Cost of metal roofing vs asphalt roofing in your state?

I bid a few roofs a month where the home owners ask me if i install metal roofing. I do not, but I did install it for 3 years for a great company. One thing I did not learn is the pricing of it. I have been told and have seen a few estimates that where around double the cost of a mid priced shingle roof. Now i know it will be way different from state to state and for each roof line but what is an honest ruff guess to tell all these customers? (I tell most to call and ask a metal roofing compony on the phone or ask for a bid) But in your state is it about double the cost of asphalt or ___%

Thanks for any input.

If it’s standing seam or Decra it’s for sure double. MasterRib (exposed fasteners) is roughly $800-1,500.00 depending on the house and complexity. I sell metal consistently and my prices are always in between the low and high.

Around here for a HF metal roof it is double to 3/4 more then a 30yr shingle.

I install nothing but metal roofs. And yes the price is almost double, with standing seam we will bid at anywhere from $700- $1000 per square. also depending on the detail skylights, walls, chimneys, etc…

In my area, the material cost per square is almost identical. Metal roofers do quite well on their labor. One can actually find new number two grade metal much cheaper than shingles.

I have noticed that the price of metal really increases the further from the mills you go. My area has a lot of these mills where they make the metal from coil stock.

Metal roofs are a superior product IMO but there are some issues with insurability, installation, and fastener wearing. Also, they don’t seem to do well when you change pitch or in areas where heavy snow collects or ice dams form. Also, hard to walk on when wet and roof protrusions create problems because of expansion coefficients.

Thanks for all your posts. Now I am reassured it is safe to say a metal roof will cost about double the price of a 30 year (now lifetime shingle) roof.

In my area, Metal roof is very expensive and not easy to install, mostly people don’t use it.

we install metal roofs. but its rare and expensive. a couple of years ago we did a house in standing seam copper, made most of our own panels and parts in our shop. usually its a bay window or farmers porch roof.

Doing a bid right now on a standing seam roof.

Price for the standing seam panels only $210 a square.

Price for laminate shingles $90 a square.

Labor for laminates $200 a square
Labor for standing seam $500 a square

20sq house
$7,000 with laminates
$18,000 with standing seam (skylights, dormers, not fun!)

All exposed fastener metal roofs belong on barns and garages only. A properly installed asphalt roof will perform without ANY problems for much longer. Standing Seam, Decra, and the rest of the hidden fastener metal roofs are so outrageously expensive, you could install a lifetime asphalt roof twice to outlast them. Alot of companies in my area are installing metal overtop of the shingles to save money, but what the homeowners don’t realize is there house becomes uninsurable, and a fire hazard. I’ll stick to my Landmarks.

“CHEAP companies give CHEAP prices and do CHEAP work. Then I come back to fix your roof. Not really cheap is it?”

If it’s a roof I gave them a bid on and that happens I tell them to call the guy who put CHEAP on. It should be under warranty. The usual response is “I did, he won’t return my call.”

Here’s a sampling of “Mr. CHEAP” around here. How exactly do you fix felt paper that is lapped from the top down?

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/350/img0223pw.th.jpg

http://img861.imageshack.us/img861/7624/flash3.th.jpg

wow! strip it all off, pay to dump all the new material that was just payed for, pay for new material and start from scratch. (for any one that did not know the answer)

i did not want this to be a what roof is better thread. I know from experience they can both be great or real bad it all depends on the applicator.

u mean only the cost of the metal roofing sheets or including the fee pay for the workers?

1170420MM 0.4mm 4.61usd
1330
420MM 0.4mm 5.08usd
1660*420MM 0.4mm 5.85usd

I am a 19 year old newly married and I am looking to get my roof done up here in south western Ontario Canada just across the Michigan border and just like in the U.S. the metal roofs are a little over double the price of our 40 year asphalt - fiberglass mix, which now has a “full” warranty for the first 15 years. The metal has a 25 year against fade and 40 against paint peel. So after 25 years it seems I would have to get the steel roof repainted. I priced repainting a metal shake steel roof and the cost I was told would be $3.00 a square foot of which I was told the repaint would be guaranteed for 20 years. I have a 2000 square foot roof so that would be at a cost of $6000 every 25 years for a repaint.
We have barns in our area that have had rib style painted steel roofs on them for 30 years and you can see the rust showing through them. I know its not the same roof that I priced for my house but it gets you thinking.
I did a bit of math and even if I repainted this roof every 30 years this is what the steel roof would cost me over a lifetime
$10,000 for the original steel roof
$12,000 to paint twice. (Once after 30 years and again in 60 years)
=$22,000 for a steel roof over the course of a lifetime.

Lets do Asphalt
Lets say at $4000 a pop lets say I get 20 years out of them
That would be $16,000 over the course of a lifetime. ( If I live to be 80)

Why would I want to go steel? Can someone make sense of all this?

Screw through/Screw down metal roofing is way cheaper than asphalt here in NH. For the panals,screws,&other accesories its only $125 a sq. at Home Cheapo or Lowes. Try getting all the asphalt shingles & accesories for that, it aint happening!

Hey Corry,

The metal at home depot (Fabral) has a 25yr. paint warranty.
So the fasteners will leak at about 10 yrs., and the paint will
be gone at 25? I’ll stick to asphalt.

As far as the price in Erie. Standing seam metal roofs are about triple
the money and the screw down is about 2 times. I don’t install either.

I have a (my website article about metal roof scam in erie) on my website talking about what a scam screw down
metal roofs are.

It’s going to be as big of a disaster as the certainteed New Horizon’s were around here.

Onarooftop, they didnt ask that. They asked about price per sq. difference.The fastners dont leak that fast either, as long as you dont underdrive them or overdrive them. Metal installed right will outlast shingles anytime for less & more than likely get a taxable deduction for going green.

It varies for the complexity if the roof. If you have a ranch home with two gables and no valleys, I can put a standing seam metal roof on for a reasonable price. Valleys, dormers and skylights are a huge time killer with a standing seam job. We also put exposed fastener metal on home all the time and I believe it to be better than arch shingles. Its all about putting in the screws in right as Corey said. These roofs can be comparable in price with a shingle roof installation. Again depending on how cut up the roof is. The trims for metal roofs such as Valley metal, gable trim and gutter apron are alot more expensive.

Lifetime asphalt roof is an oximoron. There is no such thing. A standing seam roof will last many many years with little issue other than hail will ding it up and ins companies do not cover aesthetics! I do agree that exposed fastener metal roofs should only be used on barns! There is a reason they are called AG panels.

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Its shocking how many rural Iowa residential metal roofs are exposed fastener. Poor folks are in for a bad surprise.