Metal Roof Installation — Standing Seam and Steel Panel Roofs
A roof you put on once — steel panels that shed snow, laugh at hail and outlast two shingle roofs, installed by one crew with the flashing details done right.
JMB Builders does metal roof installation on houses, garages, cabins and outbuildings across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud: standing seam panels with hidden clips, or exposed-fastener steel panels on a budget. We quote from your photos first, then measure the roof on site before ordering, because every panel is cut to length. Priced per project; the panel profile, roof shape and what the old roof needs underneath set the number.
- Priced per project after a measured site visit
- Standing seam or exposed-fastener steel panels
- Photo quote first, measure before the panel order
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A metal roof is mostly about the details at the edges. The panels themselves are simple: they go on straight, get fastened on a layout, and overlap the right way. What makes or breaks the roof is the eave trim, the ridge closure, the valley pan, the pipe boots and how the panels end at a sidewall. Get those wrong and a metal roof leaks worse than shingles, because the water has nowhere to go but in. We install the trim and closures the way the panel maker draws them, not with a tube of caulk.
Two systems come up on almost every quote. Standing seam has a raised rib every foot or so and the clips are hidden under the panel, so there are no screws through the face and nothing to back out in twenty winters. Exposed-fastener panels (the ag-style rib panel seen on pole barns) screw down through the face with gasketed screws; they cost less, go on faster, and are a good fit for a garage, a cabin or a shop. We will tell you which one makes sense for the building and what you are trying to get out of it.
Metal is also the roof that stops ice dam damage from being a yearly event. Snow slides off a steel roof once the sun hits it, so the eave never builds the ridge of ice that backs water under shingles. Snow guards go above doors and walks so it slides where it should.
What you supply
- Photos of the roof from each side of the yard, plus the attic if you can get in it
- The color and panel style you like, or we bring samples to the site visit
- Any HOA or city rules on roof color or material that you know of
What JMB supplies
- The measured site visit: pitch, panel lengths, every penetration and edge condition, before the order
- Tear-off and disposal of the old shingles when the old roof cannot stay
- Synthetic underlayment over the deck, ice and water membrane at eaves, valleys and penetrations
- Standing seam or exposed-fastener steel panels cut to length, with matching eave, rake, ridge and sidewall trim
- Closures, pipe boots made for metal, valley pans and Z-flashing at every wall
- Snow guards above entries and walkways
- New roof vents or ridge vent made for the panel profile
- Photos of the finished roof and the flashing details in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Standing seam with hidden clips vs. exposed-fastener rib panels
- Roof square footage, pitch and height, and how many hips, valleys and dormers cut into it
- Tear-off of the old shingles vs. going over one sound layer with a slip sheet or purlins
- Number of penetrations: chimneys, plumbing vents, skylights and sidewalls that each need flashing
- Painted steel gauge and finish; thicker panels and better paint systems cost more
- Snow guards, gutters and new ridge venting added to the same job
- Rotted decking or fascia found at tear-off, repaired and added as a line
Send photos from all four sides of the house and tell us if there are two layers of shingles now; the site visit confirms the rest before anything is ordered.
How long it takes
A garage or cabin: two to three days. A typical house: one to two weeks after the panels arrive, which is usually two to four weeks from the measured visit.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Standing seam (hidden fastener)
Vertical panels with a raised seam and concealed clips, so no screw heads are exposed to sun and ice. The roof most people picture on a house. Snap-lock seams on most residential pitches; a mechanically seamed panel on very low slopes.
Exposed-fastener steel panels
Ribbed steel screwed through the face with gasketed screws on a layout. Less material cost and faster to install; a good roof for a detached garage, a shop, a cabin or a lake place. The screws should be checked every several years as the gaskets age.
Metal over existing shingles
When there is one flat, sound layer of shingles and the city allows it, panels can go over the old roof on a synthetic slip sheet or on purlins. It saves the tear-off but hides the deck, so we check the attic side first. Two layers always come off.
Metal on the porch or addition only
A low-slope porch roof or a shed dormer that shingles never held on. Metal panels handle a lower pitch than shingles and stop the seasonal leak at the roof-to-wall joint when the flashing goes in properly.
Metal Roof Installation — Standing Seam and Steel Panel Roofs: questions, answered
Can you install a metal roof over shingles?
Often, yes. One layer of flat, sound shingles can stay under a metal roof when the local building official allows it, with a synthetic slip sheet or purlins between the shingles and the panels so the granules do not wear the paint. Two layers, curled shingles or a soft deck mean a tear-off. We look in the attic and at the edges before deciding, and the permit application says which way we are going.
How long does a metal roof last in Minnesota?
A painted steel roof is expected to outlast an asphalt shingle roof by a wide margin; the panel maker's paint warranty is the number to read, and it depends on the finish you choose. What actually shortens a metal roof's life is the details: exposed screws with tired gaskets, bad sidewall flashing, or trim that was caulked instead of lapped. Standing seam with hidden clips removes most of that.
Is a standing seam metal roof loud in the rain?
Over a house with a plywood deck, underlayment and an insulated attic, it sounds about like a shingle roof. The drumming people remember is from a pole barn with panels screwed straight to purlins and nothing under them. On an addition or porch with no attic, the sheathing and underlayment still take most of it.
Does a metal roof stop ice dams?
It stops the damage from them. Snow slides off steel once the sun hits, so the eave does not carry the thick band of ice that backs water up under shingles. The attic still needs air sealing and insulation so the roof stays cold; metal on a leaky attic still melts snow from below. We put snow guards over doors, walkways and lower roofs so the slide lands where it should.
What is the difference between standing seam and exposed fastener metal roofing?
Standing seam panels lock together at a raised seam and attach with clips hidden under the panel; no screws show and nothing penetrates the face. Exposed-fastener panels screw down through the face with rubber-gasketed screws on a grid, which costs less but leaves several hundred gaskets to age in the sun. Standing seam is the usual choice for a house; exposed fastener makes sense on a garage, shop or cabin.
Do you need to see the roof in person for a metal roof quote?
Yes, after the photo quote. Photos get you a firm range and the panel choice within a business day. Then we measure the roof on site, because every panel is cut to length and every hip, valley and wall gets a trim piece ordered to fit. The measured visit turns the range into a fixed number before anything is ordered.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
Where we work
Roofing near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: