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When building a home for the first time or when re-roofing an existing home, the materials chosen for the project will have a major impact on the way a home looks, feels and costs, not only in the immediate construction costs, but in the longer-term maintenance and energy costs as well.
In general, metal roofs are higher in initial construction cost (and significantly more so in certain cases) but also tend to require less maintenance. Shingle roof construction remains the most common, likely because it remains most economical.
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NOTE: The beginning half of 2021 has seen an unprecedented labor shortage as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. In conjunction with this, demand for materials and construction jobs has skyrocketed. As a result, material prices may be higher than those reported in this article, and lead times may be longer than usual for both labor and materials.
Key Differences
What Are Asphalt Shingles?
Shingles typically come in sheets, stacks or rolls and are mostly uniform in design and composition—ceramic granular upper surface and smooth asphalt layering over a fiberglass base. Shingles are typically nailed onto wooden-framed roofing structures, layered and staggered upward from the lowest point on a sloped roof.
Because the materials in the shingles are inexpensive and the cost of manufacturing them is low, shingles tend to be the most economical option for roof construction and replacement. They’re also the simplest to install and won’t require any special skill or instruction to apply properly; any contractor will know exactly how to work with them.
What Is Metal Roofing?
Metal roofing comes in large flat sheets and is folded longitudinally in a few different pattern categories including corrugated metals and flat seam metal roofing. Flat seam metal roofing can be more expensive to make and install, but its interlocking seam design is among the best options available.
The design features seams that interlock and fasteners that hold the smooth metal surface to the roof frame beneath, giving these roofs strength and durability while requiring minimal maintenance.
Nearby in material but a decade or two behind in design are corrugated steel, aluminum, tin and composite metals, which can be purchased from many lumber retailers across the country. Corrugated metals are also folded longitudinally in a pattern of repeating spacing and are generally attached to the underlying roof structure with nails or screws fitted with rubber washers to serve as gaskets at the attachment points.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Metal Roofing
Advantages