Savannah and the Georgia coast
Standing seam and metal panel roofs built for coastal wind and salt air, from Pooler to Tybee Island. A free roof inspection and a written quote you can compare line by line.
Savannah Elite Metal Roofing installs standing seam, 5V crimp and metal shingle roofs, and repairs the metal roofs already on Savannah houses. Think of the hardware on a boat that lives in a salt-water marina: nobody buys plated cleats twice. We spec a roof the same way. Panels and clips go on as the assembly the maker tested for wind uplift, aluminum or coated steel is picked by how far the house sits from salt water, and every edge, ridge and penetration gets stainless or coated fasteners. Underlayment is high-temperature synthetic. Flashing is bent to the roof, not caulked over, and the drip edge and trim are the same metal as the panels, so two metals never touch.
A metal roof here is judged on two days a year: the August afternoon it has to shed heat, and the night a tropical storm pushes wind under the eaves. Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017 both brought storm-force wind across Chatham County, and hurricane season comes back every June. In our opinion the fastening schedule matters more than the brand of panel. It is also the line most quotes leave out. Call or send the form, and we will set a time to measure the roof, look at the deck from the attic and talk through metals and colors. Financing is available for qualified homeowners. See recent metal roofs.
Residential
Concealed clips, no exposed screws, and panels that run eave to ridge in one piece. On the coast we lean to mechanically seamed panels over snap-lock. Here is why: a seam folded shut by machine holds against uplift that can pop a snap-lock seam open, and once one seam opens the wind has a handle. Most of ours are 24 gauge steel or .032 aluminum with a 1.5 or 2 inch seam. Snap-lock is fine on a sheltered porch.
A metal roof is only as strong as the way it is fastened down. We install panels as the exact tested assembly the maker rated for uplift (UL 580 and UL 1897 are the tests to ask about), tighten clip spacing at the eaves, rakes and corners where wind pulls hardest, and re-nail the deck with ring-shank nails before a panel goes up. Skip that last step and the best panel on the market is clipped to plywood that can peel.
Salt spray eats bare steel at the cut edges first, usually where you cannot see it from the yard. On marsh-front and waterfront lots, aluminum panels with stainless fasteners are the safer metal. Most panel makers write a distance from salt water into their steel warranty, and inside it the coverage changes. We read that clause with you before you choose. Aluminum costs more, yes. A steel roof that rusts through early near the marsh costs more than that.
Further inland, in Pooler, Bloomingdale and west Savannah, coated steel is a sound choice at a lower price. Galvalume AZ55 under a Kynar 500 or silicone-polyester finish, 24 or 26 gauge, with trim in the same metal so nothing corrodes at the joint. Every March the pine pollen turns roofs out there yellow for a few weeks; a smooth painted panel rinses clean with the first good rain.
A shingle roof that lost tabs in one storm usually loses more in the next. We tear off to the deck, replace soft sheathing, dry the house in the same day with synthetic underlayment and haul the old roof away. The permit is pulled before the dumpster arrives.
Building code allows a metal overlay on one layer of shingles in some cases, and it saves the tear-off. Near the coast we usually advise against it: wind ratings assume a sound, dry deck, and the only way to see the deck is to take the shingles off.
The five-rib panel on old Lowcountry farmhouses and porches, and what most people here still call a tin roof. It is screwed through the face, so it costs less and suits porches, cottages and outbuildings, with honest limits next to standing seam on a whole house.
Houses on piers with steep main roofs, wraparound porches at a lower pitch, cupolas and dormers. Staging on a raised house takes planning, and the porch roof often needs its own panel and seam height to drain properly.
Most metal roof leaks are at the screws, boots and flashings, not the panels. We reseat or replace backed-out fasteners, swap cracked pipe boots, rebuild skylight and chimney flashing and refasten trim a storm lifted, then water-test the spot before we leave.
Light and mid-tone finishes with high solar reflectance keep the attic cooler in July, and many carry the Energy Star rating. We bring painted sample chips to the house so you see the color against your own siding and trim in your own light.
Historic and island homes
Two kinds of house ask more of a metal roof than the rest of the county: the ones a review board looks at, and the ones that face open water.
Visible roof changes on houses in Savannah's Landmark Historic District go through the City's historic preservation review before work starts. We bring the panel profile, color and drawings the review asks for. Confirm the current process with the City first.
Wind straight off the ocean and salt on every surface. Aluminum panels, stainless fasteners, sealed seams at the ridge, and a freshwater rinse and inspection schedule we hand you with the warranty papers.
Marsh-front lots under live oaks, with humid air that condenses under a roof deck. Ventilation at ridge and soffit matters as much as the panels, and fallen limbs are the main thing a roof here has to shrug off.
A standing seam roof over a bay window, porch or cupola on an otherwise shingled house. Small jobs, careful flashing where the metal meets the shingles, and a color chosen to match the shutters or trim.
Commercial
Garden City and Port Wentworth buildings with tired exposed-fastener roofs: retrofit panels or standing seam over the old metal on new purlins, without emptying the building.
