When you set out to replace your roof, you have a few things to consider. One of the main things you’ll need to decide on is the roofing material you want on your home. The two most popular options for roofing materials on homes are metal roofing and asphalt roofing. Both of these options can be installed onto homes and serve as functional roofing materials, but there are some discrepancies between them. Learn more about the difference between metal roofing and asphalt roofing.
Installation and maintenance
When it comes to installation and maintenance, both types of roofing have their advantages and disadvantages. While asphalt roofing may take less time to install overall, it also doesn’t have as long of a lifespan as metal roofing. Asphalt roofing can be more affected by environmental factors such as water pooling, causing the growth of algae or fungus.
Metal roofing may take a bit longer and require a bit more skill to install, but it lasts much longer than asphalt roofing does. Metal is also a very low-maintenance roofing material, so once it’s installed, it won’t require constant updates.
Environmental and economic impact
The question most homeowners ask when they start their search for new roofing is: How will this new roofing material affect my utility bills? Metal roofing is energy efficient and can reduce utility bills significantly because of its reflective properties. It is also made of mostly recycled materials. Metal roofing could potentially get you a discount on your homeowners’ insurance, depending on the company policies.
Asphalt is petroleum based—meaning it’s more dependent on fossil fuels than metal roofing. It’s are also nonrecyclable. Asphalt does have a lower up-front cost and typically a lower installation cost.
Style and appearance
Curb appeal is very important in homes when it comes to resale value. Homeowners expect their roofs to last a long time, so they have to think about a potential sale in the future. Roofing should fit the style of the exterior of the home and add curb appeal to it.
While asphalt does have more of a color variety to choose from, metal has more style options. For example, most asphalt roofing looks the same, only in different colors, while metal roofing comes in many styles, but less color variety.
When shopping for your new roof, check out our wide selection of metal roofing products in Wisconsin.