Alternative Building Material

Metal Roof for Siding

It took months to dismantle the old mobile home, after we built Pearls Place.  As it went along, there were discussions on what to do with all the waste - take it to the landfill?  Recycle it?  Give it away?

Alternative Building Material

In the end, it was none of the above.

We burned what we could of the tiny 2x3 lumber making up the majority of the structure, salvaging the odd curved trusses for use on sheds.  There was too much metal junk, like large staples, tubes for the wiring to go through, and so on, to do much more than burn it.

After it was burned, in batches, we would sift through the ashes and drag an old speaker (which has a strong magnet in it) to get the metal bits out and recycle those.

The siding, being 17" wide, is perfect to fit between floor joists and hold the insulation in place.  This is what we used some of it for when we built the mudroom.  The remaining is under the house, waiting to be installed retroactively.

What to do with the roofing?  It's in wide sheets, and 11' 6" long, and the trailer was 64', so there's a lot of it.

I had the idea to use it for siding, as it's weathered, galvanized, and fireproof. After a lot of debate, I got my way.  I'm so pleased with it - the look is so modern, yet rustic.  Outlined with rough-cut 1x4 strips, it's so pretty.

Metal roofing recycled into siding

But then the supply ran out, with only half of the house finished.  So, we improvised.  We salvaged a lot of pieces of metal roofing that was stored at a friends house, and we thought of running it over with the truck to flatten it out.

Ribbed metal roofing, flattened

This took two people to do it properly (not like it is in the video); a board to prevent the rocks on the driveway from making pockmarks, and someone to move the metal and the board so they line up with the tire, and someone to drive the truck.

Keep in mind that this type of metal is really heavy and thick, so make sure to measure carefully and cut it before you put it on the wall.



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