Metal roof vs shingles: how to choose in Québec

Asphalt shingles are still the most common covering on sloped roofs in Greater Montréal. Metal is gaining ground, especially on suburban houses and steep roofs. Both make a good roof when they are well installed: the choice depends on your budget, how long you plan to keep the house and your municipality’s rules.

1. Asphalt shingles

• Lower upfront cost, and plenty of companies to install them.
• Lifespan varies with the product, the slope, sun exposure and attic ventilation: compare the length of the manufacturer’s warranty from one model to the next.
• Easy repair of a section torn off by the wind.

2. Metal roofing

• Higher upfront cost, but usually a longer lifespan than shingles.
• Snow slides off more easily: plan snow guards above entrances, walkways and balconies.
• Lighter than two layers of shingles; noise in the rain depends on the deck and the insulation.
• Two main families: standing-seam panels with hidden fasteners, and screwed-down panels. Ask which one you are being offered and why.

3. What matters either way

• Attic ventilation: it limits ice dams and extends the life of the covering.
• Flashing around chimneys and skylights and along walls.
• The membrane at the eaves and in the valleys, where water and ice collect.

4. Switching from shingles to metal: a permit in several cities

Changing materials is not treated as a simple replacement (pages in French):

• Laval: replacing the roof covering with a new material requires a permit, while the same material does not (City table).
• Châteauguay: same logic, replacing with the same type of material is exempt, changing material needs a permit (exterior and interior renovation).
• Sainte-Thérèse: an identical roof covering needs no permit, except in the PIIA sectors (the Village, the Gare and boulevard du Curé-Labelle), where a permit is required whatever the work (permits).
• Montréal: the page on renovating a sloped roof (updated April 9, 2026) lists metal among the allowed materials, but rules vary: some boroughs require a permit as soon as the material changes, and some work, such as re-covering a mansard, goes through PIIA (architectural integration) review.

Before picking a colour, ask the planning department whether your address is in a heritage or PIIA sector: the shade or profile of the metal may be regulated there.

5. What the quote must list

• The exact product, its gauge or thickness for metal, its colour and the manufacturer’s warranty.
• Tear-off of the old roofing and replacement of rotten wood, priced per sheet or per square foot.
• Ventilation, flashing, membranes and snow guards.
• The contractor’s warranty on the installation, and who applies for the permit.

Roofing is part of RBQ subclass 7: open the roofer’s licence record before paying a deposit, and read hiring a roofer too. Roofers in Terrebonne and in Montréal are listed with their subclasses, as are renovation companies in Châteauguay; you can also describe your roofing project and get quotes.