we fabricate all of the flashing, drip edge, and valleys out of that,” Blue says. “We get 24-inch-wide coils that we run through our standing seam machine to make the pans.”
Owens Corning asphalt shingles were installed over Carlisle WIP 300HT ice and water shield and Owens Corning RhinoRoof synthetic underlayment. “The shingles were Owens Corning Duration,” Blue says. “They had to match the existing roof, which was Driftwood.”
Tying in the new and existing sections of the roof was potentially tricky, but the end result appears seamless. The existing roof drops down, and a portion of the standing seam roof connects to the addition, so the old and new shingles aren’t right next to each other. “This was a unique situation, not only from a framing perspective but from a roofing perspective,” Blue says. “My guys did a great job of cutting it back just enough to get ice and water shield down and slide our metal valley into place. On one side of that valley are the shingles, and on the other side is standing seam.”
A standing seam metal roof covers the combination sunroom and mud room, and metal eyebrow roofs were installed above the garage doors.
At the jobsite, Blue and his team used Malco’s professional-grade modular metal benders to complete the standing seam roofs. “On this project, the Metal benders by Malco were a must have on site,” Blue says. “We fabricate with a roll former and brake in the shop, but we don’t want to lug that stuff to the jobsite. This is where the roller benders are key. Small enough to fit in a tote, we utilize a jobsite work table and make field bends. Bending the metal over the rakes, making a custom width pan, bending a pan up a wall — this is all stuff we have no way of knowing the exact measurements for in the shop.”
Berger RT 300 snow guards were installed over the porch areas using non-penetrating set screws. “The RT 300 is very simple to install and can be ordered to match the color of any roof we’re doing,” notes Blue.
Quality Workmanship
“The standing seam install was pretty smooth since we aren’t relying on anyone else to fabricate pans or install,” Blue says. “My metal crew employees were busy on another time-consuming project, so I installed most of this one with one of my other guys. I find myself on jobsites installing a lot more this year trying to keep up. I don’t mind — in fact I prefer it, just makes it tough to keep up with the business side of things.”
The project was a success, and the metal roofs get a lot of attention. “Looks is a big part,” Blue says. “I’d say most of our standing seam work is in Saratoga Springs, and metal accent roofs are in high demand. I feel like every new construction job has metal on the porch, dormers, or an eyebrow roof.”
Blue believes Squared Away Contracting’s experienced crews and the ability to tackle multiple phases of a project give his company an edge. “On the metal side, the first thing that comes to mind is we own the entire process,” he says. “Field measurements, metal fabrication, delivery, install — none of that is subcontracted. That makes us able to control schedule and quality better than before.”
“We are good at big-picture, long-term solutions for customers,” he continues. “Every project is unique and we try to identify problem areas and address them in the planning stage. Examples of what I am talking about on this project would be installing our wall flashings and flashing tape to the wall with attention to detail even though it will never be seen; talking to the customer about the snow sliding off and where they can tolerate it and where they can’t; and tying in the addition and subsequently the metal roof to the existing roof so it looks like it was meant to be and not an afterthought.”
TEAM
Remodeling Contractor: Squared Away Contracting, Greenwich, New York, squaredawaycontracting.com
MATERIALS
Metal Panels: PAC-CLAD 24-Gauge Galvalume in Dark Bronze, Petersen, pac-clad.com
Metal Benders: Modular Metal Benders by Malco, Malco Products, malcotools.com
Asphalt Shingles: Duration, Owens Corning, owenscorning.com
Underlayment: RhinoRoof Synthetic Underlayment, Owens Corning
Ice and Water Shield: WIP 300HT, Carlisle WIP Products, carlislewipproducts.com
Sheathing: ZIP System and Tape, Huber Engineered Woods, huberwood.com/zip-system
The Right Tool for the Job
Malco’s professional-grade Modular Metal Benders were the first product introduced in the company’s new line of built-tough metal roofing tools in 2023. These metal benders give roofing professionals the ability to form 0-100-degree bends on straight or curved panels of any length on the jobsite, allowing them to get the job done more efficiently, eliminating the need to wait on wholesale roll-formers.
Malco’s modular benders come in five single-station models and may be used interchangeably with the FSC1 Connector to assemble a two-station tool which is suited for longer bends, over a few feet in length.
“For trade pros, it’s all about getting the job done right, and on time, and our Metal Benders help them do just that by allowing for jobsite bending without needing to head back to the shop or wait on a wholesale roll-former,” says Jon Olson, Product Training Manager, Malco Products. “And because we offer our benders in five bend depth ranges, we have an option for virtually any type or size bend and material. Our narrow bearing stance models follow curved panels easily or form straight bends when needed, and wide bearing stance models provide more control for straighter bends. Both variations may be paired with a connector for a modular experience, allowing trade pros to ‘freestyle’ their set-up, in a one- or two-station configuration.”
The metal benders allow for easy configuration and flexibility on the jobsite by allowing the user to adjust the rollers for different thicknesses and materials, and they can also be customized by replacing the angled roller with an optional 2-mm radius roller to allow for ‘softer’ bends for materials like copper, zinc, and aluminum, which can have problems with tighter bends.”
“Again, it’s all about efficiency and saving time while still completing the job to the highest standards,” Olson notes. “Not only are these high-quality tools you can count on, but the modular aspect of the benders allow you to have exactly the right tool on-hand when needed. This saves a lot of headaches. The unique features of Malco’s Metal Benders are the ultimate in customization and are a must-have for the tool bag if you regularly have a need for bending all types and lengths of metal material.”
“The metal benders by Malco are an extension of our robust selection of tools for sheet metal professionals,” Olson continues. “The modular benders allow our customers who are looking for deeper bends, or more material thicknesses or types of metal to professionally bend that metal on the jobsite. Malco has served sheet metal workers since 1950, and we continue to innovate in order to provide solutions that allow trade pros to do the work faster and more efficiently, saving both time and money.”
For more information, visit www.malcoproducts.com .
Instructions: SL18366A_Metal Benders Online Instructions.indd (malcoproducts.com)
Videos: https://f.io/3sSQVZGW
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