What should a metal roof cost installed?
Short answer. There is no single fair price for an installed metal roof, because exposed-fastener panels, standing seam, and metal shingles are very different products. As a rule, installed metal costs well above a typical architectural shingle roof, which runs about $8,000 to $16,000 in North Georgia, with standing seam at the top of the metal range. Judge a quote by the panel type, steel gauge, paint finish, underlayment, and trim it lists.
The metal types, from least to most expensive
- Exposed-fastener panels: screwed through the face with rubber-washered screws. Lowest cost, common on barns and some homes, but the washers age and the screws need periodic checking.
- Stone-coated steel and metal shingles: designed to look like shingles or tile, installed in smaller pieces.
- Standing seam: concealed clips and raised seams with no exposed screws in the panel field. Highest cost, longest service life, and the cleanest look.
What a complete installed price should include
- Tear-off of the existing roof and disposal, unless a single-layer recover is allowed and agreed.
- Deck repair allowance and a high-temperature underlayment.
- Panel gauge, commonly 26 or 24 for residential, and the paint system with its finish warranty.
- Fabricated trim: eave, rake, ridge, valleys, sidewall and endwall flashing.
- Pipe boots made for metal and a plan for chimneys and skylights.
- Ventilation, usually a vented ridge closure matched to soffit intake.
Red flags in metal quotes
Watch for vague panel descriptions, no gauge listed, no mention of underlayment, and installers who plan to screw panels directly over old shingles without addressing ventilation or code. Overlays have limits; see roofing over existing shingles. For the full pros and cons in this climate, read metal roofing in Georgia.