1. Lifespan
Metal roofs last 40 to 70 years. Asphalt gets 15 to 20 in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan, less if the roof faces south and the attic runs hot. Over the life of a house that is one metal roof against three shingle roofs.
2. Cost per year, not cost today
Steel costs more once. Our pricing starts at $4.50 per square foot installed for the Masterrib panel and runs up from there depending on the profile and the roof. Divide either roof by the years it lasts and the comparison stops being close.
3. Weather
Steel does not rot, does not grow mildew, does not curl at the edges after a hot August, and does not lose granules into your gutters every spring. It handles Midwest hail and wind well, and it sheds snow instead of holding it.
4. Energy
Our steel roofing is Energy Star rated. Reflective finishes push summer heat back off the roof instead of into the attic, which is the difference between an upstairs you use in August and one you avoid.
5. Resale
Homes with metal roofs tend to appraise higher and attract buyers who will pay for durability and low maintenance. A buyer who knows the roof has forty years left is not negotiating you down over it.
That works on any timeline. List in two months and the roof is what separates your house from the others on the street. List in two years and you get to live under it first, and it is still new when the sign goes up. The only thing you give up by waiting is the years you could have had it.
It counts for the most in the middle of the market. A buyer stretching to make the payment cannot absorb a roof in year three, their inspector will find it, and it comes off your price one way or the other. A roof is one of the few things in a house a buyer can attach a real number to, which is exactly why it is worth not handing them one.
Where shingles still win
One, and we will say so on your driveway. If the building is coming down in a few years, spending on a forty year roof makes no sense. We would rather tell you that than sell you something that does not fit.
If the number is the only thing standing in the way, that is a different conversation and usually a solvable one. Financing runs 3 to 12 years and you pick the payment that works.
The noise question
Everybody asks. A metal roof over solid decking and underlayment is not measurably louder than asphalt. What people remember is a bare panel over open purlins on an old barn, which is a completely different assembly.