The Pros and Cons of Metal Roofing for Residential Customers

While most residential roofers don’t do metal roofing, it’s something most roofers know how to get done or who can help you with it. Metal roofing is more popular in commercial buildings and with flat roofs. In the past five years, metal roofing has become a more desired look for new buildings, even homes in several cities across the United States. Let’s look at the pros and cons of metal roofing.

Pros and Cons of Metal Roofing

Metal roofs are durable, weather-resistant and is relatively maintenance-free. It’s also energy efficient, which is one of the primary reasons consumers are looking to it for residential roofs. As more consumers across the nation are looking for ways to go green and cut back on their environmental impact, metal roofs offer them a way to do just that when replacing a roof or building a new home. Metal roofs, on average, last 40 to 50 years.

Some of the cons of metal roofing include the price, even for homes. Metal roofing materials cost an average of three to four times the traditional asphalt shingles you see on most roofs across the country. If you live in a community run by a HOA or you don’t own your home, you’ll run into issues trying to convince the owner or HOA that a metal roof is beneficial for the home or community. Most HOAs outright ban metal roofs, even though you’ll never find this in any documentation when joining the neighborhood.

Metal roofs often get downplayed by residential communities because of the lack of creativity and color associated with the roofing style. However, this has changed over the last five years. Metal roofs are no longer the drab silver/grey colors you’re used to associating them with. They can come in several different colors and some can even be painted and coated to match a home.

If you’re looking for a way to go green, get a better value for your roof or just avoid dealing with some of the bigger issues when owning a home, perhaps a metal roof would be right for you. Discuss the option with your roofer and see what would work best for your situation.