Metal roof vs shingles ( pictures added )

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raisedin99

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Back in 1927 when our home was built, the owner / builder also built a stand alone garage on a bank which I guess was threefold as a retaining wall / garage and basement.

The people we bought the house from tore down the garage structure and replaced it with a deck.

We have since decided to rebuild the garage. I am undecided what type of roofing to use, I am giving thought to metal roofing rather than shingles. Anyone have any thoughts concerning one versus the other.

terry
 
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Metal roofing requires less maintenance is cheaper and easier to install. You can also get it in just about any color and pattern you can imagine.
 
If there are trees overhead, go with fiberglass shingles or cut the trees down. As the tree sheds branches it will poke holes in the metal roof. I have a couple of log cabins and we just finished spending $5000 to remove trees because they were ruining the metal roof.

Two years ago when I added to my house I considered a metal roof. I got 30 year architectual shingles installed for about 10-15% less than the metal roof.
 
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Anyone who tells you that "30 year" shingles will last 30 years is lying through their teeth.

We just replace the original roof on our home, which was new when we bought it 19 years ago. We decided on 130mph dimensional shingles. Metal costs more up front and requires specialized installers, but it lasts a lot longer. A metal roof will probably save you money in the long run if you plan on being there over 20 years.
 
Whenever one plans an addition to his property, I reccomend trying to match the original (in this case, your house). Type of siding, type of roofing, roof pitch, & color. Matchup will keep your place from looking like Buba pieced it together out of scrap.

Some things to consider -

For maintence free living, metal is nice, BUT -

1) noisy in heavy rain or hail
2) a good conductor during electric storms
3) subject to dents, deforming & loose joints after heavy hail

Shingles are cheaper to buy but more labor intensive to install, also -

1) flammible if you use wood heat
2) subject to heat dammage in high heat or direct sunlight
 
s&wchad said:
Anyone who tells you that "30 year" shingles will last 30 years is lying through their teeth.
Click to expand...

My experience...I have been playing close attention to some local metal roof installations. Seems you need to add snow slide stoppers around here.

One roof in particular must have been installed using 2 different lots of roofing as some of the panels oxidized and fade compared to the other panels.
 
CAJUNLAWYER said:
It's a garage-I vote for felt and shingles. Be a nice guy and rent a lift so your wife will not have to manhandle the big rolls of felt and the packs of shingles up the ladder-she'll get the job done faster and she'll thank you for it later.
Click to expand...

You missed your calling as a comic!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
A shingle is not a shingle. The 25 and 30 yr shingles are not very good or durable. 40 yr shingles weigh almost twice what at 25 yr shingle weighs, which mean it's almost twice as durable and it has twice the wind resistance. A 40 yr roof is a good roof and still less than half the cost of metal.

Metal is a great roof, if it is put on as the original roof. The typical lay over metal job done existing shingles are a joke. 60 mph winds will pull it off. One thing you did not mention was the pitch of your roof. I would not put a metal roof on a steep pitched roof, it makes access and repair almost impossible.

When done as an original roof, metal is one of the better roofs, but the other thing to think about is the R.O.I., if you are say 60 and up, go with 40 yr shingles, they will last the rest of your life, not being cold, but you will not be around long enough to see enough R.O.I on the metal roof to make it worth your investment. If you are under 60 or so, metal is good option, with the steep roof proviso I mentioned earlier still standing.

One other thought, the synthetic slate roofs have 100 yr guarantees, look like slate and are no more expensive than metal.

.....and there you are, my part of confusing you more :D.
 
I replaced a tile roof with asphalt shingles about a year ago. I chose the shingles because they were cheaper than metal, and because if/when repairs are required walking on the roof by the roofer is not an issue. If I recall correctly, replacing shingles is also pretty easy. Repairs to the old tile roof were driving me nuts. As others have said, if you go with shingles you want to get good quality. It is worth doing some research.
 
This just so happens to be my line of work. We make and coat the steel for prepainted metal roofs. Of course I'm going to tell you to go with metal. If you do make sure it is a painted Galvalume coating on the steel. I think much better than painted galvanized. We make both types but in my 30 years coating steel the galvalume holds up much better. It will out last you and probably the next homeowner. I mean that in a nice way.
 
Are you DIY type or hire a pro?

Shingles are DIYable and repairable. You won't be able to repair the metal and may not be able to install it - so there are extra costs there.

When i was a kid we had a metal roof on a barn - when it rained you could not hear a thing, not even the air compressor running.

I'd vote for match the house or 40 yr shingles.
 
40 year shingles or a standing seam metal roof.Don't bother with the cheap metal roofs.Standing seam costs more ,but is a good roof.
 
My camp in western Pa has a metal roof. The only thing is when the built up snow on the roof decides to go, it can be dangerous.
 
