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Metal Roof vs Shingles – What to Choose for Your Home

Choosing the right roofing system is essential for any home. Many factors will depend on this, which include the strength and integrity of the home, as well as its exterior style and roof functionality.

There are many different roofing systems on the market today, and when choosing, you can fall into a stupor, not understanding what is best for your home. In most cases, the choice is between the two most common types, metal roofs, and shingles. Therefore, we decided to disassemble these types of roofs in detail, in the simplest possible language that any homeowner can understand.

Comparing metal roof vs shingles, it is worth noting that metal roofs are durable and come in different forms. Shingle roofs have a lower price and are easy to install. In short, metal roofs are a reliable long-term investment in your home, while shingles are a cheaper option that will last up to 15 years.

In addition to the clear advantages of these coatings, many additional details can play an important role in the choice of a roof. Let’s dive into more detail and consider them so that you have complete information on each and these types of roofs.

metal roof vs shingles

What is Metal Roof and Shingles Roof

First of all, these roofs differ in the used material. As you may have already understood, different types of metal are used in metal roofs, such as steel, aluminum, zinc, copper. Also, for the protection and durability of metals, polymer coatings are used to prevent corrosion.

When it comes to a shingle roof, in the modern world, in most cases, asphalt material is used. You can also find shingle roofs made of ceramic tiles and wood, but these materials are less and less used due to their high cost and impracticality. Therefore, when it comes to shingle roofs, we mean asphalt roofs.

Metal Roof vs Shingles Cost

Cost is one of the most important criteria when choosing a roof covering. Because of this, it is very important to analyze in detail the difference between metal roof vs shingles cost.

Metal Roof vs Shingles Cost

InstalationMaterial
Metal Roof$3 - $5 per sq ft$4 – $6 per sq ft
Shingles$2 - $4 per sq ft$1 - $2 per sq ft

From this simple table, you can immediately see that the initial installation of a metal roof will be significantly more expensive. However, it is worth noting that these materials differ in terms of the duration of operation and the required maintenance.

If you are planning to install a roof for a long period of up to 50 years and do not worry about frequent repairs, then you should pay attention to metal roofing. Because of this, it can be noted that when installing a metal roof, it is undoubtedly more expensive, but in the long term, this material will cost you less, because in 15 years you will not need to think about a new roof.

You can get acquainted in detail with the current prices of metal roofs in this article. You will be able to compare the cost of different types of metal roofs and materials. If you are interested in additional information, you can call us or leave a question in the contact form on the site.

Metal Roof vs Shingles – Main Differences

The most popular types these days are metal roofs and shingles. Despite their popularity, these types of roofs are very different from each other. If you disassemble these materials according to all sorts of criteria, then you will understand that metal roofs are more durable and have a modern look, and shingles are cheaper and easier to install, but they require frequent maintenance.

To understand all the features of each type of roof and decide what to choose for your home, it is worth describing each criterion separately. After comparing metal roof vs shingles, you can determine what works best for your home.

The Main Criteria for Roofing Systems are:

Criteria for Roofing

Another important factor when choosing a roof covering is its lifespan. When you compare metal roof vs shingles, you will notice that this parameter is several times higher in favor of metal roofs.

On average, a shingled roof will last up to 15 years for your home, and after 3-5 years it will require partial repairs and inspections at least once a year. As for metal roofs, the minimum service life is 40-50 years. Also, depending on the material chosen, for example, zinc or copper, this period can reach a record 80-100 years.

These numbers seem incredible, but for example, in Europe, you can find houses with copper roofs built in the early twentieth century, which are still in good condition.

Understanding this information, you can take a different look at the difference in metal roof vs shingles cost. Initially, the higher price of metal roofs can be compensated for by years of use, because the roof will last 3 times longer.

You can find out detailed information about lifespan of different types of metal roofs here.

Regardless of which type of roof you choose, over time it may need maintenance and repair. This issue has become a concern for an increasing number of homeowners because each of us wants to devote as little time as possible to these processes.

The need for maintenance is directly related to the lifespan of the roof covering material used. Based on this, you can immediately understand that shingle roof requires maintenance much more often, in contrast to metal roofs.

Aside from all the individual factors that can happen to your home, it is recommended to carry out maintenance shingled roofs once a year, after 3 years, after installing the roof.

As for metal roofs, it is recommended to carry out maintenance every 3-4 years, after 10 years of operation of the roof. These statistics will undoubtedly delight homeowners who do not want to waste their free time and constantly carry out this procedure.

In addition, it is worth noting that each time you carry out maintenance and minor repairs, it costs a certain amount of money. Therefore, this is another plus in the direction of metal roof vs shingles cost.

