“Jens showed me where the snow guards would go before we ordered anything: over the kitchen door and the dog run. The estimate named the gauge, the paint and the clips.”
Marlys T.Acreage owner
Metal roofing · Billings, Montana
Steel roofs for Yellowstone Valley weather
Hail in June, wind all year, a foot of snow that lets go all at once. We install standing-seam and exposed-fastener steel on houses, barns and shops, and we tell you what each rating does and doesn't promise.
- Standing seam
- Exposed fastener
- Houses, barns and shops
Built for here
What a Billings roof has to live through
Four things decide how a metal roof should be put together. We start with them, not with the color chart.
Hail
Storms can drop hail on the valley from late spring through summer. Thicker steel dents less. A Class 4 rating tells you how a panel did in a test, not how yours will do in a storm.
Snow
Steel sheds snow fast. Guards hold it where it can't land on a door, a walkway, a lower roof or a stock gate.
Wind
Open country means gusts. Clips, fasteners and trim edges are where wind gets in, so we follow the maker's spacing on every roof.
Thaw and refreeze
A chinook can warm the valley fast and melt the snow, then the night refreezes it. Panels move with the temperature, and the clips have to let them.
Hail rating
Class 4 is a test result, not a promise
UL 2218 drops steel balls onto a panel and checks whether it cracks. Class 4 is the top class. This is how we read it with you.
How we read it
It is a product rating. It says nothing about the crew that installs the panel.
A panel can pass and still dent. Dents are cosmetic, and some policies exclude cosmetic damage to metal roofs.
Some insurers lower premiums for Class 4 roofs. Each company decides, so ask your agent before you choose.
Thicker steel over a solid deck helps against denting. It also costs more.
Gauge and coating
Gauge and coating, rung by rung
Gauge is the thickness of the steel, and a lower number is thicker. Coating is the paint over it. You choose each on its own, and each one changes the price.
| Paint (coating) | Steel (gauge) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry rung | Paint (coating)Standard polyester: a sound finish for a building you don't look at every day. | Steel (gauge)29 gauge: the exposed-fastener panel for sheds, barns and shop buildings. |
| Middle rung | Paint (coating)Silicone-modified polyester: holds its color and gloss longer in strong sun. | Steel (gauge)26 gauge: the usual choice for a standing-seam house roof. |
| Top rung | Paint (coating)PVDF fluoropolymer: resists fade and chalking the longest, and costs the most. | Steel (gauge)24 gauge: a heavier panel that dents less and costs more. For long spans and hail-prone sites. |
| Under both | Paint (coating)Cut edges and scratches are where rust starts, so trim and handling matter. | Steel (gauge)Every panel is steel coated with zinc and aluminum before it is painted. |
Snow retention
Steel lets go of snow all at once
On a shingle roof snow clings and melts. On steel it slides, usually in one piece, and it lands wherever the eave drops. Before we order a panel, we walk the ground and mark where snow must not land.
Guards clamp onto a standing seam without a hole in the panel. On exposed-fastener panel they are screwed down and sealed. How many rows depends on the pitch, the panel and the snow your site gets, and the layout is on the estimate.
Where guards go
Over doors, walkways, decks and carports.
Above a lower roof, a porch or a shed roof.
Above meters, propane tanks and heat pumps.
Along the stock gate, the corral and the lane to the barn.
Warranty
"Lifetime" on a metal roof: whose lifetime?
A metal roof can carry three separate papers from three different companies. Ask for each in writing, and read what it leaves out.
The paint warranty
Written by the paint or panel maker. It usually limits fade and chalking to a set amount. It is the paper most often called lifetime, and it is usually the first owner's.
The panel warranty
Written by the maker. It covers the steel against rusting through, often for the first owner only, and often on a schedule that pays less each year.
Our workmanship warranty
Written by us. It covers leaks that come from how we installed the roof, for the term on your written estimate. Its terms, limits and exclusions are in the written warranty, and you get the paper before you sign.
Bring us the roof you have
Text a photo, or ask us to come out. We look at the roof, the attic and the barn, then write down what we would do and what it would take.
Steel on Montana buildings
What the finished roof looks like
Standing seam on a farmhouse, a gambrel barn in gray steel, a cupola flashed into the panels.
Showing 8 of 8
Sample photos.
Neighbors
What people on the valley's roofs say
“I wanted the cheapest roof that would hold on the machine shed and I got a straight answer on which panel. They also told me what the warranty paper left out.”
Orrin B.Hay and cattle
“After the hail went through, Katerina looked over our metal roof and wrote down what she saw. Some dents, nothing leaking. She put it in a letter I could hand to anyone.”
Gene S.Homeowner
Sample reviews.
Service area
From Billings to the foothills
Yellowstone County and the valleys around it. The shop is on Montana Avenue in Billings.
Yellowstone County
- Billings
- Lockwood
- Laurel
- Shepherd
- Huntley
- Worden
- Ballantine
- Broadview
Stillwater County
- Park City
- Columbus
Carbon County
- Joliet
- Red Lodge
Big Horn County
- Hardin
We don't roof west of Columbus or east of Hardin. Past that, call and we'll say plainly whether the drive makes sense.
ZIP codes: 59101, 59102, 59105, 59106, 59601, 59044, 59063, 59047
Questions
Questions we get at the kitchen table
How long does a metal roof last?
Steel panels are commonly given a service life of 40 to 70 years, depending on the coating, the site and the care it gets. Paint fades and chalks long before steel gives out. What you are buying is the steel, the paint and the details, so we write all three on the estimate.
How much does a metal roof cost?
It depends on the size, the pitch, the panel, the gauge, the paint, what comes off the old roof and how far we drive. We don't post a price because a roof isn't a product. The estimate page lists what moves the number, and you get the figure in writing after the visit.
What is a Class 4 rating, and will it lower my insurance?
Class 4 is the top result in the UL 2218 impact test, which checks whether a panel cracks when steel balls are dropped on it. It is a product rating, not a contractor credential. Some insurers lower premiums for Class 4 roofs and each company decides, so ask your agent. Some policies also exclude cosmetic damage to metal roofs.
Will hail dent a metal roof?
It can. A thicker steel panel on a solid deck dents less, and a panel can pass a Class 4 test and still show dents. We tell you what a dent does to the roof's job, which is often nothing, and what it does to its looks, which is a separate question your policy may treat differently.
Why do I need snow guards on a metal roof?
Steel is slick, and snow on it lets go in one piece. Guards hold the snow on the roof so it melts off a little at a time instead of landing on a door, a walkway, a lower roof or a stock gate. We mark where they go on the estimate.
What does "lifetime" mean on a metal roof?
It depends on whose paper it is. Terms, limits and exclusions are in each written warranty, and you should read them before you sign. A maker's lifetime coverage usually means the original owner's lifetime, covers a specific failure such as rusting through or paint failing, and carries conditions and exclusions. Hail, cosmetic dents and scratches are often left out. Ask for the warranty in writing and read what it excludes before you sign.
Does a metal roof attract lightning?
No. Metal does not make a strike more likely, and steel does not burn. If lightning is a worry on your property, an electrician can look at grounding for the building.
How long does a replacement take?
Most houses take a few days once the panels arrive. Large roofs and barns take longer. Panels are cut to length for your roof, so the lead time from the order is a separate wait, and we tell you the date on the estimate.
Contact
Ask for a written estimate
Tell us what the building is and what is on it now. Katerina or Jens will call you to set a day for the visit.
Phone(406) 555-0104
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed