I put a metal roof on my shed last summer, and I definitely noticed the popping and pinging sounds you're talking about, especially early in the morning or late afternoon when temperatures shift. I didn't do a side-by-side comparison exactly, but here's what I did notice: originally, I had thinner gauge panels because they were cheaper and easier to handle. After a storm damaged a couple panels, I replaced them with slightly thicker ones (went from 29 gauge to 26 gauge). Honestly, the thicker panels seemed quieter overall—less of that sharp metallic pinging sound.
Also, adding a breathable underlayment made a noticeable difference. It wasn't silent by any means, but it softened the noises significantly. If you're sensitive to noise or your roof is close to bedrooms or living areas, I'd definitely recommend going thicker if your budget allows and pairing that with some kind of underlayment. It might cost a bit more upfront, but it's worth it for peace of mind...and ears.
I had a similar experience when we replaced our porch roof last year. Initially, I went with thinner panels to save some cash, but the noise was way more noticeable than I'd anticipated—especially those temperature-related pops and pings you mentioned. After some research (and a few sleepless mornings), I ended up swapping them out for thicker gauge panels and added a breathable underlayment.
"Honestly, the thicker panels seemed quieter overall—less of that sharp metallic pinging sound."
Totally agree on this point. The thicker metal definitely cut down on the sharper noises, and the underlayment helped dampen things even further. Didn't completely eliminate it, but it brought it down to a manageable level. If noise is a concern at all, investing in thicker panels upfront is worth considering—wish I'd known that from the start...would've saved me some hassle.
I went through something similar a couple years back when we redid our garage roof. Initially, I thought the thinner panels would be fine—after all, it's just a garage, right? But those temperature-related noises drove me nuts, especially early mornings.
"Didn't completely eliminate it, but it brought it down to a manageable level."
Exactly my experience too. Thicker panels and underlayment made a noticeable difference. Still hear the occasional ping, but it's more muted now and doesn't wake me up anymore...lesson learned the hard way, I guess.
Same here, wish I'd known sooner. When we moved in, the previous owner had just put on a thin metal roof over the porch—thought it looked nice enough. But man, those early morning pops and creaks were something else... ended up adding insulation underneath, helped a ton. Still hear it sometimes, but way less annoying now.
"ended up adding insulation underneath, helped a ton. Still hear it sometimes, but way less annoying now."
Insulation's definitely one way to go, but honestly, I'm not convinced it's always worth the hassle or cost. Had a similar situation at a property I manage—a tenant kept complaining about those same pops and creaks from a thin metal porch roof. We looked into insulation, but after crunching the numbers, it seemed like a lot of effort and expense for something that might only partially solve the issue.
Instead, we ended up adjusting how the panels were secured. Turns out a big part of that popping noise was due to expansion and contraction with temperature changes—metal roofs can be tricky that way. We loosened some screws slightly to allow for movement and added rubber washers beneath the fasteners. Not saying it completely eliminated every creak (you'll still hear something occasionally if you're really listening), but tenants reported a noticeable improvement without breaking the bank.
Not knocking insulation entirely—it can definitely help—but sometimes simpler fixes are enough. Might be worth checking if your roof panels are installed too tightly or without proper expansion space before diving into insulation projects...
