Design
How to Choose the Right Metal Roof for an Arkansas Building
A metal roof is a decades-long decision. Here's how pitch, panel profile, color, and the paint warranty affect what you'll live with.
Read moreMetal buildings come with three roof styles: regular, boxed-eave, and vertical. A regular roof is the most economical, a boxed-eave roof gives you an A-frame look at a middle price, and a vertical roof drains best and is the right choice for larger buildings. The differences come down to the shape of the eaves and the direction the roof panels run.
Regular roof: the economical option
A regular roof has rounded eaves and panels that run horizontally, from one end of the building to the other. It uses the least steel of the three styles, so it costs the least. On a small single carport in a sheltered spot, it does the job well.
The trade-off is drainage. Horizontal panels give rain, leaves, and ice more chances to sit on the roof instead of running off. Over a long roof that matters; over a 20-foot cover it rarely does.
Boxed-eave roof: the A-frame look
A boxed-eave roof has the pitched A-frame shape you’d expect on a house, with squared-off eaves. The panels still run horizontally. It’s the middle option on price and the cleanest look if the building sits next to a home, because the roofline matches the house.
Choose it when appearance matters and the building isn’t long enough for drainage to become a problem.
Vertical roof: built for drainage
A vertical roof has the same A-frame shape, but the panels run top to bottom, from ridge to eave. That orientation turns every rib into a channel, so rain, leaves, and ice slide off instead of collecting. It uses more framing, a ridge cap, and extra trim, so it costs more than the other two.
On larger buildings we usually recommend it. The longer the roof, the farther a horizontal panel has to carry water sideways before it drains, and the more a vertical panel earns its keep. The ice that shows up every few Arkansas winters is another reason: a vertical roof sheds it.
Which roof style should you choose?
- Small, simple cover: a regular roof is hard to argue with.
- Beside the house: boxed-eave or vertical, for the matching roofline.
- Longer than two parking spaces, or in open country: vertical, for drainage and ice.
- Enclosed garage, shop, or barndominium: vertical, almost always.
Roof style also decides which panel profile works best. On a vertical roof, deeper ribs carry water better; on a regular or boxed-eave roof, the profile is mostly about looks. Read more in how to choose the right metal roof for an Arkansas building.
How Metal Dreams specs the roof
We set the roof style around drainage first and looks second, because standing water is what shortens a roof’s life. Tell us what you’re building and where it’s going, and we’ll recommend a roof and explain why. If a cheaper style will do the job, we’ll say so. Start with a carport, garage, or shop, or request a free estimate.
