metal roofs are not all they are cracked up to be. they are good for fire and places where you have heavy snow loads. otherwise they are not going to be cost effective and they dont look all that good on a higher end home imho.
funny story. i live in a mountian area. i have 3 houses near me with metal roofs. we had a hail storm go through. all 3 of the houses with metal roofs were damaged because they were dented and looked terrible. they all had to replace their metal roof at a cost of 20k each. i have a top asphalt shingle,certianteed independance,that didnt have enough damage to file a claim.

We chose a metal roof. They are not uncommon in this area, even on high end homes. We also went with fiber cement siding.

The metal roof/cement siding combination is about as fireproof as you can get with ordinary building products. It's one of the reasons we chose the combination, but we also find it attractive.

Our roof is a classic rib style, which can be found on both commercial and residential buildings. The fasteners are exposed, unlike a standing seam roof. The cost is substantially lower than the standing seam, too. The roofing panels carry a Texas windstorm rating.

The classic rib can be installed on a 3/12 roof without any special precautions. It can also be installed on a shallower pitch if sealing tape is used. Our roof is a 6/12 pitch, so no special precautions were required. Other styles of metal roofing can be safely installed on very low pitched roofs.

The picture I liked is not our house, but an example from a metal roofing supplier. Our roof needs minor trim work before it will be finished.

Metal roofs are lighter than asphalt shingles. No special trusses should be needed.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I have a different take. After owning homes for 35 years and getting tired of replacing roofs, repairing the occasional leak, having to crawl and slip around on my roof to clean off debris and moss buildup, I vowed that my next house was going to have a metal, standing seam roof...and it does. It came with a 50 year warranty. The roof has been on for 8 years, looks brand new, and I've yet had to crawl up on it for maintenance. The only problem I've had was when a freak snow storm planted 1-2 feet of heavy snow on the roof. As it slowly started to slide down the roof after a couple of days, the massive weight deformed some of the metal gutters and I had to push them back in shape in the spring. I have the plain steel-type finish on a modern home and I happen to like the looks of the roof. I live in an area where we mainly get rain (Pacific NW), but we have had several modest hailstorms and there has been no visible damage, but I'm sure it could be an issue if you got a cheaper, lighter-gauge roof. There have been a number of threads about metal roofs in various forums here, and my recollection is that most people have been positive. Here's a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Metal roofs

My take is similar to kudzu9

I was going to go with metal w/exposed fasteners. Then someone suggested the standing seam which I hadnt heard of before and someone else said they had trouble with the fasteners in that the rubber would dry, crack, and then leak. (we had a drought for about 2 years. but rain seems like every day now that we are building)

So given that info and the fact that standing seam was much higher, I was ready to go with a nice shingle. Nice warranty, very pretty.

Then as I watched these guys like squirrels up on my roof, and the back pitch is fairly long and steep, we decided to go with a 24 gauge standing seam. I don't want anyone, even young and squirrely, to have to go back up on the roof any more than necessary.

It also went on quicker, so it got them off the roof faster, not only for safety reasons but it also saved some labor costs.

I didnt get pics last night, I think the main roof is fairly complete now, but you can see a little of our roof progress in the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Build in Pictures

I agree about exposed fasteners; an asphalt roof would be more reliable unless the climate is unusually dry.

If exposed fasteners are used, it is essential to first cover the entire roof with WR Grace Ice & Water Shield (no substitutions). That's not a bid idea under any metal roof.

The exposed fasteners don't leak if installed properly. The gasket is compressed under a cupped washer. Only a slight bit of gasket edge is exposed to the elements once it is screwed down. That edge is non-critical.

Any roof installed by someone who doesn't know what he is doing or doesn't care is liable to leak.

Even standing seam roofs have exposed fasteners in the trim pieces.

We really want to have a 3/12 roof pitch or similar low slope as we feel it looks so much better on our home plan. I will check out the warranty on the exposed fastener style roof, it is certainly worth a look.

As far as aesthetics, plenty of "higher end" homes have metal roofs and they look gorgeous. It's more a matter of which roof suits the home's style.
Our architect specified a standing seam roof for our home and we love it. The fire threat here is very high. That's just one reason we went with metal. It was much more expensive than composition shingles, but should have a much longer life. If you're in a snow area (as we are), the gutters must be placed carefully so that the snow doesn't rip them off when it slides off the roof.

"The fire threat here is very high. That's just one reason we went with metal."
paying double for a metal roof alone does not make a house firesafe. fires dont usually start on the roof. the heat from wild fires cause a suction effect in the attic. that suction effect will suck embers into the attic through the roof vents starting a fire under your metal roof.
i dont want to get into a debate about metal roofs but sine i leve in an area where metal roofs are common i get to see how things are working. so far i cant see where they are cost effective.
i have houses near me that are 3 years old that have 40,000 invested in their roof. 20k when they built the house and 20k 3 years later for replacement because of hail. like many things in life the promised savings the metal roof salesman promised when he talked you into spending double or tripple what an asphalt roof costs are not always there.

Yes could debate all day :-)

Pros and Cons to everything. Just have to evaluate all the info that you can find to make your own decision.

Like my neighbor's leaky gaskets, highly possible he installed it himself incorrectly. Also was done 6 years ago. Many things could have been improved.

Also hail that causes damage to a metal roof is probably also going to damage a shingle roof. The damages to a metal might only be cosmetic and not cause leaking, while damage to a shingle might cause leaks. Isn't there a test for things like hail and wind, some sort of impact resistance test?

Some insurance companies give discounts. Some penalize. So might check with your insurance company and they might also have an insight to claims with each type of roof you are considering. thus discount or penalize :-) Might be a reason why there aren't many around. Or maybe now that you are considering it, you will start noticing more and more that you just didn't pay attention to before :-)

Whichever you decide, best of luck. I love my new roof period. I would have been happy if it were shingles also. I am just happy to have a roof :-)

The biggest problem with metal roofing is that the panels expand and contract with changes in temperature. Therefore, climates that have wide temperature changes, especially in the same day, put a great deal of stress on the fasteners. The advantage of standing seam metal roofing is that the panels can slide in the hidden clips and the joints are not compromised and there are no gaskets to replace.

"The exposed fasteners don't leak if installed properly."

True, but periodically, exposed fasteners on metal roofs should be checked for "tight" as they can work their way loose due to movement of the structure as well as the reasons Macv states. Not a matter of going up and re-tightening them, it should be checked by a pro as Creekside states, they need to be iunstalled correctly. This includes checking on them.

When I was looking for a roofer, I got best service with satisfied price, character and timeliness of Ranger Roofing.

I am looking at a book we have with different house plans in it...one of the biggest and most luxurious plans has one of the metal roofs...it is red and actually very pretty...I was against it until my husband told me our insurance will be better if we put it on on our house. My only question is, if it rains, does it sound like living in a tin can? Anyway, here in Texas...we can have some major hail and high wind storms...In some areas these metal roofs are the norm.....

Take a look at metal roofs online -- at first glance, some of them don't appear to be metal. Once I did some research, I started noticing roofs that aren't the typical "standing seam" style . . . but are metal.

My brother has the typical "standing seam" roof, and it has been in place 20+ years without incident.

I think they're a good choice, and we're definitely going with a metal roof.

Based primarily on cost of planned 8/12 roof for a new home in wet Blaine WA, I dropped the idea of a metal roof and likely saving of at least $30K.