Metal Roof vs Shingles in Minnesota — Is a Metal Roof Worth It
The roof is done and the quotes are two very different numbers. Here is what a metal roof buys you in a Minnesota winter, what it does not, and how to decide.
Metal roof vs shingles in Minnesota: metal costs more up front, sheds snow, takes hail better and outlasts asphalt by a wide margin; shingles cost less, go on faster, and cover most of the metro. Metal is worth it when you will stay long enough to skip the next shingle roof, or when snow and ice dams have been a problem. JMB Builders installs both across the Twin Cities metro, priced per project after a measured visit.
- Priced per project after a measured visit, either roof
- Standing seam, exposed fastener, or architectural shingles
- Ice and water shield at the eaves on both
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Asphalt shingles are the default because they are cheap to buy, fast to install, and every roofer knows them. A metal roof is a bigger check and a longer wait for a crew that does it well. In most of the country that is the whole comparison. In Minnesota there are two more things on the scale: snow and ice.
A metal roof sheds snow. On a steep pitch it lets go in sheets, which keeps the load off the framing and takes the fuel for ice dams with it. It also means a wall of snow landing on the front step, so snow guards go over doors and walks. Shingles hold snow, which is quieter and safer at the entry but means the whole winter sits on the roof until it melts from underneath, and that meltwater is what makes an ice dam.
JMB Builders installs both across the Twin Cities metro. Both get ice and water shield at the eaves, valleys and penetrations; both get the attic looked at, because a leaky attic makes ice dams under any roof. Send photos and we tell you which one we would put on your house, then measure and quote it.
What you supply
- Photos of the roof from the ground on every side, the attic if you can get to it, and any ice dam or leak history
- How long you plan to stay in the house, which is the biggest input to the answer
- Which look you want: standing seam, exposed-fastener panel, or architectural shingles, and a color
- Where people walk under the eaves, so snow guards go in the right places on a metal roof
What JMB supplies
- A straight answer on which roof fits the house, the pitch and your plans, before the measured visit
- Tear-off and disposal of the old roof, or a check on whether metal can go over one layer of shingles
- Ice and water shield at the eaves, valleys and every penetration, synthetic underlayment over the rest
- Shingles: starter, architectural shingles, ridge cap, new pipe boots, vents and flashing
- Metal: panels cut to length, clips or fasteners to the panel maker's pattern, trims, closures, snow guards over walks
- Attic ventilation check, and a note on air sealing if the attic is the reason the old roof had ice dams
- Photos of the deck, the underlayment and the finished roof in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Metal costs more in material and takes longer to install than shingles; the gap is the main number to weigh
- Standing seam costs more than exposed-fastener panels because of the seaming and the concealed clips
- Roof size, pitch and how many valleys, dormers, skylights and penetrations have to be flashed
- Tear-off vs. metal over one existing layer of shingles where the deck allows it
- Rotted decking found at the eaves after an ice dam, replaced by the sheet
- Snow guards over entries and walks on a metal roof
- Gutters, fascia and vents replaced at the same time
- A steep or high roof that needs staging and more time on every square
Full roofs are measured on site. Send ground photos first and we tell you whether metal makes sense before anyone climbs up.
How long it takes
Shingles on an average house: one to two days. Metal on the same house: three to five days, longer with many valleys or dormers. Both wait for a dry stretch; metal is not cut and seamed in the rain.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Snow and ice
Metal sheds snow on any real pitch, which clears the load and takes away the snow that feeds an ice dam. It drops that snow in one slide, so guards go above doors, walks and the gas meter. Shingles hold snow all winter. The attic decides whether either roof gets ice dams; a leaky attic melts snow under metal too.
Hail
Metal dents; shingles bruise and lose granules. A dented metal roof still keeps water out and is usually a cosmetic claim, if it is a claim at all. Bruised shingles lose their life and get replaced. Heavier gauge metal and textured panels hide dents; thin panels on a low pitch show every hit.
How long each lasts
A metal roof outlasts asphalt by a wide margin, and standing seam with concealed fasteners outlasts an exposed-fastener panel whose screw washers age out. Architectural shingles last well over a vented attic and poorly over a hot one. The fair comparison is one metal roof against the next two shingle roofs.
Noise
Over a vented attic with insulation on the floor, rain on metal is not much louder than on shingles from inside. Over a vaulted ceiling or a porch with no attic, you hear it. Solid decking and underlayment under the panels, which is how we install, quiets it more than metal on purlins over open framing.
Standing seam vs exposed fastener
Standing seam has raised seams with clips hidden under them, so no screw goes through the face. It moves with temperature and stays sealed. Exposed-fastener panels screw through the face with gasketed screws: cheaper, faster, common on garages and pole barns, and the gaskets age. For a house we lean standing seam.
Weight and the deck
Metal is lighter than a layer of shingles, so it can go over one existing layer where the deck is sound and the old roof is flat, saving the tear-off. Shingles over shingles hides the deck and shortens the new layer's life, so we tear off for shingles. Rotted decking at the eaves is replaced under either.
Look and resale
Standing seam reads modern or farmhouse; architectural shingles read like the rest of the block. Metal comes in a wide color range and does not fade evenly with a shingle neighbor. Whether a buyer pays more for a metal roof depends on the house and the street; what they do not have to budget for is the next roof.
Metal Roof vs Shingles in Minnesota — Is a Metal Roof Worth It: questions, answered
Is a metal roof worth it in Minnesota?
It is worth it when you will be in the house long enough to skip the next shingle roof, when snow load or ice dams have been a problem, or when hail claims have become a routine. The up-front cost is well above shingles and the install takes longer. If you expect to move within a few years, or the roof is a simple gable that shingles cheaply, architectural shingles with a properly sealed and vented attic are the sound choice.
Does snow slide off a metal roof?
On most pitches, yes, and often all at once after a sunny hour. That is good for the roof load and for ice dams and bad for whoever is on the front step. Snow guards go over every door, walk and anything that cannot take a hit, like the gas meter or the AC unit. On a low pitch the snow may sit until it melts, so guards are less of an issue and shedding is less of a benefit.
Do metal roofs get ice dams?
They can. Ice dams come from heat leaking into the attic and melting snow from underneath, and a metal roof does not change what the attic does. What metal changes is that snow slides off before much of it can melt, and meltwater runs off a smooth panel faster than over shingles. A metal roof over a leaky, thin attic still builds ice at the eave. Fix the attic under either roof.
Standing seam vs shingles, what is the real difference?
Standing seam is long metal panels joined at raised seams with clips hidden underneath, no fasteners through the face, sheds snow, and lasts far longer. Shingles are overlapping asphalt pieces nailed through the face, cheaper, faster to install, quieter, hold snow, and are what most roofers install. Standing seam is a longer-term buy that costs more now; shingles are a shorter cycle that costs less each time.
Is a metal roof loud when it rains?
Over a house with an attic and insulation on the attic floor, rain on metal sounds about like rain on shingles from inside. It is louder over a room with a vaulted ceiling, a porch or a garage with no ceiling. Installing the panels over solid decking and underlayment, rather than over open purlins, cuts most of the drumming. Snow sliding off is a sound you will notice the first few times.
Which is better in hail, a metal roof or shingles?
Metal. Hail dents a metal panel but does not open it; the roof still works and the damage is mostly cosmetic. Hail bruises shingles, knocks the granules off and shortens their life, and a bad storm means a new roof. If you are on your second or third hail claim, that is a strong reason to go metal, and heavier, textured panels hide the dents better than thin smooth ones.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
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