Shingle roofs are the more traditional roofing type, with more and more homes around the world displaying them than most other types. With new advances in materials and technology, however, different cladding materials are fast becoming popular, and just one of those is metal roofs.



CAN METAL ROOFS BE USED ON RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS?
Most people know metal roofs better for being on agricultural, commercial, and industrial buildings, such as farms, but there are now so many different types, styles, and designs of metal roof materials, that you can mimic virtually any other type. If you wanted a slate roof, you can fake it with metal shingles. If you wanted a clay tile roof, you can fake it with metal shingles. It doesn’t matter what kind of roof you want, you can fake it with metal shingles. That’s why they’re fast becoming a popular choice for residential buildings, as well as other business-based ones.

THE BENEFITS OF A METAL ROOF
Some of the advantages to a metal roof are obvious. They are well-known for being stronger and more durable than other roofing materials, and they can last a lot longer too, but only when installed and then maintained correctly. Some metal roofs come with warranties of forty or fifty years and more, and it is believed that they can last for double that ... and more! The average shingle roof is usually only guaranteed for around twenty years, depending on the specific materials and roof type. A reflective material, metal is more energy efficient than other materials, making it great for hot climates. The heat is deflected away from the building, which in turn means you won't need to have the air conditioning running for quite so long during the summer. Energy bills can be reduced by as much as 25%. This, combined with the high aesthetic appeal, can also help you to add thousands on the value of your home — a great investment if you're planning on selling at some point in the future. Shingles are sometimes best suited for cooler climates, when heat needs to be kept inside the building.

As well as offering you all of the aesthetic options that shingles do, being more budget-friendly, and lasting longer, metal roofs can withstand periods of bad weather better than most other shingle materials. Hail isn’t usually a big concern, whereas asphalt shingles are easily broken with large stones. Wind is more of a problem with shingles than it is with a metal roof. Metal roofs are generally considered to be the best roof for high-fire areas, such as places where wildfires happen a lot, or temperatures are dangerously hot for long periods of time.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF A METAL ROOF
Some people believe that a metal roof is going to be noisier than other roofing types, but this has been proven on many occasions to not be the case. What does work as a disadvantage for this material type, however, is the price. Metal is more expensive than asphalt shingles and other types, and a full roof replacement can cost close to double what you would pay for other materials. You should look at the price as an investment, though. A shingle roof will need to be repaired or restored at least once during a forty to fifty year period, but a metal one probably won’t. In the long run, a metal roof is definitely going to be the most cost-effective option.

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