Guys have mentioned good pros and cons for both in this thread and I want to add my two cents; I'm the son and grandson of carpenters and since retiring from the force have followed them into that profession.
Steel really isn't that hard to install and it goes up quickly. You said this is a garage and if you leave as unconditioned space it will be noisy during a strong storm but how often would this really present a problem? You won't have to deal with penetrations (vents, chimneys,etc) either alleviating one of the more difficult installation issues.
As for repairs; back when they were held to the roof with nails this was an issue, I've seen them loosen over years but try to pull one out, it's a pain. Today, however, they're installed using screws and it's a simple matter of removing them and sliding the panel out if necessary. Roof pitch is of course and issue here. Let me also add that I have only ever seen one pierced by large tree limbs, 3 or 4 inch branches probably aren't going to do it, especially if it is installed over sheathing and not on purlins. Also the limbs that caused the damage I'm familar with would also have damaged a shingled roof.
As for snow coming off, I don't know how much you get there in your part of Ohio but snow arrests are costly, anywhere from $3 to $6 each depending on style. You can minimize this by just putting them above any entry way but if you have children or pets that would be in this area I would put them over entire roof (follow manufacturers specs for this).

Steel roofing is currently running about a dollar a square foot, for the panel, not installation, here in Upstate New York and is becoming more popular in residential use.
 
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When we built our summer home, Dad opted for a metal roof as a means of fire protection considering it was in the mountains surrounded by trees. Having lived with it for years, I think one thing that gets overlooked in these discussions is the expansion and contraction of metal due to temperature and solar conditions. Because of that we went up every spring and drove a good portion of the fastners back in because they'd worked loose due to the expansion and contraction of the metal over the previous year. Over time you know it's going to develop leaks in areas that have worked loose. We've since sold the place but where metal has some tremendous advantages my experience tells me that it also has some disadvantages.
 
I have built and lived in 6 different houses in my lifetime. I currently own 17 rental houses. I have owned/installed both cheap shingles and expensive "lifetime" shingles{translates to about 18-20 years where I live} and standing seam metal roofing. This is contradictory to some of what has been posted here but it is what I can attest to personally:
I just built a hunting cabin in Virginia and priced "lifetime shingles" vs. standing seam metal. The metal was $400.00 less to buy {not install, I did that myself} and based on my experience a way better roof for several reasons. I can tell you there aint a piece of hail that falls around here that will dent it or take the paint off. There is zero chance wind will blow any of it off and if it does the house wont be left standing either. Metal roofing gets hemmed and crimped on to a heavy duty thick piece of metal similar in design to drip edge all the way around the entire roof. Standing seam means no fasteners exposed to worry about and the metal is no where near as heavy as shingles. Thick, heavy "lifetime" shingles heat up and hold that heat all day and half the night. Metal doesn't do that no where near as bad, even the darker colors. The coating called "galvalume" is silver and while it is not the prettiest roofing it wont heat up your house in the summer hardly at all. I will say that metal is definately more expensive to install as it is more labor intensive. It comes packed in a crate that has to be literally pryed apart one nail at a time. After that you have to remove one panel and peel the plastic film off of it {again, one molecule at a time}, cut each end and hem it to crimp on that heavy "magnum" drip edge and have a big trash bag handy because each panel has 15 or 20 styrofoam seperators so they dont scratch each other. If you dont throw them straight in the trash bag they blow all over the property and look bad. Each panel has to be carried to the peak, snapped on the seam and then screwed down to the roof underlayment {or purling boards.} So, you climb to the peak run down to snap it all on then run in the screws all the way back to the peak and run back down to get the next piece. It definately helps if you have more than two installers to help you. It takes at least two to get it up on the roof as the panels are full length and have to be held straight to keep them from bending. You probably guessed by now that this cannot be done in any kind of wind. The cap is kind of a pain to put on as well. All this aside, when it's done it's done and you are not very likely to have to fool with it any time soon. One other disadvantage to metal...if you are changing from shingles to metal and have "doghouses" {like a cape cod style house} with siding you will have to take all that siding off and redo it to match up to the taller metal. I have just told you all the worst things about metal. If you are going to pay someone else to install it then no worries...and now you know why it is expensive to install. As far as noisy, that is not true at all. Maybe in a building with no ceilings or insulation, but definately not in a house with a properly insulated attic and 1/2" drywall cielings. Many folks actually like the rain noise on metal but they end up dissappointed as you cannot tell the difference. As to conducting electricity in a storm...conduct it to what exactly???? The rest of the roof??? Good things about metal are it will not blow off, ice and snow, freeze and thaw will not lift it off the edges to leak like shingles and it dont get no where near as hot up in your attic. I think metal has not been more popular until recently because prior to standing seam you had those stupid little screws and rubber washers that would not last as long as the rest of the roof and the rising cost of oil has driven shingles {lifetimes at least} higher than metal. There's no vice like advice, but mine is go metal and good luck.
 
First off I would like to thank everyone for your expertise, thoughts and suggestions.

We have chosen to go with the same dimensional shingle that we roofed our house
with a couple years ago. At our age re-roofing should not be an issue that we will have
to deal with, If we were still in our youth, standing seam would be considered.

terry
 
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