Metal verses shingle roofing (how much, color, couch, installation)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We bought our house in 1992 as a new home and it has the original asphalt roof on it. That makes my roof 25 years old. There are no leaks in the attic and no mold or moisture problems. There are no problems with the roof really, but it is getting up their in age. I can see the shingles are more brittle then they used to be and see more asphalt granules in the gutters then we used to. So we put a feeler out there just to get a ball park $$$.
Met with a metal roofer and was impressed with their design options and longevity. Great color options and what appear to be good warranties. Was impressed with the sales person as well. It is very appealing to only replace a roof once in a life time. But the price was a complete shock ...$43,000! In the discussion one thing struck me as odd regarding traditional shingles. He said that today's shingle lasts an average of 7 years. Also that today's shingle only has 10% oil in them so they do not last as long as shingles made in the 90's (like my house) which had 50% oil. He leveraged this to "prove how much cheaper a metal roof is over 40 years.
Are asphalt shingles really that bad today? I mean ...only 7 years? ...really? Sure seems like I would see more roofs being replaced then I do. I would LOVE a metal roof. Love the look, the resilience, etc... but at 1/3 the cost of my house? How long to today's asphalt roofs really last?
What specific things should we look for when talking asphalt shingles?
Asphalt shingles nowadays generally carry a lifetime warranty.
Now, this is limited to the shingle failing at its intended purpose and not from poor installation or something like that. And it's prorated as well.. So, it's not going to cover if a hailstorm hits or something like that.
Apparently you got a real good sales guy. He's not lying to you, but.. He might be bending the truth just enough.
Metal roofs are louder.. More expensive, and more difficult to install. Done right, absolutely, they last longer. I've met several people where they weren't done right.
I'm not going to weigh in on what you should do.. Just caution you that you're dealing with a salesman. It's his job to convince you to go with him.
The climate where your house happens to be plays into it. Where I live an asphalt shingle roof has a rough shorter life due to the conditions (weeks of heavy rain, ice, snow, sleet, gale force wind, extreme temperatures). There are houses with shingle roofs around, but the majority choose metal. There is also the wildfire aspect we have to consider. Yes, it's more expensive to buy and install but the LIFE! Just replaced the metal roof on my house and the thought that I'll be long gone before it needs attention again is great. One of the funny little pleasures I have is listening to the rain on it while curled up on the couch on a cold dark night. I could be standing outdoors in it wondering if the wind is tearing off the shingles.
We bought our house in 1992 as a new home and it has the original asphalt roof on it. That makes my roof 25 years old. There are no leaks in the attic and no mold or moisture problems. There are no problems with the roof really, but it is getting up their in age. I can see the shingles are more brittle then they used to be and see more asphalt granules in the gutters then we used to. So we put a feeler out there just to get a ball park $$$.
Met with a metal roofer and was impressed with their design options and longevity. Great color options and what appear to be good warranties. Was impressed with the sales person as well. It is very appealing to only replace a roof once in a life time. But the price was a complete shock ...$43,000! In the discussion one thing struck me as odd regarding traditional shingles. He said that today's shingle lasts an average of 7 years. Also that today's shingle only has 10% oil in them so they do not last as long as shingles made in the 90's (like my house) which had 50% oil. He leveraged this to "prove how much cheaper a metal roof is over 40 years.
Are asphalt shingles really that bad today? I mean ...only 7 years? ...really? Sure seems like I would see more roofs being replaced then I do. I would LOVE a metal roof. Love the look, the resilience, etc... but at 1/3 the cost of my house? How long to today's asphalt roofs really last?
What specific things should we look for when talking asphalt shingles?
If you're bent on getting a metal roof, do comparison shopping. I find it hard to believe that an average sized house would require $43K worth of roofing! Maybe copper, but not aluminum.
A nice quality, reliable brand architectural shingle warrantied to withstand a very high wind velocity in addition to all the other usual manufacturer, installation, workmanship, etc. warranties is what you look for. Usually a 35-40 year warranty. They will last that long. Those things are standard with a company like GAF, for instance. "The average" asphalt shingle could mean anything. A lot of junky flimsy products could be thrown into the mix to produce those highly questionable seven-year stats. Crafty sales pitch. Big time. IMHO.
