A Metal Roof Lasts for Decades. Here Is What It Returns at Resale.
Home Improvement Payback Guide, part 16 of 21
Illustrative photo, not a Bay Area property. Photo from Pexels.
Your roofer just quoted you a metal roof, and the number made you blink. Now you are asking the same thing most Bay Area homeowners ask: if I spend that much, will I see the money again when I sell?
The short answer is mostly no. In the 2021 national Cost vs. Value study, a standing seam metal roof ranked number 16 of the 20 projects this guide covers. It brought back about 56 cents for every dollar spent. This post walks through the numbers so you can decide with clear eyes.
The job cost
$46,031
Back at resale
$25,816
The gap you absorb
$20,215
Cents back per dollar
56 cents
Numbers above are 2021 national averages from the Cost vs. Value study. They are a ranking guide, not a quote for your home.
What you spend, and what comes back at resale
The study priced a full roof, not a patch job.
Before you weigh the money, know what the study actually priced. It was a complete tear off and replacement, not a repair. Standing seam means long metal panels joined at raised ridges, with no exposed screws for water to sneak past. Here is what the project included:
- Replace 30 squares of roofing, which is 3,000 square feet
- Standing seam metal panels
- A ridge vent, which lets hot air escape at the peak of the roof
- All the accessories and underlayments, the protective layers that go under the metal
In 2021, the cheaper asphalt roof beat metal.
In the 2021 national Cost vs. Value study, a standing seam metal roof cost $46,031 and brought back $25,816 at resale. That leaves a gap of $20,215. Put another way, sellers saw about 56 cents back for every dollar they spent. Keep in mind these are national averages, and Bay Area quotes usually run higher.
Here is the twist. Head to head with asphalt in the same 2021 national data, metal cost far more, $46,031 vs $28,256, and returned a smaller share, 56.1 percent vs 60.7 percent. The cheaper option won. Buyers tend to price the two roofs almost the same, so most of the extra money stays on the roof.
The 2025 San Francisco metro picture looks no better.
The 2025 Cost vs. Value report for the San Francisco metro area, which covers Fremont, Newark and Union City, tells a similar story closer to home. A metal roof there cost $64,936 and brought back $30,727 at resale, about 47 cents for every dollar spent. The gap is $34,209. One caution in plain words: the report changed how it measures results between 2021 and 2025, so these numbers cannot be compared with the 2021 figures. Each year stands on its own.
Metal wins on lifespan and fire safety, not resale.
So why do people love metal roofs? Because metal is the longest lived roof you can buy, and it is fire resistant, which matters in wildfire aware parts of the Bay Area. A roof that does not burn buys real peace of mind.
The catch is the price. In the course data, metal is the worst performing exterior project, because it costs so much more than asphalt while buyers price the two roofs almost the same. Buy it for the 50 year lifespan, not the resale. If you plan to stay in your Fremont, Newark or Union City home for decades, that trade can still make sense.
Buy metal for the decades, not the sale.
Here is the general rule on timing. Exterior projects tend to earn their keep when you sell soon, because curb appeal and a clean inspection help a sale. Interior projects are for the years you live there. A metal roof is the odd one out. It sits outside, but at these prices the resale math works more like a luxury purchase than a repair.
Also plan ahead. Standing seam is specialty work, so crews and materials can take longer to line up than a standard shingle job. If you expect to sell in the next few years, skip the metal and put on a well installed asphalt roof instead.
Questions homeowners ask
Does a metal roof raise my home's resale value?
It adds some value, but less than it costs. In the 2021 national Cost vs. Value study, a standing seam metal roof cost $46,031 and brought back $25,816 at resale, about 56 cents for every dollar spent. Those are national averages, and Bay Area quotes usually run higher. Your home's condition and your local market matter too.
How long does a metal roof last compared to shingles?
Metal is the longest lived roof you can buy. A standing seam metal roof offers a 50 year lifespan, far longer than a typical asphalt roof. That long life, plus fire resistance, is the real reason to buy one.
Should I put on a metal roof before selling my Bay Area house?
For most sellers, no. In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report for the San Francisco metro area, a metal roof cost $64,936 and brought back $30,727 at resale. Fremont, Newark and Union City sit inside that metro. That is about 47 cents for every dollar spent. One caution in plain words: the report changed how it measures between 2021 and 2025, so those numbers cannot be compared with the 2021 study. If your roof is failing, a standard asphalt replacement usually makes more sense before a sale.
More from this guide
- Every guide in one place: the Home Improvements page
- Start here: all twenty projects, ranked
- Part 15: Planning a Major Kitchen Remodel Before Selling? Read the Numbers First
- Part 17: An Upscale Bathroom Remodel Is a Luxury, Not an Investment
- Part 4: Fiber Cement Siding in the Bay Area: What It Costs and What Comes Back
- Part 5: Do Vinyl Replacement Windows Pay You Back When You Sell?
See the full charts and payback calculator →
Thinking about selling in the next year or two?
The remodel conversation belongs 6 to 12 months before you list, while every option is still open. Start with what your home is worth today, then decide what, if anything, is worth doing.
Or just ask. Call or text Harv at 510 600 3425.
Cost and resale figures are from the Cost vs. Value Report, © Zonda Media, LLC (2021 national edition and 2025 San Francisco metro edition, costvsvalue.com), deemed reliable but not guaranteed. They are averages for the specific projects studied and are not an estimate or a prediction for any specific property. The 2021 and 2025 editions measure differently and are not comparable to each other. Prepared by Harv Balu, REALTOR®, GRI, CIPS, PSA, FTBS. REALTY EXPERTS®, DRE #02195792. Call or text 510 600 3425. Equal Housing Opportunity.