Metal roofing

Which metal is which

Standing seam hides the fasteners in the seam. It is the system we recommend on most houses that are choosing metal for the long term. Exposed-fastener panels, the screw-down profiles, cost less and need the screws maintained. They belong on simpler agricultural roofs and some cabins more often than on a finished street elevation. Stone-coated steel imitates shake or tile and changes both the look and the snow behavior.

Paint systems and base metal (steel or aluminum) should be named on the estimate. “Metal roof” is not a specification. Gauge, seam height, and whether the panel is snapped or mechanically seamed matter on a long run and on a roof that will be walked for solar later.

Snow, wind, and noise

Snow leaves a standing-seam roof in sheets. Entries, decks, gas meters, and lower roofs need snow guards or a different eave design where people walk. Cache Valley, Ogden Valley, Mantua, Alta, Brighton, and the upper benches are where this is a safety item, not a style item. Eagle Mountain, South Weber, Bluffdale, and Hurricane care more about wind uplift and edge detailing.

The noise complaint is usually an uninsulated panel over an open porch. A metal roof over a decked, insulated attic is not a drum. If you want metal on a patio cover, expect to hear rain and enjoy it or add a solid deck.

• Standing seam as the default residential system
• Underlayment specified for the deck and the climate, including high-temp where the panel color and the sun require it
• Snow retention where the eave passes over a walk or a neighbor
• Flashing at walls that is metal, not a reused shingle step flashing
• A plan for gutters, because snow will tear a weak hanger off

Where metal is common sense

Open west lots in Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, canyon-mouth houses in South Weber, Uintah, and Spanish Fork, steep foothill roofs above Pleasant Grove and Ogden, and snow roofs in Huntsville, Mantua, and the Cottonwood canyons. Also low-slope residential porches that are still steep enough for a metal panel and too flat for shingles — we will tell you if the pitch is below what the panel allows. Dead flat is still a membrane.

Cost, without the theater

Installed standing seam costs more than architectural shingles on day one. It should. You are buying a different edge, clip, and flashing package. Anyone pricing “metal” near a shingle number is usually pricing exposed fastener or a panel that does not include the details. We itemize so you can see which one is on the page.