When building a new home or re-roofing an old one, the materials chosen for the project will have a big effect on how the home looks, how it feels, and how much it costs, not just for the construction, but also for maintenance and energy costs in the long run.
What Are The Differences?
What Are Asphalt Shingles?
Shingles usually come in sheets, stacks, or rolls, and they are mostly the same size and shape. They have a smooth asphalt layer on top of a fiberglass base and a granular ceramic surface on top. Shingles are usually attached to wooden roof frames by nailing them in layers and at different heights going up from the lowest point on a sloped roof.
Shingles are often the least expensive way to build or replace a roof because the materials used to make them are cheap and it doesn’t cost much to make them. They’re also the easiest to put up and don’t need any special training or skills; any contractor will know exactly how to use them. However, these benefits come with the cost of asphalt shingles also being far less durable
What Is Metal Roofing?
Metal roofing comes in large flat sheets that can be folded in a few different ways, like corrugated metals or flat seam metal roofing. Metal roofing with flat seams can be more expensive to make and put on, but its interlocking seams make it one of the best choices.
The design has seams that fit together and fasteners that hold the smooth metal surface to the roof frame below. This gives the roofs strength and durability while requiring little maintenance.
Corrugated steel, aluminum, tin, and composite metals are close in terms of material, but their designs are a decade or two behind. You can buy them at many lumber stores across the country. Corrugated metal is also folded along its length in a pattern that repeats, and it is usually attached to the roof structure below with nails or screws that have rubber washers on them to act as seals.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Metal Roofing Advantages
- High durability: Most of the time, metal roofs last longer than roofs made of any other material.
- Easy to take care of
- Aesthetically more pleasing in most scenarios
- Enhanced energy savings
Disadvantages
- More expensive to set up.
- Can be harder to put in place.
- Heavier
Advantages of Asphalt Shingles
- Easy to make, easy to get, and easy to put in.
- Ubiquitous, available, comparably constructed and priced
- Reasonably long-lasting when elements aren’t a factor
Disadvantages
- Low snow retention
- Susceptible to damage in extreme weather
- No energy savings
If you would like to learn more about your roofing options and the best choice for you, get in touch with RPS Metal Roofing today.