Because metal roofing is a premium home product, you can expect your new roof to cost roughly two to three times what an asphalt shingle roof costs. However, a metal roof is comparable in price to tile roofing or cedar shake roofing. If you currently have a slate roof, you can expect your metal roof to cost less.
No matter what kind of metal roofing style you choose, you’ll never have to worry about your roof again. Most come with a true 30 to 50 year warranty. Plus, your new metal roof will add to the resale value of your home, save you money on your energy bills, and give you peace of mind that you’ll likely never have to re-roof again.
You can expect a metal roof to last at least 2 to 3 times longer than a regular roof. In general terms, count on a metal roof lasting 30 to 50+ years since metal roofs can often be repainted versus replaced.
To put it in context, the average lifespan of an asphalt roof is 12 to 20 years. That lifespan can be shorter depending on the pitch of your roof and the climate in your area. Made of oil impregnated paper or fiberglass, asphalt begins to deteriorate as soon as you expose it to normal weather. A metal roof, however, will never decompose.
Other roofing materials like wood shingle, shake and tile have varying degrees of weather-related problems that lead to breakdown. Wood shingle and shake roofs often need replacement before twenty years. Concrete tile roofs can crack and warp in the freeze/thaw cycle of more northern climates.
All of the above roofing materials are well-outlasted by metal roofing, which retains its good looks and durability decade after decade after decade.
There is little difference between metal and other materials when it comes to noise from rain or hail. Normal attic insulation also absorbs most of the sound.
A metal roof can withstand decades of abuse from extreme weather like high winds, heavy snow, hail storms and even wildfires. Metal roofing has a 140-mph wind rating, meaning it can withstand wind gusts up to 140 miles per hour. Under high wind conditions, says architect Rich Carroll, “Metal roofing systems have wind resistance and uplift resistance that is above the new building code requirement. That gives us a sense of relief in that we can use the best material to meet those criteria.”
In locations that see heavy snow, metal roofing has been the choice of homeowners for years. It sheds snow fast, which protects the structural integrity of the roof.
If you live in a part of the country that is prone to wildfires, metal roofing can protect your home should burning embers land on your roof.
Not only is metal roofing great for your home, it’s great for the environment. The recycled content of the steel in a metal roof is about 28% and is completely recyclable at the end of it’s lifespan. This make metal roofing a green building material.
According to the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center, 20 billion pounds of asphalt shingles are dumped into U.S. landfills every year. If you loaded those shingles into tractor trailers, then lined them up end-to-end, they would make a line from New York City to Los Angeles, back to New York City again, then on to Chicago.
That’s a lot of wasted asphalt. But because a metal roof can often be installed over your current roof, without tearing off what’s already there, metal roofing helps to reduce this excessive shingle waste.