Up-front price
In Greer, architectural shingles cost $450 to $650 per square installed. Standing-seam metal costs $1,100 to $1,700 per square. Exposed-fastener metal, the screw-down panels, comes in at $650 to $950, though its screws have to be replaced after 10 to 15 years. Metal shingles made to look like shake or slate fall between $900 and $1,400. For an ordinary 24-square ranch, that means about $11,000 in shingles against about $30,000 in standing seam.
Years of service
An architectural shingle roof with good ventilation gives 20 to 25 years in the Upstate. Put it under heavy pine cover or over a hot attic and that drops to 15 to 18. Standing seam with a Kynar finish goes 50 years or longer. Across half a century, you would buy two or three shingle roofs for every metal one. That is how the gap in price closes, as long as you are still the owner.
Pines, wind and falling debris
Needles and small debris slide off metal rather than piling up in the valleys. Metal does not grow algae or shed granules, and a standing-seam roof with the correct clips carries a 140-mph wind rating. When a limb falls, it dents metal but can punch through shingles. A dent is only cosmetic, while a hole leaks. If a whole tree comes down, neither material survives it.
Summer heat and power bills
Metal in a light color with a reflective finish keeps the attic much cooler during a Greer July, cutting cooling costs by 10 to 20 percent compared with dark shingles. Choose a dark metal and most of that benefit goes away. For both materials, ventilation does more than the choice of roof covering.
Rain noise, hail and insurance
Over solid decking and an insulated attic, rain on metal sounds only a little louder than rain on shingles. The drumming people expect comes from barns built with open framing. Hail usually leaves cosmetic dents in metal, while on shingles it leaves bruises that start leaking later. Some carriers in South Carolina discount metal, some do not, and some add an endorsement that excludes cosmetic hail damage to metal. Class 4 shingles earn a discount you can count on.
Resale value and HOA rules
Buyers like metal on farmhouses, foothill homes and modern houses, and a large part of its cost comes back when you sell. In subdivisions built during the 1990s and 2000s, though, many HOAs limit metal to accents or forbid it on the main roof. Read the covenants before you get attached to the idea.
Where we come down
Go with standing seam when four things are true: you will live there at least 15 more years, big trees surround the lot, the style of the house suits metal, and the HOA permits it. Everyone else is better off with a 130-mph architectural or a Class 4 shingle. It makes a very good roof for a third of the price, and what you save can pay for ventilation, gutters and guards.
Common questions
Is it possible to install metal over the shingles I have now?
Standing seam can go over a single layer of shingles on purlins or a slip sheet, which avoids the tear-off. It also covers up any rotten decking, so we would rather see the deck first. We decide house by house.
Will a metal roof draw lightning?
No. Lightning strikes whatever is tallest, whatever it is made of. If a metal roof does get hit, it spreads the charge safely and will not catch fire.
What should go on a rental house?
Shingles, in nearly every case. With a rental you are keeping costs low over the years you hold it, not chasing the longest possible life.
My barn has screw-down metal. Would that work on the house?
It can, but the exposed screws work loose and the washers give out within 10 to 15 years, and it looks like a farm building. Standing seam keeps the fasteners hidden and lasts much longer.
Does my HOA allow metal?
On the main roof, many HOAs in Greer and Five Forks do not. We read the covenants before we give you a quote.
Related: Metal roofs · Shingle roofs · Cost of a new roof · Roof lifespan here