Are metal roofs better than shingles?

Are metal roofs better than shingles? We are enclosing our deck and making it part of the house with a lower roofline. How does a metal roof stack up to shingles?

— Annie Trexler
Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania

Both metal roofing and asphalt shingles have pros and cons. In his book The Good House Book: A Common-Sense Guide to Alternative Homebuilding, Clarke Snell says higher-quality asphalt shingles can be a viable option if properly chosen. “Poor quality asphalt shingles ... are the Styrofoam cup of the building industry, [but] high-quality asphalt shingles are much cheaper than metal, easy for one person to install, accommodate roof punctures such as chimneys and skylights with relative ease, and can last 30 to 40 years or more.”

On the other hand, metal roofing can be made from recycled material and recycled after it's no longer useful for roofing. An additional benefit is that a reflective surface can reduce cooling bills.

To explore the pros and cons of both options, read Greener Roofing Options and Nuts + Bolts: Raise The Roof from our friends at Natural Home.

— Troy Griepentrog, associate editor

3 Comments

Steve Lajoice 12/2/2008 12:45:41 PM

In 1976 my wife and I bought our first farm on 15 acres. The barn and out buildings had asphalt roofs and I got mighty tired of shoveling snow off of them two or three times a year.

We moved to our new location in 1990, an 80 acre parcel. All of our buildings, including the house, have a metal roof and I would highly recommend it for anyone living in an area with deep snow. The house has a 12-12 pitch roof and nothing sticks to it. The barn and shop roofs are 4-12 pitch but pulling snow off the a metal roof is alot easier than shoveling. I did make the mistake of shoveling the barn roof the first year on a warm day and ended up riding the snow load off of the roof. Lesson learned!

Metal roofs are low maintenance. They are noisy if installed without a backing. I used 3/4 inch styrofoam. Use screws, not nails. Nails have a tendency to work loose resulting in leakes. Metal can be installed over asphalt.

Overall I can say that the metal roofs have been a good investment.
Robert DePew 11/27/2008 10:52:28 AM

Metal standing seam roofs also can have a new solar system that just sticks down for electic use and no holes in roof if unit can start at bottom or roof
Paula Humerick 11/17/2008 9:11:14 PM

If you want to do water-capture off the roof, use metal. Asphalt is a petroleum product and will render the run-off undrinkable.

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