It is the question nearly every re-roof customer asks us: should we go metal or stick with tiles? The honest answer is that both handle Illawarra weather well when they are installed properly. The right choice usually comes down to your street, your budget, the pitch of your roof and how long you plan to stay in the house — not to one material being better in every way.
Start with what you have. If your home already carries tiles and the structure was built for their weight, staying with tiles is often simplest. If you are switching either way, that is the moment to weigh the differences, because the roof you choose will sit over your head for decades.
Where metal wins
Metal sheeting is light, which makes it kinder to older frames and a good option where the structure needs a check before carrying heavy tiles. Long sheets with fewer joins shed water fast in driving coastal rain, and metal suits lower roof pitches where tiles would struggle to stay watertight. Installation is usually quicker too, so there is less time with your home opened up to the weather.
Two worries come up every time: noise and heat. A metal roof over proper sarking and ceiling insulation sounds much the same as tiles in normal rain — most of the drumming people remember comes from old sheds with no insulation at all. And while any dark roof absorbs heat, the insulation layers we fit under metal sheeting do far more for summer comfort than the colour of the surface.
Where tiles win
Tiles suit streets where every home wears them; keeping the original look protects the character buyers pay for in older suburbs. Concrete and terracotta tiles are tough, shrug off hail that would dent thinner sheeting, and repairs are simple — a cracked tile lifts out and a matching one drops in without disturbing the rest of the slope. Just have the frame checked first if your place is changing from metal to tile, because the extra weight has to be carried properly.