Modern metal roofs have come a long way from the economic galvanized tin roofs that have topped country homes and buildings since the 1700s.

Metal roofing, fabricated to mimic asphalt, shingles, even slate, is more costly than alternatives. Builders tout metal as "investment- grade roofing," and say its durability and energy-saving qualities are big selling points. Photo Credit: Metal Roofing Alliance

In the old days, silver was the only color available. Metal roofs now come in all shades and styles and look like asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, clay tiles or slate.

The roofs also withstand extreme weather conditions, such as hail, wildfires, and high winds. Their high reflectivity makes them energy- efficient, an important consideration at a time when heating fuel costs are, well, through the roof.

"Metal roofs are becoming a lot more popular because they have so many advantages for the homeowner," says Bill Hippard, president of the Metal Roofing Alliance, Belfast, Wash.

The residential and commercial metal roofing market will grow 25 percent in five years, from $2.4 billion in 2003 to $3 billion in 2008, according to the Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland research firm. Metal roofing will make up at least 8.4 percent of the overall roofing market by 2008.

Hippard chalks up the small but growing market for metal roofs to expense. Metal roofs cost about two to three times more than asphalt roofs. But the sticker shock wears off for homeowners who consider that metal roofs last 50 years or longer, while asphalt roofs typically need repair after 15 to 20 years.

In many parts of the country appraisers have started to add $1.45 per square in value if a home has a metal roof, Hippard says. For a 3,000-square-foot home, a new metal roof automatically elevates the home's worth by $4,000.

Another advantage is energy cost. A study commissioned by the Florida Power & Light Co. found that light-colored metal roofs offered big savings.

Consumers with white, galvanized metal roofs on a 1,770-square-foot home saved about 23 percent annually in cooling costs, compared with a dark-gray shingle roof on the same home.

The advantages of metal roofs in colder temperatures are still not as widely known. One deterrent, some say, is the dangerous snow and ice movement. As the sun warms the metal roof panels, the snow and ice can detach from the roof and slide. The avalanche can tear loose gutters and downspouts and injure passersby. Snow guards or rails are considered essential in cold-weather areas.

Homeowners interested in metal roofs tend to have older-style homes, and they're trying to re-create a look, or they have contemporary homes that they want to make distinctive.

More homeowners who have aging metal roofs also are opting to repair them, rather than replace them with a cheaper material, says Miriam Cunningham, president of Roof Menders Inc. in Conshohocken, Penn.

"I receive calls people buying homes with metal roofs who want to know what it takes to stop a leak or what's involved in restoring it," she says. "There's a real push to restore metal roofs in older homes."

Her company preserves the old roof panels using acrylic and mesh.

Jeanie Stambaugh wasn't sure, at first, what to do with the aging green, tin roof that capped her early 20th-century Cockeysville, Md. bungalow. As the paint on the low-slung roof with wide-overhanging eaves started to wear and rust, she and her husband considered ripping out the metal and replacing it with asphalt shingles.

Then they started to see more homes with that look reminiscent of rural early America that metal roofs can sometimes evoke. "We decided to stay with metal, but we selected a barn-red color to better contrast with our yellow house," she says.

By some accounts, metal roofs can be a little noisier during a rainstorm, although many of the new styles feature thicker insulation. But there are those who like the lulling sounds of raindrops.

"That's part of the old look and feel of the home," Stambaugh says.