We install both, so we have no reason to push either one. Asphalt shingle is the right roof for most Toronto houses. Standing-seam metal is the right roof for some of them. Here is how to tell which one is yours.
Side by side
| Architectural shingle | Standing-seam steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Toronto project | About $13,000 | About $35,000 |
| Life in Toronto | About 20 years | 50 to 70 years |
| Cost per year of life | About $650 | About $500 to $700 |
| Snow | Holds it | Sheds it, so snow guards go above doors and walkways |
| Repairs | Easy and cheap to patch | Fewer needed; panel repairs take a specialist |
| Cold-weather installs | Seal strips need warmth to bond | Can be installed in winter with precautions |
Project costs are Toronto averages from the HomeStars Toronto roofing cost guide. Cost per year divides that average by the typical life. Your roof will differ; see roof replacement costs in Toronto for what moves the price.
Cost: closer than it looks
Metal costs roughly two and a half to three times as much up front. Spread over its life, though, the gap mostly disappears: about $650 a year for a shingle roof against roughly $500 to $700 a year for steel, depending on whether it lasts fifty years or seventy.
The deciding question is how long you will own the house. If you expect to sell within ten or fifteen years, shingle is almost always the better use of the money. If this is the house you plan to stay in, metal means you are unlikely to pay for another tear-off, another bin and another week of disruption.
Snow and ice
A metal roof sheds snow, often all at once on a sunny day after a storm. That is good for the roof and bad for anyone standing underneath, so snow guards go above entrances, walkways, decks and lower roofs. Shingles hold snow in place, which is safer below but leaves more weight and meltwater on the roof.
Neither material prevents ice dams on its own. Dams start with heat escaping into the attic, so the fix is the same under either roof: air sealing, insulation and ventilation. Our ice dam guide explains how.
The common worries
- "It will be loud in the rain." Not when it is laid over a solid deck with underlayment, which is how residential metal is installed. Rain on a modern metal roof sounds much like rain on shingles.
- "It attracts lightning." It does not. A metal roof does not make a strike more likely; height and surroundings decide that.
- "It will dent." Heavy hail can mark thinner panels. A 24-gauge panel resists denting far better than lighter gauges, which is one reason the gauge belongs in your quote.
- "It looks like a barn." Standing seam comes in more than thirty colours, and dark charcoal or bronze suits a lot of Toronto houses. Corrugated barn panel is a different product.
Repairs and maintenance
Shingle roofs are easy to repair: a few torn shingles or a lifted flashing is a short visit. They also need more of those visits as they age. Metal needs very little, but when a panel is damaged it takes a specialist and matching material, so repairs cost more each time.
Either way, keep the eavestroughs clear and have the roof checked each spring and autumn. Our Toronto roof calendar lists what to look for.
Which one is right for your house
Choose architectural shingle if you may sell in the next ten to fifteen years, the budget is fixed, the roof is cut up with many dormers and valleys, or you want the lowest cost today.
Choose standing-seam metal if you plan to stay for the long term, the roof is simple with long slopes, you want the fewest repairs over the years, or the house suits a crisp, modern line.
Some houses use both: shingle on the main roof, and metal on a low porch or bay where it sheds water and snow better.
For more on how long each lasts, see how long a roof lasts in Toronto. If you would like a straight recommendation for your house, book a free consultation and we will tell you which roof we would put on it, and why.