Asphalt or metal is the fork-in-the-road decision for most Lower Mainland re-roofs, and both sides of the argument are usually sold too hard. We install both. Here's the honest comparison — cost, lifespan, and what forty-plus inches of annual rain actually does to each material.

The short answer

Asphalt shingles are the affordable, proven default: a typical Lower Mainland replacement runs $8,000–$18,000+, and a quality architectural shingle properly installed lasts 15–30 years here — with coastal moss and moisture pushing most roofs toward the lower half of that range unless they're maintained.
Metal roofing costs $18,000–$45,000+ for a typical home — roughly 2–3× asphalt upfront — and lasts 40–70 years. Over the life of the house, it's often the cheaper roof; the catch is you pay for those decades on day one.

If you plan to be in the home 10 years or less, asphalt usually wins the math. If this is the long-term home — or the roof is complex and expensive to re-do — metal deserves a serious look. Either way, get both numbers for your actual roof before deciding; the spread varies a lot with pitch and complexity.

What our climate does to asphalt

The Lower Mainland is kind to asphalt in one way — we rarely see the hail and extreme heat cycles that destroy shingles on the prairies — and hard on it in two others:

Moisture and moss. Shaded north slopes and homes under mature trees grow moss aggressively here. Moss lifts shingle edges, holds water against the surface, and shortens roof life materially. It's the single biggest reason two identical asphalt roofs age differently in this region — and why we tie shingle lifespan so strongly to maintenance in our guide to how long roofs last in the Lower Mainland.
Wind events. Fall and winter windstorms find every poorly nailed shingle. Installation quality — nailing pattern, starter courses, edge detail — matters more than the shingle brand.

A well-installed architectural shingle with zinc strips or periodic moss treatment is still a thoroughly sensible roof here. It just isn't a set-and-forget one.

What our climate does to metal

Metal's advantages line up unusually well with coastal BC:

Rain sheds instantly and moss struggles to establish on smooth, fast-drying panels — the maintenance burden that shortens asphalt's life here mostly doesn't apply.
Wind resistance of properly fastened standing-seam systems is excellent.
Fire rating is top-tier — increasingly relevant as BC's wildfire seasons push insurers to look harder at roofing materials.
Snow sheds rather than accumulating — worth knowing on the North Shore and in the Fraser Valley, where a slippery sheet of sliding snow above a doorway needs snow guards designed in.

The trade-offs are real too: higher upfront cost, fewer qualified installers (bad metal installation is very expensive to fix), more noise in heavy rain unless the assembly is detailed for it, and panel replacement after damage is less DIY-friendly than swapping shingles.

The lifetime math

Take a typical home where asphalt quotes at $14,000 and standing-seam metal at $34,000:

Asphalt at a 20-year life means you're buying this roof twice, maybe three times, over the period a single metal roof lasts — plus disposal, and whatever roofing costs in 2046.
Metal costs 2.4× as much once.

On pure lifetime dollars, metal usually wins if you'll own the home long enough to skip one full asphalt replacement. On cash flow and payback-if-you-sell-soon, asphalt usually wins. Neither answer is wrong — they're answers to different questions: *how long will you keep this roof?*

When asphalt is the right call

You may sell within roughly a decade
The budget has a hard ceiling this year (and see whether financing changes that picture)
The roof is simple and cheap to replace, so the "replace it twice" penalty is small
Strata or neighbourhood consistency effectively requires it

When metal is the right call

This is the long-term home and you want the roof handled once
The roof is complex or steep — expensive to re-roof, so doing it rarely pays
Heavy tree cover or a shaded lot makes moss a chronic battle
Wildfire-zone insurance considerations are in play

Frequently asked questions

Can you install metal over existing shingles?

Sometimes, with the right substrate and manufacturer approval — but we generally recommend tear-off so the deck can be inspected. Covering over deteriorated sheathing is how a 50-year roof gets a 10-year problem underneath it.

Is a metal roof noisy in the rain?

Over an insulated attic assembly, the difference from asphalt is much smaller than people expect. Exposed structures (carports, vaulted ceilings without insulation) are where rain noise is a genuine design consideration.

Does a metal roof help with resale?

A documented, transferable long-life roof is a genuine selling point — buyers here understand rain. Whether it returns its full premium at sale depends on the market and timing; the stronger case is avoiding the *next* replacement, not the sale price.

What about cedar or flat-roof options?

Cedar and torch-on/TPO systems have their own trade-offs — see our roof types pages for asphalt, metal, cedar and flat systems, or ask us to quote alternatives side by side.

Get both numbers for your roof

The 2–3× rule of thumb is a starting point; your roof's pitch, complexity and access decide the real spread. PCC Roofing quotes asphalt and metal side by side with a free inspection, so the decision is yours with real numbers on the table — not a salesperson's favourite. Book a free inspection, or start with what a roof replacement costs in the Lower Mainland.