Metal Roof Replacement Work, From Full Strip to One Bad Slope
Tearing Off an Old Screw-Down Roof
A full strip pulls every old sheet, screw and ridge cap, then opens up what was underneath. Under old screw-down steel there may be 1x board sheathing or wood purlins laid straight on the rafters, sometimes with little or no underlayment. The roofer then decides whether to sheath the whole roof in plywood or OSB for a solid deck, or keep purlins for a new screw-down panel. The 2018 code lets metal panels sit on solid or spaced sheathing, but spaced supports only work with a panel built to span them, so a standing seam upgrade usually means a solid deck.
New Metal Framed Over the Old Metal
On a long, simple roof with sound framing, the old steel can stay put. New wood or light-gauge steel purlins are fastened through the old ribs into the structure, and the new panels go on top. The old roof becomes a backup layer, and no tear-off debris leaves the site. The code test for leaving a covering in place is on metal roof over shingles. For a retrofit, ask the roofer to show that the new purlins land on rafters or trusses, not just on the old sheet metal.
Replacing One Section or Slope
Sometimes a single slope fails first, often the one facing south or west into the afternoon sun, or the one under a tree that dropped limbs on it. Cutting out and replacing that slope costs less than a whole roof. The catch is color: HomeGuide lists color-matching for repairs as a drawback of metal, because new paint won't match panels that have faded for twenty years. Ask to break the new section at a ridge, hip or valley so the color change lands on a line.
Trading Screw-Down Panels for Standing Seam
Moving from screw-down panels to standing seam takes away the hundreds of face screws behind so many old-roof leaks. It does more than swap panels. Standing seam wants a solid deck, underlayment, clips and new trim profiles at every edge, so price it as a new roof, not a reskin. The panel systems are compared on standing seam metal roof, which also has the lifespan figures.
Why Jackson homeowners call Jackson Metal Roofing Pros
- One independent metal roofer gets your request, not a call list
- A free measure, deck check and written estimate
- Ask for panel system, gauge and paint finish in writing
- The roofing permit is part of the scope: ask who pulls it
- No charge to the property owner for the referral
Metal Roof Replacement and Jackson's 1969 Median House
The median home in Jackson was built in 1969, according to Census Bureau survey data, and about 73% of the city's 74,871 housing units went up in 1979 or earlier. Roughly 15,490 date from the 1950s, 14,577 from the 1960s and 16,070 from the 1970s, while only about 3.4% were built in 2010 or later. That age shapes a replacement in three ways:
Sheathing
Houses from those decades often have board decking with gaps, or purlins over rafters from a previous metal roof. A good roofer will price new sheathing per sheet before the job starts.Earlier reroofs
A house that has had two or three roofs may carry patched rafter tails, mixed decking and old vent holes that were roofed over.Additions
Porches, carports and back rooms added later often have flatter slopes and their own aging metal, and they're often where an old roof leaks first.
Metal Roof Replacement Triggers on a Worn Panel Roof
A metal roof with chalky, faded paint and light surface rust is a candidate for metal roof coating rather than replacement. Replacement starts to make sense when:
Rust goes through
Pinholes or flaking edges on many panels, not one or two, mean the steel itself is gone.Screw holes are worn out
When oversized replacement screws no longer hold, the purlins or deck behind them are spent.Laps leak along their length
End laps and side laps that have been caulked repeatedly keep failing as the panels move.The framing is soft
Rotted purlins or sagging decking show up as dips you can see from the yard.
Metal Roof Replacement Bid Items for an Old Metal Roof
Removal
Who hauls the old steel, and whether it goes to a scrap yard.Deck or purlin repair
A per-sheet or per-foot price; HomeGuide's national figure for new roof decking is $2 to $5 per square foot.Underlayment and dry-in
Product by name; the underlayment rule for metal is on metal roof installation, along with the permit.Fasteners
Screw type, length and coating, all with new washers, and none of the old screws reused.Panel and gauge
The profile, gauge and paint system on paper; gauge and finish choices are on Galvalume metal roof.Trim
New ridge, rake, eave and wall flashing, not the old pieces reused.