Roofing Answers:

Time to re roof?

Watch it:

Metal Roofing Videos

How much?

Roofing Prices

Related to pricing:

Metal roofing cost

Insightful cost analysis compares the rest of premium roofs vs. metal roofing.

New Trend in U.S roofing:

Residential Metal Roofs

Funny, but true, it took a while for metal roofs to get fully integrated for residential use, as a premium product dominating mainstream roofing industry. A personal anecdote with a bit of humorous touch tells the story.

How to measure roof:

Roofing estimator

This guide teaches basic principles of roof estimating. You can learn how to do a roofing estimate in 4 easy steps! Know how to measure roofs, how to figure roofing squares, and how to estimate roofs.

Metal roofing prices explained:

By LA Metal Roofs LLC © 2001-2008 http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com

This in-depth analysis and detailed explanation is intended to provide information and shed the light on this "oh so mysterious unknown". I decided to write this guide after being approached by many people who were frustrated trying to figure out the general price to put up a new metal roof on their home. For whatever reason, that information seemed to be skillfully hidden and painfully unavailable. Well, what is the big secret? You may ask... There are no secrets! It is just that metal roofing is in fact rather pricey, and most companies would rather be careful. That is why they only want to tell you about their prices in person. They want people to see and learn about the product first, in order to show that there is real value in the product, hence the price is well justified.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me uncover the secret and share all the necessary details such as price figures and the actual examples! It is my goal to help you become a more educated consumer!

Metal roofing - introducing the Ferrari of roofing industry!

• Looks - Forget the images of those old ugly metal roofs on grey barns! Modern metal roofs offer vivid colors and a truly impressive selection of styles that command our admiration, and play with our imagination. In fact, when I first saw this subdued red colored metal shingle roof, back in 1997, I became really impressed and even fascinated by the beautiful design of metal shingle that had impressive resemblance of Cedar Shake texture, and its lines were playfully reflecting early morning sun.

• Long Lasting Modern Metal roofs are among some of the most practical and long lasting roofing solutions that are available to homeowners today. They offer great security and protection to a homeowner who is planning to stay in his/her house for awhile, and is interested a reliable and worry free roof. Many of today's metal roofing products come with warranties of up to 50 years. Many premium metal roofing products such as Copper have been known to last well over 100 years! Of course a metal roof is only as good as a metal roofing contractor who installs it. Therefore it is imperative that your installer is properly trained, and more importantly, is willing to deliver the type of quality necessary for a truly secure metal roofing protection.

• Price effective

  This may seem almost counter intuitive; at first, it is obvious that the initial price for a metal roof is considerably higher than that of the asphalt roof. But that is only the first impression, and first impressions can sometimes be wrong. Consider that an average life expectancy of the typical asphalt roof according to the National Association of Home Builders is only 15 to 30 years. That's a lifespan of 30 years at best, and under mild climate conditions.

  Now, an asphalt shingle roof presents a typical mass produced building product that everybody seems to go for. Therefore crews don't always adhere to the installation standards and rush through the shingling process to get to the next job as soon as they can. The end result of that maybe an inferior installation quality and a much shorter lifespan that will require costly repairs and unnecessary headache. Now, even if installation was done by the right crew that did a quality work, severe storms and tough climate can significantly shorten the lifespan of even a well installed asphalt shingle roof by washing out the small particles that give asphalt shingles its waterproof qualities. As soon as asphalt roof is exposed to elements of nature, it begins to deteriorate and lose its water-proofing ability in proportion to the severity of the local climate.

  As an example, lets take a look at the tough North-Eastern states such as Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. These states are exposed to a lot of rains, and severe winters that cover roofs with snow and ice that beat hard on the asphalt roofs. Asphalt roofs are prone to breaking down in this tough climate and as a result they may start leaking prematurely and require costly maintenance.

  Metal roofing, on the other hand, feels at ease with snow and ice which simply melts and slides down from the metal roof. Metal laughs at severe storms and heavy rains. Metal roof offers superb, price effective longevity that no other roof does. A properly installed metal roof will last over fifty years and easily pay for its higher initial price twice and three times fold.

Residential Metal Roofing Price

Currently, metal roofing products range in cost anywhere from $2.50 up to $9.00 per square ft, or $250.00 to $900.00 per square. On average, expect to pay anywhere from $350.00 to $500.00 per square of metal roofing system. The price per square includes necessary metal trim flashing (such as gable, starter/drip edge, and ridge cap), screws/nails, clips and fasteners. Keep in mind that it is usually advised to get synthetic underlayment for the metal roofing applications. Underlayment will run about $20 to $30 per square.

There are four main types of metal roofing materials that are popular today:

Galvalume steel metal roofing systems are in the $250.00 and up range per square including trim. (1sq. = 10' times 10' of roofing surface. Avg. residential house is about 17-22 squares)

Aluminum and stone coated steel based roofs are in the $350.00 and up range per square including trim.

Copper, this phenomenal metal is very expensive; expect to pay around $1000.00 per square just for the material.

High metal roofing material cost, is not the only factor that makes metal roofs pricey. Unlike conventional roofing, metal roofs don't just get nailed to the deck. Metal roofing installation must be highly measured and precise. Improper installation may cost thousands of dollars in wasted material costs. Quality metal roofing application requires highly trained professional installers.

Most metal roofing installers go through highly specialized rigorous training, which puts a great premium on the price. The typical installation of a metal roof takes about 3 times as long as the conventional application of asphalt shingles. Metal roofing is fairly complex and very involved process that takes a lot of time, system specific know-how (not all metal roofing systems are made the same), patience, precision and care. Metal roofs take much longer to install, their initial price is very significant, but the rewards of a properly installed metal roof go far beyond its looks.

Metal longevity, and its solar radiation reflective properties are the biggest assets of value in metal roofs.

A properly installed metal roof may last a very long time, with very little maintenance costs, and reduced energy bills.

Thus, a higher priced metal roof may have the lowest life-cycle cost of any roof

With that being said, expect to pay anywhere from $750.00 to $1200.00 per square of metal roof installed (material and labor)

The variance in price allows for different levels of difficulty in installation of metal roofing.

Thus, $750.00 per square would represent a fairly simple roof, while $1200.00 per square may be asked for a challenging roof that will require a lot of time and resources to complete.

And finally, good negotiation skills may help you to lower the price! Keep in mind that it is perfectly appropriate to negotiate, and nicely, ask for a metal roofing discount.

Commercial Metal Roofing Prices

In the business environment, roof prices tend to fluctuate anywhere from about $1000.00 per square of roofing material all the way up to as 1,500.00, and sometimes, significantly greater. The Price may be affected by many different factors such as commercial location, type of building, type of the roof system being installed, type of the roofing material used, the and length of the warranty provided. As a sort of general guide line you may expect to pay around $1,200.00 - $1500.00 and up for standing seam metal roofing applications, which are commonly seen on commercial buildings and various types of businesses.

As a little update, we just installed a Perma Shake inter-locking aluminum metal roofing system on an IHOP Roof, in Hyannis, MASS. That installation was more of an emergency repair and it included removal and replacement of just the front portion of the roof, which was blown away by the strong stormy winds. This is quite usual for Cape Code. Approximate roof surface area of the project was about 28 to 30 squares before the waste, and the total cost was a little over $1000 per square including the strip of the existing aluminum roof. I have to admit that we did give IHOP people a good deal on this emergency roof repair installation. This goes to show just how much we love their restaurant, and let's not forget that it is a middle of the winter, now. Yes it is pretty slow, and in the summer that price would have been higher.

Need an affordable metal roof? Use our specialty Search to find: