Metal vs. asphalt for a Michigan home — the honest comparison.
We install both. That's important context — we don't have a horse in this race, and we'll give you the same answer whether you call us or not. Here's the comparison we walk through with homeowners on every estimate where metal is in the conversation.
The 30-second version.
For most Oakland County homes, architectural asphalt is the right call — better cost-per-year, easier resale, no aesthetic risk. Metal is the right call when (a) you're staying in the house 20+ years and want to be done with roofing forever, (b) the architecture supports it visually, or (c) you have ongoing ice dam or snow-load issues that metal solves elegantly. We'll get into each below.
Cost.
Standing seam metal runs roughly 2.5x to 3.5x the price of an asphalt roof on the same house. A typical Oakland County example:
- Asphalt shingle (26 squares)$16,000 – $20,000
- Stone-coated steel (Decra)$32,000 – $42,000
- Standing seam metal (24-ga steel)$44,000 – $58,000
Asphalt wins on upfront cost. It's not close.
Lifespan.
Asphalt: 25–30 years if installed well in Michigan. Some last longer; some need replacement at 20. Sun exposure, ventilation, and ice dam history are the big variables.
Metal: 50+ years for a properly installed 24-gauge steel roof. Aluminum and zinc go longer. The paint may need a refresh at year 35 or so; the panels themselves keep doing their job.
Cost per year (rough math on a representative 26-square home):
- Asphalt @ $18,000 / 27 years~$667/year
- Standing seam @ $50,000 / 55 years~$909/year
- Stone-coated @ $37,000 / 50 years~$740/year
Asphalt still wins on cost-per-year. But notice: it's closer than the upfront number suggests. And the metal numbers don't include premium discounts or the value of never reroofing.
Snow and ice.
This is where metal earns its keep in Michigan. Standing seam panels have no granules; snow has no purchase. With a normal residential pitch (5/12 or steeper), snow sheds in chunks instead of building up into ice dams. The roof stays cleaner, the gutters stay clearer, and the eaves stay drier.
Asphalt holds snow. That isn't always bad — uniform snow cover actually insulates the attic and reduces heat loss — but on a poorly-ventilated home, it accelerates the ice dam cycle.
If you've had repeated ice dam issues and the underlying attic problems can't be fully solved (older home, finished attic, cathedral ceiling), metal is one of the few ways to actually stop the cycle.
Noise.
The most persistent myth about metal roofs. On a residential install — solid decking, synthetic underlayment, attic insulation underneath — the rain noise difference is barely perceptible from inside. The "loud as a barn" reputation comes from agricultural buildings with bare metal over open framing. That's a different install.
Honest answer: customers who switch from asphalt to metal usually say they don't notice a difference from inside the house.
Insurance and discounts.
Most carriers (Auto-Owners, Hanover, Hartford, Cincinnati, Nationwide, etc.) offer a 10–35% homeowner's premium discount for a Class 4 impact-rated roof. Both metal and Class 4-rated asphalt shingles (Malarkey Vista AR is one) qualify, but metal is the more common qualifier.
On a typical Oakland County home paying $1,800/year in homeowner's premium, a 20% discount is $360/year. Over 30 years, that's $10,800 — closing about a quarter of the upfront cost gap between metal and asphalt. Not nothing.
Resale value.
This is where the conventional wisdom is changing. Five years ago, the answer was: "metal won't add resale value in Michigan because buyers don't know to look for it." Today, in the Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and Rochester markets, listing agents are explicitly marketing metal roofs as a value-add. Appraisers are starting to give credit. Buyers in the $750K+ segment are increasingly preferring it.
In the lower-price-band Oakland County markets (Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley), the math is more conservative — buyers still mostly expect asphalt, and the metal price premium doesn't recoup at sale.
Bottom line: if you're in a home you plan to sell inside 5 years, asphalt is the better economic call. If you're staying 15+ years, the resale math doesn't really matter because you're getting the use out of the roof yourself.
Aesthetics — and where metal goes wrong.
This is the conversation that gets glossed over and shouldn't. Metal looks right on some homes and wrong on others. The styles that wear metal well:
- Contemporary and modern builds
- Farmhouses and modern farmhouses
- Craftsman bungalows (in dark colors — matte black, dark bronze)
- Mid-century moderns
- Mediterranean / Spanish-influenced (with Decra stone-coated steel in tile profile)
Styles where metal often looks wrong:
- Traditional center-hall Colonials (looks too industrial)
- Federal-style and Georgian homes
- Most pre-1940 Tudor revivals (better off in asphalt or, if budget permits, slate)
If your neighborhood has zero metal roofs visible, that's a signal — not a deal-breaker, but a signal. We've installed metal on plenty of homes that ended up beautiful in neighborhoods that didn't expect it. We've also talked homeowners out of metal when the home really wanted asphalt.
Maintenance.
Asphalt is essentially maintenance-free for the life of the roof, with one exception: keep valleys and gutters clear of debris so water can move. Otherwise, you don't touch it until you reroof.
Metal is also nearly maintenance-free, with two specific items: check the sealants at penetrations every 5-7 years (skylight curbs, pipe boots, chimney sidewall — these are still field-applied sealant, even on a metal roof, and they have a lifespan), and clear snow off snow guards if you have them and they accumulate.
Solar.
If you're planning to put solar on your roof — now or in the next 10 years — metal is dramatically better. Solar clamps attach directly to the standing seams without penetrating the panel. No holes, no leaks, no warranty issues. On asphalt, every solar bracket is a roof penetration; with care, they don't leak, but they always could.
If solar is in your 5-10 year plan, metal is worth the price gap for that reason alone.
How to actually decide.
Ask yourself five questions:
- How long am I staying? Less than 7 years, asphalt. More than 20, metal earns its keep. In between, it depends on the next four questions.
- Does the home want it? Modern, farmhouse, or craftsman style? Metal looks at home. Center-hall colonial? Probably not.
- Am I planning solar? Yes → metal. No → either works.
- Do I have ongoing ice dam or snow issues that can't be fully fixed in the attic? Yes → metal pays for itself in headache reduction.
- What's the cash situation? If financing the metal premium feels strained, asphalt is the financially smart call. A great asphalt roof done right is genuinely a 25-30 year roof.
What we'd actually install on our own house.
Honest answer: it depends on the house. The owner of our company has standing seam metal on his own home — a 1960s contemporary with a low-slope upper roof, surrounded by mature trees, in a neighborhood where ice dams used to be a chronic problem. For that house, metal was unambiguously the right call. For a colonial in Troy with a 7/12 pitch and good ventilation, we'd probably specify GAF Timberline HDZ in Charcoal and call it a day.