Pro tip: went with a metal roof over asphalt shingles for my Calgary house

After my old shingles started curling in year 8, I had to pick between re-shingling or going metal. I dropped about $12k on a standing seam metal roof last summer. The noise during hailstorms is louder than I expected, but the insurance discount makes up for it. Plus the snow slides off way faster in the spring melt. Has anyone else here made the switch and regretted it or was it worth it?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicecraig1mo ago

My standing seam was around $11k here in Edmonton, so you got a similar deal. Did your roofer tell you to add ice and water shield underneath the metal, or did they just lay it over the existing deck? I've heard some guys skip that step in Calgary because of the chinook winds drying everything out, but then you get ice damming in the valleys during a bad freeze.

riverh491mo ago

Funny how we all think we're saving money going with the cheaper option upfront, but then it ends up costing us double in the long run. That's just life though, isn't it? We see the low price tag and forget about the headache down the road. I've known three neighbors who did the same switch after their shingles failed early, and every single one of them said the same thing about the snow sliding off faster. The noise thing is real, but honestly, after a few storms you just get used to it, like how people get used to living near train tracks. Pretty sure the insurance companies have the whole thing figured out, which is why they practically beg you to go metal.

harper9141mo ago

Oh man, the snow sliding off thing is no joke. I've got a buddy up in Red Deer who went metal a few years back, and last spring he had a whole mini avalanche come off his roof and take out his brand new barbecue. Like, bent the legs and everything. He loved the roof but hated that grill repair bill. Anyway, I think it's funny how we all talk about the noise and the insurance but nobody mentions how much faster you have to shovel your walkway because that snow just dumps itself off all at once.