Boston & North Shore Roofing
Standing Seam Metal Roofing in Boston, MA
A standing seam roof carries no fastener through the panel face, which is why it outlives the shingles beside it. It also drops its snow in one slab, which is why we set the snow guards before we pack up.
- Concealed clips, no screws through the panel
- Clamp-on snow guards, nothing penetrated
- Soldered copper pans and custom brake work
- 300-series stainless fasteners near saltwater
Metal is the roof people notice from the sidewalk. On most Boston buildings it is not the whole house. It is the porch roof, the bay cap, the dormer cheek or the mansard face.
Done right, a standing seam roof carries no fastener on the panel face. Panels hang on hidden clips and slide as they heat and cool. Done wrong, every screw is a hole with a rubber washer holding it back.
We install standing seam and flat-lock in 24-gauge steel, aluminum and copper. On an original slate face we say so when slate roof repair is the smarter buy.
- Concealed clips, no screws through the panel
- Clamp-on snow guards, nothing penetrated
- Soldered copper pans and custom brake work
- 300-series stainless fasteners near saltwater
Free Standing Seam Metal Roofing Estimate
Know The Signs
Metal roof problems we get called for
Metal fails differently than asphalt. These are the calls that come in most.
Screws walking out of the panel face
Exposed-fastener panel seals every screw with a rubber washer. The washers harden, the screws back out, one leak per fastener.
Red rust bleeding from cut edges
Coated steel is only as good as its coating. Field cuts and shovel scratches start rust that streaks down the pan.
An open seam or a buckled panel
A movement problem. A panel pinned tight at both ends has nowhere to go, so the seam works itself apart.
Snow slid and took the gutter
A metal slope with no snow guards is a ramp. Bent hangers, torn fascia and a flattened porch railing are the tell.
Green or white staining under flashing
Copper draining onto steel, or copper flashing set with galvanized nails. Galvanic corrosion eats the weaker metal.
Leaks at the chimney, not the field
Metal fields rarely leak. Failures live at chimney pans, curbs and headwalls where a joint got caulked instead of soldered.
Standing seam, flat-lock, and the one we skip
Standing seam runs vertical panels eave to ridge, joined by raised seams that snap or fold shut under a seamer. Flat-lock is small pans soldered flat, right for a bay roof or porch cap.
The third option is exposed-fastener panel: screws through the face, washers doing the waterproofing. Boston hits freezing about 92 days a year but stays frozen all day only about 23. That swing hardens washers and walks screws out.
Thermal movement is the design problem
A 30-foot steel panel grows roughly a quarter inch between a January morning and an August afternoon. Aluminum moves nearly double. Clips let it slide. Pin it at both ends and it oil cans or opens a seam.
Snow leaves a metal roof all at once
Asphalt holds snow until it melts. Metal releases it in a slab after the first sunny afternoon. Boston averages 49.2 inches a year at Logan, and January 29, 2022 dropped 23.6 inches in one day. Snow guards clamp to the seam with setscrews, and they belong here:
- Over any entry door, stoop or bulkhead
- Above the rear porch stacks on a three-decker
- Over gas meters, electric service and condensers
Porches, bays and mansard faces
Much of our metal work is one piece of a bigger roof. A porch at 1:12. A bay window cap. They got shingled because it was quick, and they leak. Metal plus chimney and step flashing repair ends that cycle.
A Back Bay or South End mansard is two roofs: slate or metal on the near-vertical face, EPDM rubber membrane on the flat top behind it. Copper has to die into that membrane or the transition leaks.
Beacon Hill became the first local historic district in Massachusetts in 1955. Landmarks approval has to land before ISD issues a permit. Our walkthrough of historic district roof approval covers the order.
Salt air and galvanic corrosion
FEMA coastal guidance calls for 300-series stainless fasteners within about 3,000 feet of saltwater. On exposed shoreline in Marblehead and Swampscott, aluminum beats coated steel. A scratch in steel coating rusts. Aluminum does not.
One code nuance worth knowing
780 CMR R905.1.2 puts an ice barrier from the lowest roof edge to 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and 36 inches along the slope at 8:12 or steeper. It names asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, slate and wood shakes. Standing seam panel is not on that list. We run the barrier anyway.
