We are all aware of metal roofs – they’ve been around for centuries. Copper has been a choice a far back as ancient Rome and before. Our founding fathers enjoyed a fine tin roof – many of which have been restored and are still performing today. Yes – due to expense they were not the common choice as other mediums were much more attainable and frankly cheaper – wood shakes comes to mind. But today I tell you that the ‘cost delta’ between metal roofs and common roofing products, aka ‘asphalt shingles’ is not as great as you think. Before we get to that let’s discuss some metal roof facts:
* 1st of all Metal Roofing is absolutely the most versatile roofing medium available today. You can have any color- YES – any color!! Think of one – and yes – you can find it in metal or get it made to your color.
You can have any style – shake, tile, slate, r-panel, U-panel, XYZ- panels :), scalloped panels, metal shingles, wide spans, short spans, ribbed or not, exposed fasteners, thick or thin, standing seam or barn tin — pretty much anything and everything is available today.
* 2nd – there are different metals and metal treatments to further enhance beauty, style, performance, and longevity. We have aluminum, copper, tin, steel, ‘stone-coated’ steel, galvanized steel and galvalume steel (yes – they are different), and other rare metals as well.
*3rd – Sustainability- – as in recycled content and the ability to be recycled. Metal fits that category way better than shingles or essentially any roof product with asphalt. Also, if you are utilizing water reclamation (rain barrels) from the roof system then you’ll want the cleaner water from a metal roof and not the water running off of an asphalt roof.
Longivity – metal lasts a long time. A real long time, especially compared to shingles. You’ll replace 3+ shingle roofs during the lifespan of your metal roof
* Energy Savings – a couple of points here- 1) metal is more reflective than other roof mediums – essentially keeping that heat from penetrating into the roof system and transferring into the living space. 2) Metal roof systems are typically applied in a fashion that provides an airspace between the roof deck and the bottom of the metal panels. This airspace helps slow and block the transition of heat into the building. Essentially most metal roofs will qualify for either an Energy Star Rating, CRRC qualifications, or other designations of ‘Energy Rated’. 3) heat retention – aka thermal emissivity. At risk of losing my audience on a physics discussion I will just say that a metal roof will ‘give up’ it’s heat way faster and more efficiently than an asphalt roof system. It cools down after a hot day, quickly. Asphalt will ‘hold’ it’s heat for a very long time – That dark asphalt road in August will stay warm through the night. If the roof is not holding heat it is not continuing to pass heat into the structure.
* Performance – CLASS 4 rated. If you live in hail prone areas (like the great state of Texas) you understand this. Insurance companies will provide discounts for CLASS 4 rated roof systems. The majority of metal roof systems are CLASS 4 rated…hence Metal Roofs can save you insurance dollars (depending on your carrier and where you live). Metal is also Class A fire rated – in short, metal does not burn.
Of all the steep slope roofs installed in the US annually just under 70% are asphalt shingles, approximately 10 % are metal (of some type), and the remaining 20% is divided among the other mediums (wood, tile, slate, synthetics, etc). Based on current demand the percentage of steep slope metal roofing in the US is expected to double in the next decade. Metal roofing is expanding at the sake of the other options, even with the higher costs of metal compared to asphalt shingles. The raw dollar difference is staggering however, (roofing contractors take note here) – basically the money spent on the metal roofs (1 in 10) is not far off of the total dollars spent on steep slope asphalt roofs (7 in 10). So with that equation holding true, when the metal roofing percentage doubles the dollars spent on metal will exceed total dollars spent on shingle roofs!! So Mr. contractor – you can install 2 metal roofs and have greater sales dollars than you get with 7 asphalt roofs!
On the face of it metal roofing is expensive – the most basic types of metal roof systems costs start at 2-3 times that of an asphalt shingle roof system. $1000 per square or more is not uncommon for a great metal roof system. So that is today’s ‘delta’. Back to my statement above though: Metal Roofing costs get better when you look at the big picture – Energy ratings, performance, longevity, discounts, as well as home value appreciation. Factor in these attributes and you’ll quickly see that over several decades the proper metal roof could be your cheapest roof in the long run.
Until next time – Mike H
Mike can be found at IntegriBuilt Roofing in Irving, Texas. He has been in the roofing industry for 24 years in all segments of the industry – manufacturing, distribution, and roof specification, sales, and management. He spends his free time enjoying his family and 3 great kids, watching Aggie football, and yes – being a roof geek and asking, ‘What’s up with that roof?’
Feel free to reach out to him with questions and comments @ [email protected]