I'm in the same boat as you. Our home was built in 2000 and has 25 year asphalt shingle roofing. SW Montana weather is none to gentle on most everything. It's still water tight, but I've had to have a few areas patched from the wind tearing off corners. Last year, I went up and glued down a ton of corners that were easy to lift by hand; particularly on the prevailing wind sides. That worked great and only cost me ~$100 in cartridges.
I'm waiting for a local contractor to provide me a quote on replacing with asphalt and with metal. There are quite a few homes in our area with metal roofs. I just had a pole barn/shop put up last year and it has metal. No doubt I'll be in sticker shock as you are on the price - cost of metal has really increased over the past 7-10 years. Certainly they last longer and there is a ROI somewhere down the line.
Suspect I'll just go with a well known, higher end asphalt product. I doubt the quality of these products are as bad as your metal roof guy proclaims. Plus, the newer products now have improved aesthetics and look very nice.
First off, I learned a long, long time ago that ANYBODY that tries to "berate" other products instead of selling the benefits of their own product is almost certainly NOT the right person to ever do business with. That means that even if the salesperson that pitched the OP was technically correct (which is NOT the case) I would seek out a more honest firm to do business with.
Fact is the average lifespan of a basic 3-tab "composite" shingles , often marketed as "20 year rated" is about 15 years in real world scenario. There are nicer "25 yr rated" shingles that come in more styles and will generally last about 20 years or so. The "premium" 30 yr or longer rated shingles are typically going to hold out for at least 25 yrs in real world experience. Any roofer or inspector will say the factors that shorten the life out in the field range from things like trees & squirrels to extreme temperatures and storms. https://greatinspector.com/frequentl...roof-shingles/
Metal roofs ALSO come in several "flavors", some of which are ULTRA premium (copper) while others are kind of a rip off because they are thin, noisy, and prone to denting or even rusting. Fact is if there were no "downsides" then insurers would REQUIRE them but that is not the case. Heck, you need to really jump through hoops just to get insurers to give you a discount -- https://www.statefarm.com/simple-ins...-pros-and-conshttps://static1.st8fm.com/en_US/cont...ion%20Form.pdf
These estimated price range seem mostly honest to me -- https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/roofing/#metal You can scroll up the page for good guides as to determine approximately how many "squares" your home will require. Assuming you are NOT in an area of extreme conditions the real value in an overly expensive roof is unlikely to do other than waste money that you could put toward other things...
BTW When I saw you post I pinged a pal who works in the IT area of a noted buildings firm about this "less oil" thing that I have as heard pitch from other crooks. Turns out they never really use "oil" but a form of "bitumin". As science has evolved with the addition of POLYMERS for better performing materials from LESS crude oil -- https://www.shell.com/business-custo...l-caritop.html
The other thing my pal said is that the BEST shingles are now designed specifically to meet LEEDS requirements which mandate a range of requirements about how long the product lasts, how much is made from recycled materials, and even how far from the source the material is manufactured. For these reason it only makes sense that that higher end builders PREFER a more high tech shingle -- https://dcpd6wotaa0mb.cloudfront.net...=1474970185000
I'm not sure where you are but $43,000 for an average sized house is a total rip!
I'm talking to a guy about doing our roof (same guy that built my shop) and for our roof- more than likely $15,000 installed for metal. And that's mainly because steel prices just went up by about 10-15% because of the tariff crap.
This was the size of our shop-
It cost just a hair over what your roof estimate was! And it has a metal roof!!
I'm not sure where you are but $43,000 for an average sized house is a total rip!
I'm talking to a guy about doing our roof (same guy that built my shop) and for our roof- more than likely $15,000 installed for metal. And that's mainly because steel prices just went up by about 10-15% because of the tariff crap.
This was the size of our shop-
It cost just a hair over what your roof estimate was!
I looked around on line earlier today, and $15K for a metal roof definitely sounds more like it!
I put a metal roof on a 1500 sqft house two years ago and the materials was around $3800. That’s the panels, ridge cap, rake/corner, and valleys. $43k is insane!
I will say this though, while a metal roof definitely lasts longer than shingles, after about 15 years it will begin to fade and look dull. Just don’t expect it to always have that nice shiny finish, because it won’t.
Yeah, that price is insane. I love metal roofing, though. I love the sound of rain on it, and the way snow slides off of it, and the longevity of it, and the look of it. But, you should be able to pick from nice colors and quality for far less than that snake oil salesman's estimate.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
