The objections file
Metal roof myths: noise, lightning, and the rest
Every standing seam decision in New Hampshire runs the same gauntlet of objections at the kitchen table, most of them inherited from barn roofs and old wives. Each one has a factual answer. Here are the six that come up every time, answered straight.
Myth 1
"Rain will be deafening"
The drumming memory comes from barns: bare panels over open purlins. A residential system sits on solid decking over underlayment above an insulated attic, and the indoor rain sound lands in the same range as asphalt. If quiet matters to you, ask about the deck assembly, not the material.
Myth 2
"Metal attracts lightning"
Strikes chase height and path to ground, not material. A metal-roofed cape is not more likely to be hit than its asphalt neighbor; if a hit happens, a noncombustible roof is the one you want overhead. Lightning protection systems are a separate decision driven by site exposure, same as ever.
Myth 3
"It will rust like the old barn"
The old barn was bare or field-painted steel. Modern panels carry metallic coatings under factory finishes with measured, warranted performance, or are aluminum and cannot red-rust at all. Corrosion practice now lives in the details: sealed cut edges, no dissimilar-metal contact, and honest salt-distance answers near the coast.
Myth 4
"You cannot roof in winter here"
Standing seam locks mechanically and does not depend on heat-activated seal strips the way shingles do, so cold-weather installation is routine. Winter scheduling turns on safe access and staging, and off-season slots are often the easiest to book.
Myth 5
"Metal is too heavy for an older house"
Backwards: standing seam is one of the lightest roof coverings per square foot, lighter than the asphalt it usually replaces. The structural conversation on an old camp or barn is about snow load capacity, not the panels.
Myth 6
"It will make the house cold in winter"
A roof surface is not an insulation layer on any material; your attic insulation does that job under metal exactly as under shingles. What changes seasonally is summer: reflective finishes reject solar gain, which cuts cooling load and costs nothing in January.
The objections that deserve real weight
Two concerns in the usual list are not myths. The price is real: standing seam runs about twice asphalt up front, and whether the 40 to 70 year service life justifies it is an honest personal calculation, worked through in the cost guide and the versus-asphalt comparison. And installer quality is real: in a state with no roofing license, the system is only as good as the crew and the written contract, which is why the hiring guide exists. The technical claims behind the answers above are unpacked at standing seam metal roofing and colors and systems, and the whole decision lives at the New Hampshire Metal Roofing Guide.