Our Process
How we install a standing seam roof
Metal is a fabrication job as much as a roofing job. Order matters.
Roof walk and panel measurements
Paulo measures every run eave to ridge, checks the sheathing from inside, and photographs each transition that needs a soldered pan.
Metal, gauge and profile
24-gauge coated steel on most homes, aluminum on exposed shoreline, 16 or 20 ounce copper where the building calls for it.
Historic review, then the permit
On [Beacon Hill](/service-areas/beacon-hill-boston-ma/), seam height, metal and finish get reviewed before ISD issues anything. Short-Form permit: $20 plus $10 per $1,000.
Tear-off and deck prep
Rotted boards get replaced, gapped board sheathing gets plywood, then a high-temperature membrane. A panel telegraphs every ridge under it.
Panels formed, clipped and seamed
Panels run to length on clips that let them float, then snap or fold shut under a seamer. Pans are soldered.
Snow guards, trim and final walk
Guard layout follows slope, panel length and what sits below the eave. Then trim, a walk-through, and a magnet sweep.
On The Roof
What standing seam metal roofing looks like in progress
What Drives The Price
What drives metal roof cost in Greater Boston
Metal prices by the square. Then trim, soldering and access take over.
The metal itself
Coated steel is the baseline. Aluminum costs more and survives salt better. Copper is a multiple of both.
Profile and seaming method
Snap-lock goes faster. A mechanically seamed double-lock panel needs a seamer run over every foot of seam. Low slopes need it.
Panel length and access
Long single panels make better roofs and harder deliveries. On narrow one-way streets we roll-form on site.
Deck flatness, not just soundness
Under shingles a wavy deck hides. Under metal it shows in every panel. Sheathing over gapped century-old boards is a real line.
Trim, pans and soldered detail
Chimney pans, curbs, curved mansard faces and cut-up hips are hand work at a brake and an iron.
Snow guards and coastal fasteners
Guards price by linear foot of eave. Within about 3,000 feet of saltwater, fasteners go to 300-series stainless.
Greater Boston ranges and drivers, not a quote. Standing seam costs well above architectural asphalt and lasts two to three times as long. North Shore owners: read [how salt air changes a coastal roof](/blog/coastal-roofing-salt-air-north-shore-ma/) first.
FAQ
Standing Seam Metal Roofing questions we get asked
Straight answers, including the ones that cost us work sometimes.
No. That noise comes from panel screwed to open purlins on a barn. Over solid sheathing and an insulated attic it reads like asphalt.
Standing seam runs a multiple of an architectural asphalt roof, copper a multiple of that. It lasts two to three times as long.
It helps. It does not cure. Snow sheds before it refreezes at the eave, but a warm attic still makes ice. Ventilation does the real work.
No. Clips need sound, flat sheathing, and every bump under a panel shows. We tear off and add plywood over gapped board decking.
No. Metal does not make a strike more likely, and it is non-combustible, so it fares better than asphalt.
Related roofing services
Work that often comes up on the same roof.
- Slate Roof Repair & RestorationSlate, copper and historic roof work. Matched stone, copper hooks and bibs, no tar patches, and historic review handled before the permit is pulled.Learn more
- Flat & Low-Slope RoofingFull tear-off and 60-mil EPDM rubber replacement for triple-deckers, row houses and mansard decks, with tapered insulation that ends ponding water for good.Learn more
- Flashing & Chimney RepairStep, counter and cricket flashing rebuilt at chimneys, sidewalls and parapets. Crown and mortar repair above the roof line, water tested before we leave.Learn more
Read more before you decide
Longer guides on the parts of this that homeowners ask about most.
- MaterialsCoastal Roofing on the North Shore: Salt Air, Stainless Fasteners and Wind UpliftWithin about 3,000 feet of saltwater, the roof you can see is rarely what fails first. Here is what corrodes, what FEMA guidance recommends, and the one metal combination that quietly ruins coastal roofs.6 min read
- Historic RoofingReplacing a Roof in Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the South End: Landmarks Commission Approval FirstDesign review is not a formality you handle later — Boston is explicit that Landmarks approval comes before the building permit. Here are the districts, what gets reviewed on a roof, and how to sequence the job.6 min read
Standing Seam Metal Roofing across Greater Boston
We run this service in 34 communities. Here is where it comes up most often:
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