Standing Seam Metal or Class 4 Shingles for a Minnesota Home?

Two roofs come up again and again when a Minnesota homeowner has finally decided the old shingles are done: a standing seam metal roof, or a Class 4 impact-rated asphalt shingle. Both are built for the same punishing job. Hail in summer, heavy snow and ice in winter, wind across open ground, and temperature swings from well below zero to sticky heat inside a single year. They go about it very differently, so it helps to understand what each one actually is.

What you are comparing

Class 4 is the top impact rating a shingle can earn. The rating comes from a lab test in which steel balls are dropped on the shingle, and it has to come through without cracking. These shingles use modified asphalt that stays flexible, so the surface absorbs a hit instead of splitting. In every other way they are shingles: laid in overlapping courses, nailed to the deck, and offered in dozens of colors and profiles.

Standing seam is a metal panel system. Long panels run from the ridge down to the eave, joined by raised seams. Concealed clips under the seam hold the panels down, so there are no exposed screw heads sitting in the weather. Because the panels are fixed that way, they can expand and contract with temperature without tearing at their fasteners, which matters in a climate like ours.

How each one handles hail

Impact rated does not mean hail proof. A Class 4 shingle is designed to shrug off hail that would bruise an ordinary shingle, but a big enough stone driven by enough wind can still do damage, and no roofer should tell you otherwise. What the rating gives you is better odds that the granules and the mat stay intact after the kind of storm that sends half a neighborhood to the phone.

Metal handles hail another way. It won't crack or shed granules, and the panels stay watertight, but they can pick up dents, especially a thin-gauge panel with a wide flat face. Whether that dimpling bothers you is partly taste and partly insurance, so ask your insurer how it treats cosmetic dents on metal before you commit. One Austad customer, Julie Taylor, wrote that the roof installed when she bought her house in 2012 had lasted fourteen years and even withstood a hail storm that sent a lot of her neighbors to replace theirs. Results vary house by house, but it's a fair reminder that how a roof is installed counts as much as what goes on it.

Snow, ice dams and the long winter

Metal sheds snow readily. That is a plus on a steep roof and a hazard if the eave sits above a front door, a walkway or a parking spot, because a whole sheet of snow can release at once. Snow guards, small stops fastened to the panels, hold the snow back where it matters. Shingles grip snow and let it melt gradually, which is gentler below the eave but leaves more weight sitting on the roof.

Ice dams deserve straight talk. They form when heat leaks from the house into the attic, melts the snow on the roof, and the water refreezes at the cold eave. That is mainly an insulation and ventilation problem, and neither roofing material cures it alone. A good roofer will look at your attic while quoting the roof. The benefits Austad lists for a new roof include upgraded insulation and better HVAC performance alongside the roof itself, and they are listed for a reason.

Looks, sound and the house itself

Standing seam gives a crisp, linear look that suits farmhouses, modern homes and many additions, and it can sit oddly on some period houses. Shingles blend into almost any style and come in dimensional profiles that add shadow and texture. As for noise, rain on a metal roof laid over solid decking and underlayment is quieter than most people expect, though metal over open framing is louder. Ask how the panels would be installed on your house, not just what the brochure promises.

Questions to settle before you decide

Put your own situation to a few plain questions before you choose a material.

• How old is the house, and what style is it?
• Do you plan to stay for many years, or sell soon?
• Are there doors, walkways or driveways under the eaves where sliding snow would be a problem?
• Are the attic insulation and ventilation good enough that you are fixing the right problem?
• How would you feel about a dimple in a metal panel after a big storm?
• What does your insurer say about each material?

Where Austad fits

Austad Construction installs both. The company is a GAF Master Select Roofing Contractor, certified with GAF and Owens Corning for shingle systems and with Fabral for metal, and its residential work covers asphalt shingles, metal roofing and standing seam. On metal jobs Austad handles the permits, scheduling and supplier coordination so you aren't chasing them yourself. Estimates are free, and there is a senior citizen discount, so ask about it when you call.

Call Austad at (651) 482-0070 and ask for an estimate on each option for your own house. Seeing both on your own roof lines usually settles the question faster than any article can.