Our 4 year old roof will be replaced due to hail/wind damage from recent storms. We live in an area subject to high winds, and don't want to replace the roof again (even if insurance pays for it).

I am thinking of replacing it with a metal roof, perhaps standing seam. Anyone have thoughts on this? I know it is likely to cost 2-3X the cost of a conventional roof. I see that some contractors fabricate the panels onsite. Some talk about the gauge of sheet metal.

Thoughts?

Any recs for an Austin area contractor?

Metal roofing is susceptible to hail damage as well. The difference being that it will be dented instead of potentially compromised like asphalt. It just depends on whether or not you care if the roof has dents. You may also want to discuss the options with your insurance company to see how it might change your coverage or claims.

I do care about the looks. My next door neighbor has a standing seam roof, same hail storm, and no visible damage. Does hail vulnerability matter if the metal is steel vs. other metals?

I'm going to ramble a bit since my answer involves a situation that felt like the first time I "won" anything substantial. Jump to last paragraph for my answer, Spicewood.

We had a wind storm two year ago that blew off a patch of shingles and a section of wood fence. My wind damage deductible was 1% of home value, which was substantially more than the $1K damage. So I paid out of pocket for shingle replacement and fence repair. At the same time I reduced my deductible to $500.

A year later we had a pretty minor hail storm. In the 8 years I had lived in the house we had a number of hail storms, none really severe and I never had anyone look at the house. Because of the minor hail storm, and some fear the shingle replacement was done incorrectly (they spent like 20 minutes on my roof and they were rushed due to workload), I had my insurance company come out for a free roof inspection.

I was shocked when they said I needed a full roof replacement. Amazingly, he also included in the estimate repairing paint on house trim, screens, and restaining decking and fencing due to hail damage. It was just under a $20k estimate and insurance would pay for it all. As I said - I was shocked.

When the roofing guy, who lived in my neighborhood, looked at their estimate he said he could give me a hail resistant shingle and guaranteed, full replacement 25 year warranty. Warrantied even for hail. It all seemed too good to be true.

So not only did I get a brand new roof on a 9 year old house, a hail resistant roof I won't have to pay for repair on in 25 years, but also my house trim repainted and my decking and fencing and playscape restained.

So I have a hail resistant shingle that is good for 25 years, guaranteed, and looks like original shingle. It also reduces my insurance by $300 a year with my insurance company. So I think it would give you what you want, but I also admit I love a metal roof and have always wanted one.

There were a couple of people in our neighborhood in SA with a metal roof. They were installed about 20 years prior and have been through loads of hailstorms without any trouble during that time. I'd go for it. You may see an increase in property value/tax but it would likely be offset by a decrease in insurance expense and possible cooling cost reduction.

edit: We also own one on a rental and it hasn't caused any trouble in the last 25 years. No signs of dents or any problems.

will you see any reduction in electricity bill from increased albedo of the metal?

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Probably not an issue on a house with an insulated attic, but my parents' cabin with a metal roof is extremely noisy when it rains. I imagine its still louder, but probably not so much that it'd be irritating.

Tile roof. Lasts 100 years, unless you get wiped out by a twister. Never worry again. Just make sure your framing can support the incredible weight.

EOT.

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Tile roof. Lasts 100 years, unless you get wiped out by a twister. Never worry again. Just make sure your framing can support the incredible weight.

EOT.

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This was a fun one we got to deal with at the office a while back:

What caused that?

OK your roof collapse is worse than mine.

BTW the energy savings I read about I believe are due to the face that the metal dissipates best a lot better than asphalt shingles.

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will you see any reduction in electricity bill from increased albedo of the metal?

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If you go from a dark shingle to something like a galvalume metal, you should see some simply because the lighter galvalume color will not adsorb as much heat load.

Additionally, if you are going through the cost and effort of replacing a roof, get an insulated deck and you should see a fairly significant heat load reduction.

If your attic does not get as hot, there is less heat to transfer through your insulation and into your house.

To the OP: I would go with a metal roof. You can get more hail resistant with a thicker gauge, and steel will typically be a little more resiliant than aluminum.

Thanks for the input.

My existing roof is just 4 years old, and was installed by a reputable contractor, and it has a 25 year warranty and used top quality asphalt shingles. Last summer we had some shingle loss (and other problems) from a storm with 70 MPH winds. We had some shingles replaced under warranty. This hail storm tore a few shingles, and of course beat the crap out of it. This was the worst hail storm I have every seen - it stripped many of my trees almost entirely of their leaves.

We are near the top of a hill and winds from storms just shoots up the hill.

I had a tile (concrete) roof on my last home. Liked it a lot. But I have doubts my roof can handle the weight since it wasn't built for tile.

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Probably not an issue on a house with an insulated attic, but my parents' cabin with a metal roof is extremely noisy when it rains. I imagine its still louder, but probably not so much that it'd be irritating.

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I have a metal roof on my house that doesn't even have any plywood underneath.... just screwed to the 2x4 lathing. With blown R-30 in the attic I don't know it's raining unless I look out the window or the satellite goes out.

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What caused that?

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The building was not constructed to hold the weight of the roofing material and it failed.

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What caused that?

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The building was not constructed to hold the weight of the roofing material and it failed.

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Tile is rediculously heavy, especially most modern cement tile.

Back in AZ most houses have tile roofs. The interior framing and truss design is way different than the more conventional framing you usually see here. They also load the roof before installation by setting the pallets on the deck for a week or so.

My tile were set on the roof for a month before being laid out. After a week, the back porch almost collapsed. I now have three columns supporting the roofline, not two. They're also reinforced.

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What caused that?

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The building was not constructed to hold the weight of the roofing material and it failed.

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Yeah I know how that feels. It's been a wonderful introduction to insurance and how absurdly slow the legal system is.

We have a standing seam metal roof on our family room addition and love it. It's well insulated, extremely quiet and looks great.

Anyone recommend a contractor in Austin?

I see Straight Solutions and Roofcrafters with a fair number of positive reviews.