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.

Now, sure, the mindset is one a lot of people can identify with right now - the economy's as low as can be and many people have found themselves the victims of retrenchments or big wage cuts. And there are a number of companies that make metal roofing shingles for just this purpose - for the amateur, DIY metal roofing contractor. These panels, as they're advertised, clip together easily, either by hand or with a minimal number of tools. The problem that you're likely to run into when trying to use such products is that they're uniform, designed for a uniform roof-shape.

And uniform is not how you'd describe the roofs of most residential buildings. With only an inadequate mix of personal DIY tools not even resembling the specialized efficacy of a metal roofing contractor's arsenal, you're going to leave weak spots around irregularities like chimneys, skylights, sidewalls, gables, dormers and unusual angles. Any of these weak spots could be what lets the intrusion of rain, frost and snow into your home, with the long term damage that accompanies them. And so, instead of coming into possession of the roof that could have outlasted your earthly existence, you'll find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing to either stage another attempt, or swallowing your pride and calling on the services of, you guessed it, a trained, professional metal roofing contractor.

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.

You should ensure that your contractor intends to use a brake, the name for the portable hydraulic cutting tool employed by roofers to shape irregular roof panels on site. If he doesn't, odds are the job will stretch out far longer than necessary, costing you more and leaving parts of your roof open to the elements. In the long term, hand cut panels are also likely to be poorly shaped, reducing the visual effect of your roof.

If your contractor does try to charge you the same rate, you should probably seek quotes from numerous metal roofing contractors, or better yet, ask around amongst your friends and family for referrals. This is how most contractors get business, and knowing that you're tied to a network of past and potentially future clients will make that contractor much more eager to please with quick service delivery.

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