North Carolina
Metal Roofing in North Carolina
Metal Roof NC, an authorized Interlock aluminum roofing dealer based in Raleigh, installs metal roofs for homeowners in four parts of North Carolina: the Triangle, the Charlotte area, the Triad and Piedmont, and the coast from Wilmington to Beaufort. Each region below has its own page, and each city page covers the storms, climate and permit office that matter for a roof there.
What Does a North Carolina Roof Have to Handle?
Three different kinds of weather, depending on where the house sits. On the coast it is hurricanes and salt air. In the Piedmont it is spring thunderstorms with hail, the occasional tornado, and ice storms in winter. Everywhere it is long, hot, humid summers. A roof that suits Wilmington is not automatically the right choice in Greensboro, which is why the city pages on this site are written one at a time.
How Bad Can Hurricane Rain Get Here?
Hurricane Florence in September 2018 set the state's tropical-cyclone rainfall record: 35.93 inches near Elizabethtown, according to the National Hurricane Center. NOAA puts Florence's damage in North Carolina at about $22 billion from wind, freshwater flooding and storm surge combined. Inland homes are not exempt. Hurricane Fran in 1996 left 1.7 million North Carolina customers without power at some point, per NWS Raleigh, and Hurricane Hugo in 1989 produced an 87 mph gust at Charlotte's airport.
When Is Hail Season in North Carolina?
Late spring. The State Climate Office reports that May is the peak month, with more than 2,500 confirmed May hail reports since 1955 and roughly half as many in April. In late April and early May 2016, hail up to 2.5 inches across fell in Alamance and Wake counties.
What About Ice Storms?
They are a Piedmont problem. The December 4-5, 2002 storm put a half inch to an inch of ice on parts of the Piedmont from Albemarle to Asheboro to Durham to Warrenton, and nearly one million people in central North Carolina lost power, some for nearly a week. Falling limbs, not the ice itself, do most of the damage to roofs.
How Hot and Wet Is It?
NOAA's 1991-2020 normals put the July average high at 90.8°F at Raleigh-Durham, 90.3°F at Charlotte and 90.0°F at Wilmington. Wilmington averages 60.15 inches of precipitation a year, Raleigh-Durham 46.07 and Greensboro 43.95. Heat and humidity age asphalt shingles faster and keep shaded roofs damp, which is where moss and algae take hold.
Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof in North Carolina?
Often, yes. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-1110, work on a single-family home costing more than $40,000 needs a building permit, and some roofing work needs one at any cost. Cities and counties apply the rule through their own inspections offices, so each city page links the office that handles that address.
Common questions
Who installs metal roofs in North Carolina?
Metal Roof NC is an authorized Interlock aluminum roofing dealer based in Raleigh. It installs Interlock aluminum roofs and standing seam metal roofs in the Triangle, the Charlotte area, the Triad and Piedmont, and on the coast from Wilmington to Beaufort.
Does North Carolina require a permit for a new roof?
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-1110, work on a single-family home costing more than $40,000 needs a building permit, and some roofing work needs one regardless of cost. Your city or county inspections office decides how the rule applies to your job.
What is the biggest weather risk for a North Carolina roof?
It depends on the region. Hurricanes and salt air lead on the coast, hail and ice storms in the Piedmont, and heat and humidity everywhere. Florence in 2018 set the state's tropical-cyclone rainfall record of 35.93 inches.
Sources
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Florence (AL062018)
- NWS Raleigh, Hurricane Fran (1996)
- State Climate Office of North Carolina, How Howling Hugo Became the Western Piedmont's Worst Hurricane
- State Climate Office of North Carolina, Hail
- State Climate Office of North Carolina, winter storm event of December 4-5, 2002
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-1110 (building permits)