Metal Roofs

[Hugh Scarlett]

I am intrigued as to what the American attitude is to metal roofs in city locations. Apart from commercial/industrial they don't seem to be used with the overarching preference being Asphalt. Is this a code issue or are they simply unacceptable to home buyers?

In Australia they are as common as tiles, I even have a house not far from me with a Titanium roof!! They are durable, light, fast to install, totally leak proof (if installed properly) and last considerably longer that asphalt, yet they are not being used for residential construction except in rural areas, why is this? Down under all fascias are metal, no painting, rot or maintenance and can be finished with spouting in less that a day.

I have a roof to replace in East Chicago so was interested in finding our if metal would be an option, the property will be flipped once re-habed. Both the house and double garage need re-roofing, so maybe metal is an option for the garage if it not acceptable for the house, or are metal roofs more expensive as they are not in common use?

Comments please.