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Roofing ServicesAsphalt vs metal: the fifty-year ledger.
One roof costs less today. The other costs less every year after. Here is the whole comparison in one honest table, with the caveats printed instead of whispered.
| Measure | Architectural asphalt | Class 4 asphalt | Standing seam metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed cost (typical home) | $9k to $14k | $10k to $15k | $22k to $34k |
| Financed monthly (approved credit) | from $115/mo | from $125/mo | from $189/mo |
| Realistic Kansas service life | 15 to 20 yrs | 18 to 25 yrs | 40 to 60 yrs |
| Roofs bought over 50 years | 3 | 2 to 3 | 1 |
| Hail performance | Bruises at 1 in and up | Resists most 1 to 2 in hail | Highest impact class; dents cosmetic |
| Wind rating | 110 to 130 mph | 110 to 130 mph | 140+ mph seamed |
| Possible insurance premium credit | Rarely | Some carriers | Some carriers |
| 50-year cost of ownership (rough) | $30k to $42k | $24k to $34k | $22k to $34k |
Every figure on this table is an illustrative demo range for a fictional company, not a quote. Real numbers depend on roof size, pitch, access, and the market week the materials are ordered.
The caveats, printed.
The fifty-year rows assume you stay in the house, and most people do not. If you are selling inside ten years, asphalt usually wins your math, and we will say so at the kitchen table. Metal's resale bump is real but rarely recovers the full install gap on a quick sale.
The hail rows are where Wichita changes the answer. Every asphalt roof here lives one storm from a claim, and every claim costs you a deductible plus a week of your life. Class 4 asphalt is the efficient middle: most of metal's storm resilience at a fraction of the gap. Standing seam is the endgame: buy the roof once, log the storms from the porch.
Whichever column you land in, the numbers frame monthly through financing, and the systems themselves are detailed under asphalt and metal roofing.
One storm line. One desk. Zero guesswork.
Start with a free written damage report. If your roof is fine, we will tell you that too, in writing, and you can get back to your week.