Is a metal roof a good investment when selling my house?

We have been buying houses for over ten years. Every house we keep, we try to put a metal roof on it. Here is why.

Energy costs for your house

Before I sold my personal house in Warner Robins Georgia, we replaced the shingle roof… our self. Long story short, it took 5 “half” days to complete because we could not be on the summer heated roof past noon. We used a laser thermometer to check the surface temp each day. The surface of the shingles averaged 170 degrees by the time we had to climb down for fear of passing out. That heat is radiating into the attic of the house every day.

A month later, we replaced a roof on a mobile home we owned with metal. The metal never got more than 10 degrees over the air temp for that day. Plus, we installed the metal roof on a layer 1×4 boards. This created an air gap that did even more to keep the hot air from getting in the house. We could tell immediately how much less the A/C unit was working to keep the temperature in the house under control.

Cost of a metal roof

Contrary to popular belief, a metal is not that much more to install than shingles. Many roofers will try to charge more for a metal roof because they know they will never come back to that house again if they installed it right. The last few roofs we have installed have been about $600- $1000 more for doing a metal roof. Until metal prices started climbing in 2017, an honest roofer would charge about the same for either type. We just had two 1500sf houses reroofed for $15,500.

Tax breaks and resale for a metal roof

Please check with your tax professional, but there should still be tax credit for installing a metal roof on your personal home. Our personal home gave us back $600. Many companies that sell metal roofing will keep up with incentives that help promote their products (like tax breaks).

Metal roofs will also increase the home’s value by 5-15%. Of course, you will not get back every dollar you spent on the roof when you sell your house, but if you plan on selling your house in the future, it is a nice benefit to consider

Metal roofs are low maintenance

Most metal roof suppliers will warranty the product for about 20 years (give or take). As long as the roof is installed properly, a metal roof will last 40 years or more. Look at any historical district in your local town and find the houses that were built in the early 1920’s. Many will still have the original galvanized metal roof. Some products will have a cheap enamel paint on them that will fade in the first ten years. Make sure to check reviews of the company you are getting your metal from.

Next time your need to change a roof, consider a metal roof before you lay your money down.