Long Beach, CA
Is a metal roof worth it here?
The metal itself almost never fails. The fasteners, the panel movement and the detailing at the edges are what decide how the roof ages.
Describe the metal roofing job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Long Beach contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Long Beach and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a metal roofing job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Standing seam or exposed fastener, and why
- Panel gauge and the coating warranty
- How valleys, ridges and penetrations are detailed
- Whether the crew installs metal regularly or occasionally
- How the panels are allowed to expand and contract
Noise is the question everybody asks. Over a solid deck with underlayment, a metal roof is not meaningfully louder than shingle. Over open purlins it very much is.
Not every roofer installs metal, and the ones who do it badly do it badly in ways you cannot see for five years.
Standing seam hides its fasteners under the seam. Exposed-fastener panel is cheaper and relies on hundreds of neoprene washers that have to be revisited every decade or so.
Locally
Behind it: morning fog that sits on the roof until mid-morning. Damp that arrives every morning and leaves by lunchtime is worse for a roof than rain, because nothing ever fully dries between one and the next.
About metal roofing here
I rent. Can I use this?
You can submit it, but the owner has to authorise any work, so the useful move is to get the landlord to make the request or to give you permission in writing first. Contractors will not start work for a tenant.
How many contractors will contact me?
Up to three. That is a hard cap, not a guideline. Three is enough to compare and few enough that your phone stays usable.
Do you handle commercial buildings?
We do. It is a different set of contractors — commercial and low-slope work is a separate trade from residential re-roofing — so answering the property question accurately matters.
Should I repair or replace?
Rough rule: if the covering has more than about five years left and the damage is confined to one area, repair. If it is at the end of its life or you are patching the third leak in two years, you are paying instalments on a replacement.