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When it’s time for a roof replacement, you have to make a big decision: Should you upgrade your roof? Many Florida homeowners have relied on shingle roofs for decades. But new metal roofing options are growing in popularity across Florida. As a result, a lot of people have questions about different roofing materials. Specifically, many Florida homeowners are wondering about how much metal roofs vs. shingles cost and how much value you get for your dollar.
We’re Classic Roofing and Construction, and we’ve been installing both metal and shingle roofs across Florida for more than 20 years. And today, we’re going to look at how metal roofs and shingles compare when it comes to cost both in the short term and the long term. So let’s start with the simplest question: How much does a metal roof cost compared to shingles up front?
Metal Roofs Cost More Than Shingles
There is no doubt about it—when you’re paying for a roof replacement, a metal roof will cost you more than a shingle roof. But by how much?
Well, there is a wide range of quality and price when it comes to shingles. But for standard architectural shingles, you can expect to pay roughly $5 to $7.50 per square foot. For a 3,000-square-foot home, this looks like $15,000 to $22,500.
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Metal roofs also have a wide price range, but theirs starts much higher than that of asphalt shingles. The general price range for metal roofs is $10 to $16 per square foot. Using that same example of a 3,000-square-foot house, this means the total costs of a metal roof would range from $30,000 to $48,000.
Clearly, a metal roof costs much more than a shingle roof at the time of your roof replacement. But this isn’t the only thing to consider when looking at metal roof vs. shingle costs. You also need to look at how much you’ll spend on your roof over the course of its life.
Shingle Roofs Need More Repairs
Part of the reason that people pay for metal roofs is because they’re much more resilient and durable than shingles. This is especially important in hurricane-prone Florida, where hurricanes and torrential downpours can seriously damage shingle roofs by blowing shingles off the roof entirely or soaking through them and causing rot.
However, you should also consider the cost of repairs. Shingles may need repairs often, but shingles are fairly cheap and don’t require years of experience to install, so the repair bills will certainly be cheaper than for a metal roof.
Metal roofs, on the other hand, have very few issues, especially if you go with top-of-the-line metal roofing options like standing seam metal roofs. Where shingles may need repairs every few years (especially if your roof was installed more than five years ago), a metal roof could go decades without presenting any problems. This is because it’s better able to resist wind, rain, and heat—the exact things that Florida’s weather is notorious for. This means that metal roof repairs are more expensive, but you’ll also have fewer metal roof repairs than shingle repairs.
So while yes, metal roofs cost more than shingle roofs, you also have to account for the money you save in repairs with a metal roofing option. And it’s not just repairs where metal roofs are cheaper—they also last a lot longer.
Metal Roofs Need Replacing Less Frequently
Just like there is a clear difference in metal roof vs. shingle costs, metal roofs outlast shingle roofs by far. Where your average shingle roof should last about 20-25 years in the best-case scenario, a metal roof will last at least 40 years. And if it’s properly installed and maintained, it could last as long as 70 years.
In other words, a metal roof can last about three times as long as a shingle roof. So if you spent $16,000 on a shingle roof, and we assume that you spent as much on your next two shingle roofs (even though the price will only increase as time goes on), that’s a total of $48,000 over about 60 years. That puts the price of a low-cost shingle roof, in total, at about the same price as a high-end metal roof when you look at the total costs over the years.
And this doesn’t account for the many repairs that three shingle roofs would need over the course of their lives. So in total, when looking at metal roof vs. shingle costs, a metal roof is actually cheaper in the long term. Of course, this only applies if you plan on staying in your home for many years to come. But what if you plan to sell in the future?
Metal Roofs Add More Value to Your Home
Across the board, getting a new roof installed will add value to your home. But a metal roof will add substantially more value. This is because a metal roof is better able to withstand Florida’s punishing weather, so a potential homebuyer will be more interested in a roof that won’t cause them problems in the years to come.
And this isn’t the only reason that metal roofs increase resale values. Because metal reflects heat away from your home, it can help lower your monthly energy bill. This is a very attractive feature to potential homebuyers who want to save money on lower air conditioning costs.
How much more value does a metal roof add? Ultimately, that will come down to the specific type of metal roof you get and how many years it has left at the time of your sale. But a 2019 report found that homeowners spent, on average, about $38,000 on their metal roofs and got back about 65% of that investment in resale value, so about $24,700.
A shingle roof, on the other hand, costs on average around $22,000 and only adds about $15,000 in value to your home. This is roughly the same amount by percentage, but in terms of real dollars, a metal roof generates much more resale value.
Metal Roof vs. Shingle Costs – The Video
Get Started on Your Metal or Shingle Roof Replacement
As you can see, the differences between metal roof vs. shingle costs are pretty clear. Metal roofs are much more expensive up front, but they create enough value that they end up being more affordable than shingle roofs in the long term. But at the end of the day, you are the only one who can decide what type of roof is right for your home. So whether you’re ready to pay for a metal roof right now, you need to look at roof financing options, or you’d prefer to go with a classic shingle option, we’ve got the perfect crew for the job.
At Classic, we make roof replacements easy. To get started, all you have to do is schedule your free roofing estimate. From there, we’ll prepare you a detailed estimate for your chosen roofing material that accounts for all the unique features of your roof. This will give you a clear outline of the cost so you can plan your budget.
And we know that you’ll love the quality of our work. We have hundreds of reviews from your neighbors, and with our 100% in-house, expert crews, we bring decades of experience to every job. So why not reach out and see why Floridians have been entrusting their roofs to Classic for over 20 years?
