Metal Roof Installation in Madison, WI

Most leaks we trace on a metal roof start at a detail, not a panel. On exposed-fastener roofs, the rubber washers under the screws harden and let water run down the shank. On standing seam, it is usually a pipe boot, chimney counterflashing, or a sealant bead at the ridge closure that has let go. We find the real entry point, repair that, and check the flashing around it. Caulk over a guess is not a repair.

Before we talk about metal, we get on the roof and into the attic. We check the decking for soft spots and delaminated plywood, count the layers already up there, and look for sagging rafters and blocked vents. The median home here was built in 1979, so the deck can be as old as the house. Metal will not fix a rotten deck or a damp attic. It seals both in, which is why we look first.

A metal replacement starts with a full tear-off to the deck. Screwing panels over old shingles saves a day but traps moisture and shows every lump. We replace damaged sheathing, lay ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, then a high-temperature synthetic underlayment across the rest. With about 36 inches of snow a year, snow comes off metal in sheets, so we place snow guards over doors, decks and gutters.

When we install metal roofing, we use 24 or 26 gauge steel with a PVDF finish, set as standing seam on concealed clips. The clips let each panel move as it heats and cools. Pin a panel rigidly and it oil cans, or the fasteners wear their holes oval and start to leak. Drip edge, rakes, valleys and ridge are all trimmed to the roof, and chimney flashing is cut into the mortar joints, not caulked onto the face.

We start on the roof itself and in the attic below it. Up top we check the shingles, the flashing at every chimney, wall and vent, and the valleys where water concentrates. Inside, we look for stained sheathing, daylight at the nail lines and damp insulation. We also measure the pitch and every roof plane, because metal panels are cut to length and the whole order depends on accurate numbers.

Everything we found goes into a written estimate you can read line by line. It names the panel profile, the steel gauge, the finish (PVDF or SMP paint), the underlayment, and every piece of trim and flashing. It says how many layers come off and how deck repair is handled if we find soft sheathing. We handle the permit. Call for a free estimate, and ask about anything that reads unclear.

Tear-off goes down to the bare deck, one section at a time, so the house is never open longer than it needs to be. The median home here was built in 1979, so we plan for more than one layer under the current shingles, and every layer comes off. Old drip edge, cracked vent boots and nails go with it. Landscaping gets tarped first, and debris goes straight into a dumpster or trailer.

Once the deck is bare, we walk every sheet. Soft spots near the eaves, delaminated plywood and old plank decking with wide gaps all get fixed before anything goes over them. We cut damaged sections back to the rafters and replace them with plywood or OSB matching the existing thickness. Loose sheathing gets renailed. Metal telegraphs every dip below it, so a flat, solid deck is what makes the finished roof read straight.

Metal runs hotter than shingles, so we use a high-temperature synthetic underlayment rated for it, not felt. At the eaves, in the valleys and around every penetration, a self-adhered ice and water membrane goes down first, lapped so water runs over each seam and never into it. The rest of the deck gets synthetic, fastened to the manufacturer's pattern. New drip edge sits under the underlayment at the eaves and over it at the rakes.

Panels go on from the edge that sets the layout, squared to the eave rather than to a wall that may be out. On standing seam we use heavier-gauge steel with concealed clips that let each panel move as it heats and cools. Exposed-fastener panels get screws with neoprene washers, driven snug, never crushed. Trim and flashing are bent to fit on site. With about 36 inches of snow a year here, we talk through snow guards over doors and walkways.

Before we call a roof finished, we go over it seam by seam. Every clip should be seated, every exposed screw straight and sealed, and the trim closed at the corners without gaps. Flashing at chimneys and sidewalls gets the closest look, since that is where leaks start on most roofs. Then we walk it with you. If the permit calls for an inspection, we arrange it.

Metal shavings matter most here. Swarf left from cutting rusts onto a painted finish and stains it, so we brush every panel clean before we leave. On the ground, a magnetic sweeper goes across the lawn, beds and driveway for stray nails and screws, more than once. Gutters get cleared of grit. The dumpster goes, the tarps come up, and the property looks the way it did before, with a new roof on it.