Most Twin Cities homeowners replace a roof once, maybe twice, in the time they own a house. That means the decision usually gets made with very little practice and a lot of pressure, often right after a hailstorm or the first winter leak.
This article walks through the three roofing materials we install at MNSOTA Construction, what Minnesota weather does to each of them, and the parts of a roof you never see but should ask about. If you already know you need a new roof, our residential roofing page has the short version and a quote form.
What Minnesota Weather Does to a Roof
A roof in St. Paul works harder than a roof almost anywhere else in the country. Four things wear it down, and they show up every year.
Snow load. A wet March snow can put several thousand pounds on an average roof. The shingles do not fail from the weight, but the decking, rafters, and fasteners underneath all feel it.
Ice dams. Heat escaping through the attic melts snow from underneath. That water runs down to the cold eave, refreezes, and builds a ridge of ice. The water pooling behind that ridge backs up under the shingles. Most winter ceiling stains in the Twin Cities start this way, not from a hole in the roof.
Hail. Spring and summer storms drop hail that bruises shingles, knocks granules loose, and dents soft metal. Damage is often invisible from the ground, which is why we recommend an inspection after any storm with hail over about an inch. Our storm damage page covers what to look for.
Wind. Straight-line winds lift shingle edges, and once a tab is lifted it rarely seals back down. Wind ratings on shingles matter here more than in most markets.
The freeze-thaw cycle ties all of this together. Water gets into a small gap, freezes, expands, and makes the gap bigger. Repeat that fifty times a winter and small problems become big ones.
Architectural Shingles: The Right Call for Most Homes
Architectural (also called dimensional or laminated) shingles are two layers of asphalt shingle bonded together. They are thicker and heavier than the old three-tab shingles, hold up better in wind, and give the roof a textured, shadowed look instead of a flat one.
For most Twin Cities homes this is the best balance of cost, durability, and appearance. A properly installed architectural shingle roof should last 25 to 30 years here, and the three brands we install all carry limited lifetime warranties on the product.
What separates one shingle from another in Minnesota comes down to two ratings:
- Impact rating. UL 2218 Class 3 or Class 4 shingles resist hail bruising. Some insurance carriers offer a discount for Class 4.
- Wind rating. Look for 110 mph or better. Owens Corning Duration shingles carry a 130 mph wind warranty when installed with four nails and their SureNail strip.
We install IKO Dynasty and Cambridge, Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration, and CertainTeed Landmark. Each has strengths. IKO Dynasty leans toward wind performance, CertainTeed Landmark adds a 25-year algae streak warranty, and Owens Corning Duration is known for its nailing strip. We are an IKO ROOFPRO contractor, which means IKO has vetted our installation, and that matters because the manufacturer warranty only holds if the shingles go on correctly.
Metal Roofing: Built for Snow and Freeze-Thaw
Metal is the material that handles Minnesota winters best, and it is not close. Snow slides off a metal roof instead of sitting on it, so snow load and ice dams are far less of a problem. There are no granules to lose to hail and no shingle edges for wind to catch. A standing seam metal roof commonly lasts 40 to 60 years.
The tradeoffs are real, so we say them up front:
- Cost. Expect roughly two to three times the price of architectural shingles for the same roof.
- Snow management. Snow coming off a metal roof all at once can crush gutters, bury a walkway, or land on a car. Snow guards above entries and driveways are not optional here.
- Noise and dents. Rain is louder without attic insulation to muffle it, and large hail can dent softer panels. Thicker gauge steel limits this.
- Appearance. Standing seam looks modern. It suits some neighborhoods and homes better than others, and some HOAs restrict it.
Metal makes the most sense if you plan to stay in the home a long time, if you have had repeated ice dam problems, or if the roof is low-slope where shingles struggle.
Wood Shakes: Character, With Upkeep
Wood shakes give a roof a texture nothing else matches. On older homes in St. Paul’s historic neighborhoods, or on a custom build going for a natural look, they can be the right choice.
Be honest with yourself about maintenance. Cedar shakes need to dry out between storms, so shaded roofs and tree cover work against them. They need periodic cleaning to keep moss and debris off, and they should be treated to resist moisture. Well-maintained shakes can go 30 years. Neglected ones can fail in 15.
Shakes also sit above shingles in cost, and some insurers charge more to cover a wood roof. If you love the look but not the upkeep, several shingle lines mimic a shake profile and are worth seeing in person before you decide.
The Parts of the Roof You Never See
Two roofs can use the exact same shingle and have completely different lifespans. The difference is what goes on under it. When you compare quotes, these are the line items to ask about.
Decking. The plywood or OSB the roof is nailed to. Any soft, delaminated, or rotted sheets need to be replaced, not covered. A good quote tells you how deck replacement is priced per sheet before the job starts.
Ice and water shield. A self-sealing membrane applied at the eaves, in valleys, and around penetrations. Minnesota building code requires it to extend from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. On low-slope sections and north-facing eaves we often run it further.
Underlayment. Synthetic underlayment covers the rest of the deck as a second water barrier. It has largely replaced felt paper and holds up better if the roof sits open between tear-off and shingling.
Flashing. Metal at the chimney, walls, skylights, and vents. Reusing old flashing to save money is one of the most common sources of leaks on a new roof. Ask whether the flashing is new.
Ventilation. A balanced system of intake at the soffits and exhaust at the ridge keeps the attic close to outdoor temperature. That is the single best defense against ice dams, and it protects the shingles from cooking in summer. Many manufacturer warranties are reduced or voided without proper ventilation.
Drip edge and starter strip. Small items that keep water off the fascia and seal the first course against wind. Cheap to do right, expensive to skip.
Repair or Replace?
Not every problem means a new roof. A few lifted shingles after a windstorm, a leaking pipe boot, or a bad piece of chimney flashing are repairs, and we handle them through our roof repair service.
Replacement usually makes more sense when:
- Shingles are curling, cracking, or losing granules across large areas, not just one spot
- Gutters fill with granules after every rain
- The roof is 20 or more years old and has had more than one repair
- Leaks show up in more than one room
- Hail or wind damage covers enough of the roof that an insurance adjuster would call it a total loss
If you are not sure, ask for an inspection. We will walk the roof, check the attic, and tell you plainly whether you are looking at a repair or a replacement. If the damage is storm related, we also help with the insurance claim so the paperwork does not fall on you.
Planning the Cost
The price of a new roof depends on square footage, pitch, the number of layers to tear off, the material you choose, and how much decking needs replacing. Because those variables swing the number so much, we built a roof price calculator that gives you an estimate from your address in a couple of minutes. Use it to get a ballpark before anyone sets foot on your property.
If the timing is not ideal, financing is available through Sunlight Financial. A roof that is leaking now costs more every month it waits, because water damage to insulation, drywall, and framing adds up fast.
Every roof we install is covered two ways: the manufacturer’s product warranty on the shingles and our own lifetime workmanship warranty on the installation. If something we did causes a problem, we fix it. That second warranty is the one most homeowners forget to ask about, and it is the one that matters most.
Ready to Talk About Your Roof?
MNSOTA Construction has been installing roofs across St. Paul and the Twin Cities metro since 2018. We were roofers before we were owners, so we know what a roof should look like from the deck up, and we are available 24/7 when a storm does not wait for business hours.
Visit our residential roofing page to request a quote, or call (651) 968-2005 and talk to someone who has actually been on a roof.