Florida narrows the field. Salt air, UV, and named-storm wind speeds rule out a lot of what works elsewhere. The three viable materials for most South Florida properties are concrete or clay tile, asphalt shingle, and standing seam or 5V crimp metal.

Tile

Clay or concrete tile lasts 40 to 50 years if installed correctly. The underlayment, not the tile, is what fails — most tile replacements at year 25 are really underlayment replacements, with the tile reused. Tile is the heaviest system (7-10 lbs per square foot), which means rafter capacity has to be verified before specifying it on a previously-shingled home. Tile carries the lowest insurance rate in most Florida markets because it survives hurricanes that wreck shingle.

Cost: $45,000 to $90,000 for a typical single-family residence in 2026.

Shingle

Architectural asphalt shingle is the most common South Florida residential system. Modern algae-resistant shingle with proper underlayment and ring-shank nailing lasts 22 to 27 years in this climate. The label "lifetime warranty" on shingle is a marketing artifact — the warranty covers manufacturing defect, which represents a small fraction of real-world failure modes.

Cost: $18,000 to $32,000 for the same residence.

Metal

Standing seam and 5V crimp metal sit between tile and shingle on price and at the top on storm performance. A standing seam system from a top-tier manufacturer has a published wind rating above 180 mph. The reflective coating reduces summer attic temperature by 20-30 degrees, which translates to measurable AC savings.

The trade-off is appearance — metal looks industrial on traditional Florida architecture. HOA restrictions are common in master-planned communities.

Cost: $35,000 to $65,000 for the same residence.

How to choose

Three questions narrow the choice fast:

  1. How long do you plan to own the building? Under 10 years, shingle returns the most. Over 20, tile or metal.
  2. What does the HOA allow? Many communities mandate tile or restrict metal profiles. The HOA letter comes before the material choice.
  3. What is the rafter capacity? An engineer's letter is required before specifying tile on a shingle-framed home.

We bring color samples on the site visit. The answer to "what should I install?" depends on the building, not the brochure.