Metal Roof Installation and Repair

Metal is a system, not a material swap

Metal roof installation is a system decision, not just a material swap. Panel profile, gauge, underlayment, fastening method, and ventilation all interact, and the difference between a metal roof that lasts decades and one that leaks in year three is almost entirely in the detailing: seams, penetrations, transitions, and edge metal.

We walk you through the real options, standing seam versus exposed fastener, gauge and coating choices, and what each means for heat, wind, and hail performance and long-term value. Our crew does the installation, documented from the first material decision to the final walkthrough.

Metal repair starts with diagnosis

Metal roof repair starts with diagnosis, because metal fails differently than shingles. Leaks travel along panels and ribs far from where they show inside. The usual suspects are backed-out fasteners, failed washers, aged sealant at seams and penetrations, and flashing that was detailed wrong on day one.

We find the actual source, photograph it, and fix what needs fixing. A metal roof with one failed pipe boot does not need a replacement, and we will not sell you one. The hail damage atlas shows what a cosmetic dent and a real hit look like on a metal panel.

Exposed fastener panels

Metal roofing is not one product. The two systems common in Texas behave so differently over time that comparing prices between them without understanding the difference is how homeowners end up disappointed.

Screwed through the face of the panel into the structure beneath, with a rubber washer under each screw head making the seal. This is the lower cost system and it is genuinely appropriate for barns, shops, and outbuildings.

The limitation is the washers. Every one is a small seal exposed to Texas sun, and they harden and shrink over time. A roof of this type has thousands of them, and each is a potential leak once it ages. These systems typically need a fastener maintenance pass, which is real recurring work rather than a theoretical possibility.

Standing seam. The fasteners are hidden, clipping the panel to the deck beneath the seam, and adjacent panels lock together over the top. Nothing penetrates the water surface. It costs meaningfully more and it removes the failure mode above entirely.

It also allows the panel to move. Metal expands and contracts substantially across a Texas temperature swing, and a standing seam system is designed to let it, where a face-fastened panel is fighting its own expansion at every screw for its whole life.

Which is right depends on the building, how long you intend to own it, and what is beneath the roof. We will tell you plainly when the cheaper system is the sensible answer, because on some structures it is.

Panel gauge

Two metal quotes on the same house can differ enormously and both be honest, because the variables are larger than they are with shingle.

Thinner metal costs less and dents more readily, which matters directly in a hail market. Gauge is one of the first things to check when comparing quotes, and it is frequently not stated.

Substrate and coating. Galvanized, Galvalume, and aluminum behave differently, and the paint system over them determines how the color holds under Texas ultraviolet exposure. A cheap coating chalks and fades years earlier.

Roof complexity. Metal is cut and formed to the roof. Every valley, hip, dormer, and penetration is custom detailing. A simple gable is efficient; a complex roof multiplies labor in a way shingle does not.

What is underneath. Underlayment choice matters more under metal than most homeowners expect, both for water and for the condensation that forms on the underside of a metal panel.

Tear-off and decking. What comes off, and what condition the deck is in once it is off, is not fully knowable until it is open. An estimate that ignores this is not being careful with you.

For a range specific to your roof, ask Shepherd AI. It can size the work from your address and tell you which of the above is driving your number, and it will say when a figure genuinely requires someone on site.

Metal resists penetration well and dents readily

Metal roofing is often sold in Texas as hail-proof. It is not, and the distinction matters before you spend the money.

Hail that would fracture a shingle mat will usually leave a metal panel watertight, which is a genuine advantage. It may also leave the panel visibly dimpled. The roof still works. It may not still look the way you paid for it.

Within ten miles of Round Rock, NOAA records 219 hail events between 2000 and 2026, 71 at sizes generally associated with roof damage, largest recorded 4.0 inches, with 2023 the busiest year and April and March the peak months. Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 10 mile radius, 2000-01-01 to 2026-12-31. In a market with that history, cosmetic denting is a realistic outcome, not an edge case. Heavier gauge and textured profiles hide it better than thin, flat panels.

Coverage for cosmetic damage varies by policy and some carriers exclude it specifically on metal. That is a question for your insurer and your policy language, not for us. We document condition accurately and let the people whose job it is make coverage decisions.

Heat performance is real and often oversold. A reflective coated metal roof genuinely reduces heat gain compared with a dark shingle roof. It is not air conditioning, and the size of the benefit depends heavily on attic ventilation and insulation, which are usually the larger lever.

Noise is mostly a myth. Metal over solid decking with underlayment is not appreciably louder in rain than shingle. The noise people remember comes from metal over open purlins on a barn, which is a different assembly entirely.