Friend, I have a white standing seam metal roof, as do my neighbors on one side. The roofs were installed about 15 years ago by the previous owners of this house, going in together with the neighbors, and will likely last for another 15-20 years. I love the roof and think it’s great - it is durable and helps to keep the house cool in the summer, as well as looking very nice on this style of house (50s ranch).
There are drawbacks however: you don’t see them very often because the up-front cost is double or triple a composite roof and they require the same if not more maintenance. After all, it is a huge painted surface directly exposed to the sun - ours actually needs to be repainted. In our rainy climate (Portland, OR) the roof needs regular, very expensive cleaning service to avoid deterioration of the finish and mildew growth. It also doesn’t shed water as well as composite and suffers from more than the usual amount of ridge vent leakage (in my case both are exacerbated by a very low pitch). Metal roofs also have the drawback of being more susceptible to leaks at penetrations, and a DIY homeowner can’t add a vent or similar to the roof - that has to be done professionally to protect the integrity of the roof. They are also very slick to walk on when wet.
Homeowners and builders make decisions for all sorts of reasons.
