Metal roofing

Metal Roof Installation in San Antonio, TX

Most of the metal roofs we install go on over a house that has already had two or three shingle roofs. In San Antonio sun a builder-grade shingle lasts twelve to eighteen years; the 1990s and 2000s subdivisions north of 1604 are coming due together, and the question is whether to buy shingle roof number three or a metal roof that outlasts the mortgage. A conversion can sometimes go over one sound layer without a tear-off. We'll tell you when that is a bad idea, and on a deck with 2016 hail damage under the shingles it usually is.

The First Re-Roof Is the Cheapest Moment to Switch

Most of the metal roofs we install go on a house that has already had two or three shingle roofs. A builder-grade architectural shingle lasts twelve to eighteen years in this sun, less if it took hail in 2016 and was patched rather than replaced. The 1990s and 2000s subdivisions north of 1604, in Schertz and Cibolo, along I-35 in New Braunfels, are coming due together, and the question is whether to buy shingle roof number three or a metal roof that outlasts the mortgage. The first re-roof is the cheapest moment to switch: the deck is usually still dry, the flashings are on their first life, and nobody has yet screwed a satellite dish through the sheathing.

Tear-Off or Layover

Metal can sometimes go over one existing layer of shingles: the deck has to be sound, there can be only one layer, and the local code has to allow it, which the City of San Antonio and most of the suburbs do with a permit. A layover saves the tear-off and disposal, and it is genuinely the right call on some roofs. We will tell you when it is a bad idea, and it usually is on a roof that took the 2016 hail: the damage you cannot see is in the deck and the underlayment, and covering it with a fifty-year roof means living with it for fifty years. Either way, the measurement visit is on the roof, and the deck condition is on the quote before you sign it, not discovered on day two.

Which System Goes On

For most houses, standing seam: 24-gauge, concealed clips, Class 4, bare Galvalume or Kynar 500. Where the HOA has written "no panels" into the covenants, in Fair Oaks Ranch, Cordillera Ranch, some Stone Oak sections, a metal shingle or stone-coated system that reads as shake or tile from the street. For the barn, workshop or carport behind the house, R-panel, and on acreage in Bulverde and Spring Branch the house and the outbuilding usually go on one quote. New construction and additions get the same systems; we work from the framer's drawings and quote before the deck goes down.

Permits, HOAs and Insurance

A shingle-to-metal conversion changes the roof covering type, so it needs a permit inside the San Antonio city limits, and the independent cities and county areas have their own desks. We pull them. HOA architectural committees get a packet with a sample panel and the manufacturer spec before any material is ordered. And before you sign, ask your agent two things: what the Class 4 discount is, and whether the policy carries a cosmetic damage endorsement for metal roofs. Both answers should be in writing. The home page explains why.

What Happens on Site

Tear-off and disposal, or the layover inspection. Deck repair where the old roof leaked. High-temperature synthetic underlayment. Panels, clips, trim, ridge and penetration flashings rebuilt in metal. A magnet sweep of the yard for nails and screws, twice, because live oak lots in Helotes and Boerne hide them. Three to five days for a typical tear-off and standing seam install; two to three for a layover. Then the paperwork: the manufacturer's finish warranty in your name, the workmanship terms on the quote, and an inspection schedule so the roof gets looked at on time rather than after the next storm.

How long does it take? Three to five days for a tear-off and standing seam install on a typical home. Two to three if the metal goes over an approved single layer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you install metal over my existing shingles?
Sometimes: one layer, a sound deck, and Bexar County code allows it. It saves the tear-off. We'll tell you when it's a bad idea, and on a roof with old hail damage under the shingles it usually is.
Do I need a permit for a metal roof in San Antonio?
A re-roof in the City of San Antonio needs a permit when the covering type changes, which a shingle-to-metal conversion does. We pull it. Suburbs and county areas have their own rules and we handle those too.
Which metal roof should I convert to?
Standing seam on most houses. Metal shingle where the HOA won't approve panels. R-panel on the workshop behind the house, not on the house.

Related services

These usually come up on the same roof, and we can quote them in the same visit:

Free, no obligation

Get a written metal roof quote

We call once to set a measurement. The quote comes on paper, line by line, and if a repair is the right answer that is what we'll quote.

  • Measured on the roof, not from a satellite photo
  • Panel gauge, finish, underlayment, flashing and trim, itemised
  • One number you approve before any material is ordered
  • Hail damage documented as cosmetic or functional, for your claim

Tell us about the roof

Roof open after a storm? Call (726) 240-8157 and we'll get a tarp on it first.

Got it, thank you.

We'll call once to set up the measurement. Need us sooner? (726) 240-8157