Metal Roofs in Reston, VA: What Cluster Standards Say
Reston Association's design application asks about roofing material and names metal as one example. The working detail sits in each cluster's own design standards, and the three we read do not agree with one another.
Whether metal is an option on your roof depends on your cluster, because the cluster standards that mention it say different things.
- Townes at Waterford: metal roof on end units only
- Hemingway: metal only on approved screened porches
- Devonshire: every metal roof kept in one matched finish
Side by side
How do three Reston clusters treat a metal roof?
Wording taken from each cluster's published design standards, read October 12, 2026.
| Cluster | Where metal is allowed | Conditions in the standard |
|---|---|---|
| Townes at Waterford (43 townhomes) | End units only | Color to match the door and the railing; all homes in a row share one shingle color |
| Hemingway (78 lots) | Design Review Board approved screened porches only | Pitch no steeper than 3:12, a close match to the shingle color, standing seam |
| Devonshire (83 townhomes) | Roofs that already have metal | Replace or paint all metal on a house together, one approved finish across the whole cluster |
The association's own application sits above these. Its roofing block asks you to identify the type and style of material, listing 3-tab, architectural, wood, simulated shakes, metal, tile and composition as examples, and its additions block says all materials and colors will match the existing home.
The detail
What does each standard actually print about metal?
Townes at Waterford: one line, end units
The cluster is traditional-style townhomes on Waterhaven Drive and Court, standards revised August 2025. Its roofing page shows four shingle swatches and gives the metal roof a single entry: end units only, in a color to match the door and railing. The color palette page groups metal roofs with entry doors and iron railings and says adjacent homes should not be stained the same color.
The page does not say where on an end unit the metal goes.
Hemingway: porches, with four conditions
Hemingway has patio homes and town homes, standards revised April 2026. Any new shingled roof replacement must use architectural shingles. Metal appears only for screened porches, with four stipulations: Design Review Board approval of the porch, a pitch no steeper than 3:12, a close color match to the shingle standard, and a standing seam.
Nothing on the page addresses a metal roof over the main house.
Devonshire: metal is already there, so uniformity rules
The Devonshire townhomes date from the early 1990s, and the April 2024 standards say each row shares one shingle color. A metal roofing section offers two routes: replacement in smooth aluminum coil in a dark bronze finish matching the original style, or painting the existing metal with a bonding primer and a tinted acrylic. Every metal area on a house must be replaced or painted at the same time in the same approved finish, and all metal roofing in the cluster must be one approved color, material and style.
The document does not say where a house has its metal, so check your own roof against it.
The association publishes these as PDFs in the Document Center under Design Guidelines, in a folder of cluster standards that sits beside separate condominium, common-area and general guidelines.
Reading Hemingway's wording
Why would a porch roof be a standing seam?
A standing seam panel rises into a raised seam where two panels meet, locked over a hidden clip. Under the 2021 International Building Code the minimum slope for a standing-seam metal panel system is one quarter unit vertical in 12, the gentlest of the metal panel types the code lists, and it suits a low roof.
That is our reading of the building code, not a reason the cluster gives. The standard states the profile and the 3:12 ceiling without explaining either. Our metal materials guide covers the other panel types, and the Northern Virginia metal roofing guide lists what each Virginia place says to ask.
What none of these standards answers
None says whether metal may replace shingles on a main house roof, and none gives a timeline. Ask Covenants staff at 703-435-6530 before panels are ordered.
Before you price it
What should you do before pricing a metal roof in Reston?
Name your cluster
Ask Covenants staff, or look for it among the cluster standards on reston.org.
Read the roofing page
Look for the word metal and for rules about rows, end units and color matches.
Ask about silence
If the standard never mentions metal, ask how a request is handled rather than assume.
Call us with the page
Bring the standard and a photo of each side of the house.
Questions
Metal roof questions from Reston cluster owners
Does Reston Association allow metal roofs?
Its application lists metal among the materials it asks about and states no single answer. The cluster standards add the detail, so ask Covenants staff how your cluster treats it.
Where are the cluster design standards published?
As PDFs in the Design Guidelines folder of the association's Document Center, which the Design Guidelines page links to. Each cluster has its own file.
Can neighboring clusters have different roof rules?
Yes. The three standards above differ on where metal may go, how it must look and whether existing metal must match across the cluster.
What does end units only mean at Townes at Waterford?
The standard prints the words without a definition or a diagram. Ask Covenants staff which parts of an end unit it covers before planning a roof.
Does Hemingway's rule allow metal on the main roof?
The words permit metal on Design Review Board approved screened porches. They do not mention a main roof, so treat that as a question for staff.
Why would a cluster ask for all metal to share one finish?
Devonshire's stipulations require every metal roofing area in the cluster to be one approved color, material and style. The standard states the rule, not the reason.
What if my cluster's standard does not mention metal?
Silence is not a yes or a no. The association's checklist has a separate block headed Community Standard (Cluster or Condominium) that asks for a reason, photographs of the materials already in the cluster and a copy of the community notice.
The Reston page has the county permit table and the other review bodies, and the Reston EPDM page covers the flat-roof side. Neighboring pages: metal roofs in Great Falls and metal roofs in McLean.
Official pages used
Checked October 12, 2026: Reston Association design review application; Reston Association design guidelines; Townes at Waterford cluster standards; Hemingway cluster standards; Devonshire cluster standards; 2021 International Building Code, chapter 15.
Talk through the next step
Bring your cluster's name and the metal you have in mind
Tell us the cluster or street and what you want the roof to look like. A short phone call sorts out what to ask the association first.
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