Part of our roof replacement service. Compare against asphalt shingle before you decide.
Metal roofing has gone from a barn material to one of the fastest growing residential choices in Williamson County, and it is easy to see why on the farmhouse and modern builds going up around Leiper's Fork, Thompson's Station, and College Grove. Roof Commander installs standing seam and metal panel systems across Middle Tennessee. It costs more up front than asphalt and it lasts two to three times as long.
The two systems are not interchangeable and the difference matters.
Standing seam hides the fasteners underneath raised vertical seams. Nothing penetrates the surface of the panel, which removes the most common long term failure point on a metal roof. Panels expand and contract with temperature using concealed clips, which matters in a climate that swings from twenty degrees in January to ninety five in July. This is the premium residential system and what we recommend on a house.
Exposed fastener panel, sometimes called R panel or ag panel, screws through the face of the metal with a rubber washer under each screw head. It costs meaningfully less and installs faster. The tradeoff is those washers, which degrade under UV over roughly fifteen to twenty years and need to be replaced across the whole roof. It is a good fit for outbuildings, shops, barns, and porch roofs, and it is a fine choice when the budget calls for it as long as you know what maintenance comes with it.
Hail. Metal does not lose granules because it does not have any. A hail strike may dent a panel cosmetically, but it does not compromise the waterproofing the way a bruised asphalt shingle does. In a region with a real hail season, that is the single strongest argument for metal. Worth knowing: cosmetic hail denting on metal is treated differently by different carriers, and some policies carry a cosmetic damage exclusion. Check your policy.
Wind. Properly installed standing seam carries high wind ratings, well above typical asphalt. There are no individual shingles to lift and peel back.
Heat. Metal reflects rather than absorbs, and painted metal with a reflective finish can reduce attic heat gain noticeably in a Tennessee July. That shows up on a cooling bill.
Rain. Metal sheds water fast, which is useful during the heavy spring downpours here, and it does not hold moisture the way an aging asphalt roof does.
Metal typically runs two to three times the installed cost of an architectural asphalt roof. Standing seam sits at the top of that range, exposed fastener panel at the bottom.
The value case is service life. An architectural asphalt roof in this climate is a twenty to twenty five year roof. A properly installed standing seam roof is a forty to seventy year roof. If you plan to be in the house long term, one metal roof replaces two or three asphalt roofs, and you skip the labor cost and disruption of doing it twice more.
If you are moving in five years, that math does not work as well, and we will say so. In that case see asphalt shingle roofing.
Price drivers beyond material: roof complexity, since every valley, hip, dormer, and penetration requires custom flashing and trim work on a metal roof, and panel gauge and finish quality.
"Metal roofs are loud in the rain." Not on a house. A residential metal roof goes over solid decking with underlayment beneath it, and it is no louder than asphalt. The barn myth comes from panels installed on open purlins with nothing underneath.
"Metal attracts lightning." It does not. Metal is not more likely to be struck, and because it is non combustible and conductive, a metal roof is generally considered safer if lightning does hit the structure.
"You cannot walk on it." You can, but you have to know where. We do, and we will tell your satellite installer where too.
"It will rust." Modern residential panels are galvanized or Galvalume steel with a factory applied finish, or aluminum. Rust is a concern on cut edges and cheap material, not on a properly installed quality system.
Worth checking before you commit. Some of the newer Franklin, Nolensville, and Spring Hill subdivisions have HOA covenants that restrict roofing material or color, and a few explicitly limit metal on the primary residence.
Downtown Franklin's historic district carries its own review requirements, and the character of a historic home may push toward a standing seam profile in a specific color, or toward synthetic slate instead. We work in these neighborhoods regularly and can talk through what typically gets approved, though the covenant itself is between you and your HOA.
Metal can technically be installed over an existing asphalt roof with a proper underlayment or furring system, and some contractors push it because it saves the tear off cost.
We generally do not. Going over the old roof means nobody inspects the decking, and on a roof old enough to be replaced there is very often decking that needs attention. Burying rotten plywood under a fifty year roof is a bad trade. Tear off, inspect, repair what needs repair, then install.
