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How much does metal roofing cost?

In a nutshell...

On average, metal roofing costs tend to be about three times the cost of conventional asphalt roofs. The difference in cost is attributed to a much higher cost of metal roofing materials, and a highly technically involved installation process that requires specialized skills, and specific training for the metal roofing system being installed. The often tedious and time-consuming installation process requires longer hours, precision and patience. On average, metal roof takes about two to three times longer to install than a conventional roof.

Although, metal roofs cost more than asphalt shingle roofs, its cost is comparable to the cost of cedar shake and tile roofs. Yet, a metal roof that was installed the right way, will outlast cedar shake and tile roofs. Not only that, metal roof will provide measurable energy savings (many homeowners report 20% cooling costs savings). A freshly installed metal roof will increase the monetary value of any building, therby reducing its intial cost. In retrospect, a metal roof that costs more initially, can pay for itself overtime by increasing the value of a building, providing notable energy savings, requiring no maintainance and therby saving money, and finally by providing a reliable protection that will save money in water damage and repair costs.

What else is there to the cost of metal roofing?

While initial cost for a premium metal roof is higher than that of conventional roofing materials, metal roofs stand to be the most attractive option out of high-end roofing solutions.

How so? You may ask...

Lets examine the popular high-end roofing options:

Looking at the intial cost, metal roofing is comparable to the cost of tiles and cedar shake installed. Its cost is lower than the cost of natural slates installed (Cost of natural slate installed can be double and even triple that of a metal roof.). Cost-wise, slate roofs are in the same ballpark as copper roofs, and represent the upper most segment of roofing technology.

Now, lets put slate and copper roofs aside, because these two represent the most costly option, and instead we will focus on more commonly used metal roofing systems based on galvalume, aluminum and stone coated steel systems.

All of the above are pretty much in the same cost category as tile and cedar shake based roofing systems.

Now lets look at value we get for the dollar spent. Cedar shake roof is expected to last 20-25 years, while metal roof that was installed by professionals will easily last double the time of the cedar shake, and will last about the same as tile roof. The most note-worthy adavantage of metal roof vs. tile is that metal roof is light and does not require reinforcement, while tile based roof is very heavy. Further, metal roof reflects solar heat. Thus, metal roof is clearly a better choice in regards to structural integrity of the building, and environmental friendliness considerations.

A properly installed metal roof has the lowest life-cycle cost of any roofing material. It will save homeowners money, and headaches in the long run. In fact, a new professionally installed metal roof can potentially last a lifetime, out-living the building it protects. Asphalt shingle based roof may require re-roofing every 10 to 20 years. A new metal roof will increase the resale value of any building by providing not only the curb appeal, but also great sense of security to the new owner. A metal roof on a building indicates that property owners took a great care of the building. it also, represents reliabilty and longivity of the roof making it a more desirable safer-bet investment. A creatively selected and well installed metal roof will positively influence and affect visual appeal of your house, or a business building. Thus, the initially somewhat steep metal roofing cost may prove to be a great long-term roofing investment, especially if the property happens to be our own home, our greatest investment! Afterall, we want the best for ourselves, and our house is only as good as the roof that protects it.

Financial, cost offsetting benefits:

In some cases, a metal roof can decrease your insurance premium. In some states, like Texas, a metal roof may lower your homeowner's insurance by as much as as 35%.

There is also a Government Tax credit (not just a deduction, credit reduces the direct tax amount you have to pay) available to homeowners who obtain a qualifying metal roof for their house.

Example that illustrates the cost of metal roofing vs. conventional roof:

Your house requires a new roof and you decide to save money by purchasing a less expensive asphalt shingle roof which costs you:

$350.00 per square of asphalt shingle and includes installation, which comes to $7,000 for a 20 square house, for both materials and labor.

Now, lets assume that this asphalt roof lasts for 15 years, and after that it started developing leaks... So, you decide to hire a roofer to patch up your leaking roof, which cost you another $1000.00, as well as much aggravation.

Let's say that patches managed to shelter your house for another year, after which your roof starts leaking again. At this point you decide to get another "inexpensive" roof that lasts you for another 15 years before it fails again.

Now let's do the math.

At year zero - the decision making point for purchasing a new roof we spend              $7000.00

After 15 years has passed we patched up the roof and spend another                         $1000.00

After another year, we had to pay for a whole new roof which adds another                 $7000.00

Thus, At year 16 we have already spend a total of                                                        $15,000.00

And at year 31 we will have to spend another                                                               $7000.00

And you had never imagined that it can get expensive as                                                $22,000.00

After just 31 years from a decision making point of zero years...

In addition to it you can add aggravation and high air conditioning costs; say that

these combined equate to 5000.00 over the course of 31 years.

Now let's take a look at what would happen if we were more foresightful:

Say we hired a metal roofing contractor and we were able to negotiate a great deal

at $700.00 per square of metal roofing, for both material and labor.

Our modest home will get a new beautiful metal roof for 20 times 700, equals                $14,000.00

Now our house has the most gorgeous roof in the neighborhood, and we save

considerable amounts of money on cooling costs every summer.

Our metal roof has increased the value of our house by say $5000.00                           -$5000.00

We have zero maintenance costs, and our professionally installed

metal roof will last us a lifetime...

Life is beautiful!

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