Metal Roofing
in Washington
and North Idaho

They solve different problems. Standing seam runs continuous panels from ridge to eave with the fixings hidden under the seam, which is why it sheds our rain so well and why it suits a simple roof with long runs. Metal shingle is panelised, handles a cut-up roof with hips, valleys and dormers far better, and reads more like a traditional roof from the street. On a complicated roof, standing seam means more seams and more places to get it wrong, so we will often steer you to shingle. We fit both.

Not in the way people expect. The noise everyone remembers is metal over open purlins on a barn or a shed, with nothing underneath it. A house roof has solid decking, underlayment and an insulated attic between you and the panel, and most people report it is quieter than they feared and no louder than the composition roof it replaced.

Considerably longer than composition, which is most of the reason people pay more for it. A composition roof in this climate is a 20 to 30 year proposition depending on shade, moss and how well it was fitted. A properly installed metal roof is a different order of lifespan, and the manufacturers behind the systems we fit warrant the coating for decades. Ask for the specific warranty document rather than a number in conversation.

Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly whether yours is a candidate. It depends on how many layers are already up there, whether the decking is sound and what the local code allows. It saves tear-off cost, but it also means nobody has seen the deck, so any rot stays hidden under a roof that is meant to outlast everything else on the house. We usually recommend tearing off, and we will say why on your roof specifically.

Under a heavy branch, yes, like any roof. Under normal Pacific Northwest weather, no. Hail is not the threat here that it is east of the mountains, and the gauge and profile both matter: a standing seam panel with ribs is considerably stiffer than a flat sheet. If somebody quotes you metal without telling you the gauge, ask.

Standing seam works lower than most people think, but every system has a minimum pitch and below it you are asking the seam to do something it was not designed for. Below that line we fit PVC, TPO or torch down instead, which are the right answer for a genuinely flat roof. A contractor willing to put metal on any pitch is not doing you a favor.

Material cost, and labour. The panels cost more than shingles, and the flashing details at valleys, walls, chimneys and penetrations take a skilled crew considerably longer to do properly. The trade is that you are buying a roof you are unlikely to replace again. We will quote you both so the comparison is in front of you rather than in the abstract.

We work with Custom-Bilt Metals, Decra and Nu-Ray Metals, which between them cover standing seam, metal shingle and stone-coated profiles. You can see finished work on our roofing projects page.