It’s been a long day of looking over roof samples for your new home. At first, you were excited. After all, this is your new house, the one you saved up a hefty down payment for so you could afford all the bells and whistles your heart desired. But now, after days of comparing and contrasting, you’re frustrated, tired, and ready to call it quits due to the excessive options available. After thirty more minutes, you’ve finally narrowed it down to two options: metal or asphalt. Which should you choose?
How Should You Choose What’s Best for You?
Both metal and asphalt roofs have pros and cons. The one that’s right for you will depend many different factors including price, durability, whether it’s eco-friendly, the types of modifications you can perform on them later, and, of course, how it can be repaired if something goes wrong.
The overall takeaway of this article is that metal roofs are more expensive and a bit harder to repair, but have an overall better lifespan due to durability, being eco-friendly, and are compatible with solar panels. While asphalt roofs/shingles are less expensive and easy to repair, but have a poor lifespan, aren’t as durable, aren’t eco-friendly, and aren’t as compatible with solar paneling. Many of our competitors insist on replacing roofs when it isn’t fully necessary. With shingles specifically, this means that there are tons of waste out there in your Asheville landfills that is still perfectly viable. This is where Roof Savers likes to boast about metal roofing to help reduce our carbon footprint even more!
Let Roof Savers Help You Decide
Of course, that’s just an overview and there’s a lot more information to know. So, let Roof Savers take the guess work out for you by giving you a pro-con list that will make your decision easier and has all the facts. Before you get into it, let us remind you that Roof Savers is willing and able to treat any type of roof you may have! There’s no match for our trained and vetted professionals. We guarantee that we can extend the life of any roof by a decade, no replacement needed!
The Pros and Cons
If you’re looking for aesthetics, you’ll be happy to know that both metal and asphalt have options available for every housing style. You won’t have to give up aesthetics when making your decision between these two types of roofing. Here are the other pros and cons:
Metal
Pros
More durable with 30-50 year warranties and have lifespans of 40-70 years
Possibility to recoup costs through insurance and/or tax credits
Energy efficient saves monthly in heating and cooling costs
Eco friendly and less replacements needed
Less room for error during installation
More compatible with solar installations
Performs better in most types of extreme weather
Cons
Extreme hail or falling branches can dent a metal roof, as well as walking on it improperly
More expensive up front ($400-$3k per 100 square feet, aka a 10×10 foot area)
Takes longer to install and requires more skilled and specialized tradesperson; can sometimes be installed over an existing layer
Not great if living in an HOA controlled area
Asphalt/Shingles
Pros
Cheaper up front (standard $60-$90 per 100 square feet, aka a 10×10 foot area; architectural $200-$400 per square foot)
Easier to install and repair, taking about 1-2 days in some cases and can be done over the existing layer sometimes
Perfect for HOA controlled areas since they typically require asphalt shingles.
Still Can’t Decide? Give us a Call
Cons
Shorter lifespan of 15-30 years
Pooling water and chronically damp conditions cause algae and fungus growth, and ice dams can create cracks
Not eco-friendly, and more frequent replacements, usually end up in landfills, and increases dependency on fossil fuels
At the end of the day, which option you choose is up to you. Call Roof Savers so you can get the full picture and choose an option you’ll be happy with for years to come!