The term energy efficiency for different types of roofs means how much the external weather will affect the microclimate in the house. That is, will the house heat up in the hot summer season and cool down in the winter.

Metal roofs, like shingles, perfectly keep the temperature in the cold season. This is because for both coatings a special insulating layer is used that does not allow moisture and cold air to pass through.

As for the summer period, everything is not so simple here. Because shingles roofs are predominantly dark in color, they attract a lot of UV light from the sun’s rays. Because of this, the roof heats up significantly and in some cases, the material may even melt, which violates the integrity of the roof.

In turn, metal roofs are more functional. For hot regions, aluminum and light-colored steel roofs are most often used. Such roofs perfectly reflect the sun’s rays, which avoids the penetration of unnecessary heat into the house.

If you think that energy efficiency is not such an important parameter, then consider the simple facts. Due to the violation of the required temperature in the house, heaters and air conditioners have to work for a longer period, spending additional electricity. For a year, these electricity costs can be $200 – $400, which can be counted in the cost of the roof.

For many years, metal roofs were used only for commercial and industrial buildings. Despite their high quality, they were not considered as a covering for private houses for a long time, because of their unattractive appearance.

However, a lot has changed since RUUKKI developed the first type of tiled metal roof. This covering mimicked the appearance of the tile roof that was so popular 20 years ago. This gave the metal roofs a style that, in addition to quality, was unmatched by conventional tiled roofs.

Following this successful experience, many types of metal roofs have been developed. They can imitate various types of popular roofs, and there are also modern types of metal roofs that are completely different from other types of roofs, such as standing seam metal roofs.

The development of metal roof styles has led to their popularity among homeowners. They look very modern and come in completely different colors. This allows homeowners to customize their roofs the way they like, giving them a lot of room to make their dreams come true.

As for the shingles roofs, they are pretty monotonous. They come in different shades and colors, but due to their structure, shingles roofs simply follow the shape of the roof, without the possibility of changing its appearance. Such stylistic features tend to favor metal roof vs shingles.

An important advantage of metal roof vs shingles is that they affect the resale value of a house. As we mentioned earlier, a well-installed roof will last at least 50 years and this is taken into account when selling a house. Because the new homeowner does not have to change the roof after 5 to 10 years, the house price can be increased by $10,000 to $15,000.

Shingles roofs usually do not affect the price of a home, as you will hardly be selling your home immediately after renovation, and their lifespan is not as long. Also, the resale price of a house can be affected by additional elements installed on the metal roof.

Additional elements are often installed on modern metal ones, which can also affect the value of the house. These things include snow guards, solar panels, skylights, and others.

Because of their style, these details are quite easy to match with a metal roof. Therefore, they can add an aesthetic look to the house, in addition to fulfilling their direct purpose.

Possibility to Install Metal Roof over Other Roofs

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In the comparison of metal roof vs shingles cost, you can also take into account the possibility of installing a roof on top of another covering. This function is available for metal roofs and has several advantages.

First of all, you can save some of the money on dismantling the old roof and removing construction waste. The amount spent on dismantling an old roof can be up to $ 2,000, which is a significant cost for repairs.

Also, in addition to reducing the cost of installing a new roof, it is worth adding that leaving the old coating under the metal roof, it can serve as an additional layer of insulation.

It should be noted that not in every case is possible to install a metal roof over the existing coating. For this, the condition of the previous coating must be in an acceptable condition. Also, this procedure can be regulated by laws. For example, in Ontario, it is forbidden to install more than two roof layers.

To determine the possibility of this process of installing a metal roof, it is worth contacting professionals. Monarchy Roofing specialists can inspect the roof of your house and suggest options for installing a future metal roof.

Why are there so few Companies Installing Metal Roofs, Unlike Shingles?

For the roof of the house to serve for many years, it must be installed by professionals. The installation of different types of roofs is accompanied by certain levels of difficulty and therefore requires different levels of experience in this process.

As we mentioned earlier, the installation of metal roofs should only be trusted by professionals. At the same time, shingled roofs, if desired, can be installed independently and do not require complex equipment. Based on these complexities, so few companies provide quality metal roof installations as compared to shingle roofs.

Monarchy Roofing has been providing quality metal roof installations in Ontario for many years. As an official distributor of RUUKI, we guarantee the high quality of the materials used.

Also, the main principle of the company is to take care of its customers. Therefore, the execution of work on the installation of metal roofs is carried out to the highest standards. We also provide our clients with warranties of the metal roof for up to 50 years. You can easily see that the warranty life of metal roofs is much longer than the lifespan of shingle roofs.

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