Metal Roofing in Southfield, MI

Standing seam is the metal roof most people picture: long vertical panels running from eave to ridge, joined at raised seams that hide the clips holding them down. Nothing pierces the panel face, so there are no washers to age out. HomeGuide puts it at $9 to $16 per square foot installed, the top of the metal range. The panels expand and contract with temperature, and the clips let them slide. That matters in Southfield, where January averages swing from about 19°F at night to 32°F by day.

Metal shingles are smaller interlocking pieces pressed to look like slate, shake or a standard shingle. They suit a brick ranch or colonial where long vertical seams would look out of place. HomeGuide lists them at $6 to $14 per square foot installed. They need a roof pitch of at least 3 in 12 under the International Residential Code, so they work on most main roofs but not on a nearly flat porch.

Stone-coated steel is steel panels with a granule coating bonded to the surface, formed into shake, tile or shingle profiles. Up close it has a texture like asphalt; from the street it reads like wood or tile. HomeGuide puts it at $700 to $1,300 per square (100 sq ft) installed. It's a fit where a homeowner wants metal's life span but an HOA or the house's style calls for a textured roof.

Ribbed, corrugated and 5-V panels screw straight through the face into purlins or the deck. HomeGuide prices this sheet metal roofing at $5 to $12 per square foot installed, the cheapest metal option, and notes the exposed fasteners need more upkeep. For a detached garage or shed it's a sensible roof. On a house, every one of those screws is a rubber washer that will need attention someday. The code also sets a 3 in 12 minimum pitch for lapped panels without seam sealant.

Metal can go over one existing layer of shingles if that layer is dry and sound enough to serve as a base, under Michigan's residential code as building departments apply it. Some systems go straight onto the old shingles over new underlayment. Others use spaced wood strips, which have to be fastened into the rafters or trusses, not just the deck. HomeGuide notes the overlay saves removal and disposal but adds weight and can hide damage underneath. The City of Southfield requires a building permit either way. On a house that already has two layers, the old roofing comes off first.

Most metal roof repairs aren't about the panels. On exposed-fastener roofs the rubber washers dry out, the screws back out from expansion, and water follows them in. The fix is backing out the old screws and driving new ones with fresh washers. Other common repairs: resealing end laps, replacing failed ridge closures, and re-flashing around chimneys and vents. HomeGuide puts minor metal repairs at $200 to $600.