Further Reading

A recent trend of home DIY installations have seen a lot of people trying to install their own metal roofing rather than pay the prohibitively high cost for a metal roofing contractor. Basically, these home improvement enthusiasts are looking to save on both ends: the reason they want the roofs they're building is because of their energy efficiency and long-term durability.

So we're in a recession, and so things are a bit tight for everyone right about now. Retrenchments and salary cuts are the norm, not the exception, and people are trying to find any way they can to lessen the often expensive business of living. The fact is that you stand to lose a lot more than you stand to gain by adopting this strategy. Sure, there are companies around that make metal panels specifically targeted at these would-be home improvement gurus, standard-shaped panels that clip together by hand, say the advertisements. However, the thing you're apt to discover is that 'standard-shaped' is not that great a predicate when you're trying to cover a building of anything but the most uniform shape.

But your typical home doesn't have that. Odds are your home has a sidewall, a chimney, a dormer or a skylight somewhere up there, and the average homeowner trying to work around such structural irregularities without any panel-reshaping is almost bound to leave weak spots that make the internal structure of the roof vulnerable to water damage, possibly decreasing the lifespan of a roof which, properly installed, could last half a century without maintenance. The cost of installing a metal roof on your own could, in reality, be that you'll need to get the entire job redone by a professional. When even a simple mistake like leaving a mark on one of your metal panels with a lead pencil instead of duct tape can lead to massive corrosion and compromise the integrity of the roof, is it really a risk you want to take?

This is the reason that, unless your house is featureless and box-shaped, calling on the services of a metal roofing contractor is often the most sensible way to go. Odds are, a skilled contractor is probably not going to charge you nearly as much as he would to install clay, fiber glass or asphalt shingles, as the lightweight and easy, clip-on installation of metal shingles makes their assembly a far less labor-intensive job.

If he doesn't, and if he isn't willing to budge from what you take to be an unreasonable price, start shopping. Your first stop should be your family, friends and anyone you know with ties to the construction and renovation industry. Don't be afraid to tap these connections, as with a referral you stand the best chance of getting good service - the contractor is more likely to see you as representative of a body of past or potential customers, and so will be more interested in impressing you with his strong skills and reasonable rates than in taking you for everything that you have.

A 'brake' is the device employed by most residential roofing contractors that need to cut parts to fit the particular angles of a unique roof, and you should determine beyond a shadow of a doubt that your metal roofing contractor intends to use one. If he doesn't, well, a saw in human hands can never approach the efficiency of a hydraulic-powered, jagged-toothed saw, and the job is likely to stretch out far longer than it should, leaving you with shoddy, hand-cut panels and debt you don't deserve.

Read more advice about Installing a Metal Roof and Metal Roofing Contractors at DurableMetalRoofs.com.