Metal roofing can be a beautiful and long-lasting choice for your home. When installed correctly with premium materials, metal roofing can be a true lifetime roof.
Metal Roofing Options
There are a lot of options for metal roofs – more than you might have been aware of. There’s metal shingles, shake look-a-like metal shingles, clay-tile molded metal shingles, standing-seam metal panels, Ag-profile metal panels, and even 5V-Crimp tin panels. It’s really just a matter of your budget and of the desired longevity and aesthetics of your roof.
① 5V-Crimp Tin Roofing
5V-Crimp is going to be your absolute economy option when it comes to metal roofing. It’s actually no longer made out of “tin,” but rather hard steel, with a galvalume finish. That’s not to say that people don’t still use it on a fairly regular basis. You can figure somewhere around $280+/square to install this roof, or perhaps a bit less on barn applications.
5V-Crimp Tin Roofing – Your Ecomony Metal Roofing Option
| Pro's: | Con's: |
|---|---|
| Economical | Unaesthetic (Looks like a barn roof) |
| Readily available | Only comes in "galvalume" metal color |
| Easily matched in event of a repair | Is a "thru-fastened" roof system, meaning you can get leaks |
② Ag-Profile Steel Roofing
Down here in the South, what’s known as “Georgia-rib” or “Ag-profile” may arguably be people’s favorite for metal roofing. It’s fairly economical, looks nice, and comes with a variety of baked-on colors. Most common is the 29-gage species of Ag-profile, although it is made in a thicker, more-durable 26-gage version as well. Figure somewhere around $300+/square to install Ag-profile metal roofing over your existing roof, which is some $50-80/square more than simply re-roofing with asphalt shingles.
This “Mock-Up” by Southeastern Metals Supplier (Smith Station, AL) Shows Ag-Profile Metal Roofing Colors
| Pro's: | Con's: |
|---|---|
| Variety of colors to choose from | Ag-profile is still a "thru-fastened" roof system, meaning you can get leaks |
| Reasonably aesthetic | Not a "top-notch" aesthetic appearance |
③ Standing Seam Steel Roofing
When you jump to standing seam steel roofing, you’re really taking a big step. It’s going to cost a lot more (some $600-800+/square total, or roughly twice the cost of the Ag-profile roof), but you’re going to get a number of things – hidden fasteners (an excellent way to virtually eliminate future leaks), an elegant, modern, clean look, and a roof that will last a lifetime. If you’re into environmental issues, standing seam steel roofs are considered to be the only “true” roofing choice (along with TPO/PVC for flat, commercial roofs), both because they last so long, and also because they can be easily recycled at the end of their useful life (whereas asphalt roofs wear out quickly; and, often-as-not, are not recycled, though they could be). In any event, standing seam is something that you’re going to want to hire a professional for, as someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing can end up wasting all that money that you’re putting into your roof.
Standing Seam Metal Roof
| Pro's: | Con's: |
|---|---|
| Breathtaking aesthetics | More than twice the cost of other roofing options, at least up-front |
| Excellent leak-free performance | Requires professional for installation |
| Environmentally-optimal choice | Storm-damaged areas may be hard to perfectly color-match |
④ Specialty Metal-Tile Roofing
Believe it or not, we’ve only scratched the surface of metal roofing so far – there’s different materials that can be used (zinc, aluminum, copper), different styles that can be had (imitating shakes, slate, or even Spanish/European tile!), and various textures and panel profiles.
Imitation Shake Metal Shingle Roof
For example, the quality specialty-metal manufacturer MatterhornTM Metal Roofing makes imitation shakes, slate, and tile out of metal, and boasts a lifetime warranty, a wind warranty, a hail warranty, a color-fade warranty, as well as such benefits as being made of a strong material, being lightweight, being recyclable, being fire-resistant, and having a reflective surface. The following image has been compiled with images taken with permission from the MatterhornTM Metal Roofing website to help illustrate the stunning look of MatterhornTM metal shingle products.
Matterhorn’s Shake, Slate, and Tile Profile Metal Shingles
Like standing seam, you’ll be paying high-dollar for a specialty-metal-shingle roof, but it may be worth it to you for all the benefits provided.
| Pro's: | Con's: |
|---|---|
| Lifetime roof | High-dollar price |
| Aesthetically-pleasing | Professional required for installation |
| Environmentally-optimal choice | Installers must be careful not to damage shingles when walking on roof |