Dylan Pine, whose review mentions drip edge and vents that should have been installed originally, which fits the theme of doing the details right.
A properly installed standing seam roof commonly lasts forty to seventy years. Exposed fastener panel runs shorter, typically twenty five to forty, with fastener washers needing replacement along the way.
If you plan to stay in the home long term, usually yes, because one metal roof replaces two or three asphalt roofs. If you are moving in a few years, asphalt is often the better financial choice and we will tell you that.
Some carriers offer a discount for impact resistant roofing. It varies by carrier, so ask your agent. Be aware that some policies also carry a cosmetic damage exclusion for metal.
Almost always, but pitch, structure, and HOA or historic district rules can affect the decision. We will check all of that during the free inspection.
No. Over solid decking and underlayment, a residential metal roof is comparable to asphalt for sound.
Yes. Residential panels come in a wide range of factory finishes and we will bring samples so you can see them against the house in daylight.
Roof Commander installs full replacement roofing systems across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and the rest of Middle Tennessee. We have been doing it since 2001, we are GAF certified and Owens Corning Preferred, and most residential replacements we do are finished in a single day.
Learn about Roof Replacement in Franklin, TNA roof leak does not wait for a convenient time. Roof Commander repairs leaks, storm damage, failed flashing, and missing shingles across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee, and on urgent leaks we frequently get out the same day you call.
Learn about Roof Repair in Franklin, TNThis page is about the damage and the repair. For how the claim itself works, from filing through the final check, see insurance claim assistance.
Learn about Storm Damage Restoration in Franklin, TNThis page is about the claim process. For what hail and wind actually do to a roof and how we restore it, see storm damage restoration.
Learn about Roof Insurance Claim Assistance in Franklin, TNRoof Commander inspects roofs across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee at no charge. That includes storm damage inspections, pre purchase inspections on a home you are buying, and annual checkups on a roof you want to keep an eye on.
Learn about Free Roof Inspections in Franklin, TNPart of our roof repair service. If water is coming in right now, call (615) 218-6872 rather than reading further.
Learn about Emergency Roof Repair in Franklin, TNPart of our roof replacement service. Compare against metal roofing before you decide.
Learn about Asphalt Shingle Roofing in Franklin, TNSiding is the other half of your home's weather envelope, and it fails quietly. Roof Commander installs and repairs vinyl, fiber cement, and Hardie siding across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee.
Learn about Siding Installation and Repair in Franklin, TNGutters are the least glamorous part of a house and one of the most consequential. Their job is to take every gallon that lands on your roof and put it somewhere that is not against your foundation.
Learn about Gutter Installation and Repair in Franklin, TNRoof Commander handles interior and exterior painting across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee. A lot of this work comes at the end of a restoration job, when a storm put water through a ceiling or hail took the finish off the trim, and the homeowner would rather not hire a separate painter to close out the project.
Learn about Interior and Exterior Painting in Franklin, TNRoof Commander is a general contractor, not only a roofing company. Chad and Grover Warren are third generation contractors, and the family business has covered construction, remodeling, framing, drywall, flooring, concrete, stucco, and plastering going back decades.
Learn about Home Renovations and Remodeling in Franklin, TNShingles are not rated for low pitch, and installing them there is one of the most common roofing mistakes we find in Middle Tennessee. If you have a porch roof, an addition, or a section over a garage that keeps leaking no matter how many times somebody patches it, this is almost certainly why.
Learn about Flat and Low Slope Roofing in Franklin, TNSoffit is the panel that closes off the underside of your roof overhang, the part you see when you stand under the eave and look straight up. Most homeowners in Franklin never think about it until it starts sagging, a squirrel gets behind it, or a painter points out that the wood has gone soft.
Learn about Soffit Repair and Replacement in Franklin, TNFascia is the vertical board that runs along the edge of your roof, capping the ends of the rafters. It is the board your gutters hang on.
Learn about Fascia Board Repair and Replacement in Franklin, TN