Canopies, mansards and entry roofs that carry the brand, plus rooftop unit curbs flashed so the kitchen stays dry.
Tall roofs and steeples scheduled around services and the school calendar, with one written scope for the board.
Island and downtown rentals roofed between bookings, with photos at each stage for owners who live out of town.
Phased schedules building by building, a single scope and price, and notice to residents before each phase.
Specialty
After a named storm, a roof walk with dated photos and a written scope you can hand your adjuster. We document; the insurer decides.
Rusted steel drip edge, rake and ridge trim swapped for aluminum or stainless before the rust reaches the deck.
A silicone or acrylic recoat for an older commercial or porch roof that is sound but chalking or rusting at the laps.
Half-round and box gutters in the same finish as the panels, sized for coastal downpours.
Ridge vents, soffit intake and radiant barriers that keep humid air from condensing under a metal deck.
Cost
Planning ranges for a 2,200 square foot house, about 26 squares of roof with a moderate pitch, installed with tear-off and new synthetic underlayment. Your written quote replaces these numbers after we measure.
| System | Per square foot installed | Typical 2,200 sq ft house | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5V crimp (exposed fastener), painted steel | $6 to $10 | $15,000 to $25,000 | Porches, cottages, outbuildings, tight budgets |
| Standing seam, painted steel 24 gauge | $11 to $16 | $28,000 to $42,000 | Most homes inland of the marsh |
| Standing seam, aluminum .032 | $14 to $22 | $36,000 to $55,000 | Waterfront, islands, marsh-front lots |
| Metal shingles or shake panels | $10 to $15 | $26,000 to $38,000 | Streets where a ribbed look is not wanted |
| Repair visit (fasteners, boots, flashing) | by the job | $400 to $1,800 | Leaks on an otherwise sound metal roof |
What moves the price: roof pitch and height, the number of valleys, dormers and chimneys, whether the deck needs new sheathing, aluminum versus steel, and seam height. Aluminum costs more per square because the metal costs more and it is mechanically seamed on site. Financing is available for qualified homeowners.
Decision guide
Most Savannah roofs are architectural shingles, and most of them come down to the same three questions: how long, how much a year, and what happens in a storm.
| Question | Standing seam metal | Architectural shingles |
|---|---|---|
| Life span on the coast | 40 to 60 years with the right metal for the location | 15 to 25 years, shorter after repeated storms |
| Wind | Tested panel and clip assemblies with published uplift ratings | Rated by shingle class; tabs lift and tear in gusts |
| Heat | Reflective finishes and an air gap cut attic heat | Dark granules hold heat into the evening |
| Cost up front | About two to three times a shingle roof | Lowest installed cost |
| Cost per year of life | Often lower, because it is installed once | Higher over 50 years: two or three roofs |
| Insurance | Ask your insurer about wind-mitigation and roof-type credits | Standard rating; age of roof matters at renewal |
Why us
Aluminum or coated steel chosen by distance to salt water, stainless fasteners, and the panel maker's coastal warranty terms read with you before you sign.
Squares of roof, linear feet of flashing and trim, underlayment type, tear-off and disposal, the permit, and an allowance for deck repair written as a price per sheet.
Material delivered, roof dried in the first day, panels and trim after, and a magnetic sweep of the yard and driveway before the crew leaves.
We call back to set a time to see the roof, usually the same business day.
Roof measured, deck checked from the attic, distance to salt water noted.
Line-by-line price, metal and color samples at the house, warranty terms explained.
Permit pulled for the right office, panels ordered in your color and length.
Old roof off, deck repaired and dried in, panels, trim and flashing installed.
Final walk on the ground, magnet sweep, warranty and care schedule handed over.
Recent work
Placeholders until the installer's own photos arrive; the gallery page carries the rest.
Service area
We work across Chatham County and into Effingham and Bryan: the historic squares and Midtown bungalows, the newer subdivisions out by Pooler and Richmond Hill, and the island houses along the Tybee road.
Richmond Hill is in Bryan County and Bloomingdale and Pooler sit on the Effingham side of the line in places, so permits go to whichever office covers the address. We check that before the quote.
Questions
For a 2,200 square foot house, roughly $15,000 to $25,000 for 5V crimp, $28,000 to $42,000 for steel standing seam and $36,000 to $55,000 for aluminum. Your measured quote replaces those ranges.
A properly fastened standing seam roof is one of the strongest roofs you can put on a house. The rating belongs to the tested assembly, so the clips, spacing and deck nailing matter as much as the panel.
Close to the water, aluminum, because it does not rust. Inland, coated steel is fine and costs less. The panel maker's warranty usually names the distance from salt water where the choice changes.
Sometimes, over a single layer. Near the coast we usually recommend tear-off, because the wind rating assumes a sound deck, and you cannot see the deck until the shingles come off.
Visible roof changes in the Landmark Historic District go through the City of Savannah's historic preservation review. Check with the City before signing; we bring the drawings and product data.
Not with a solid deck and underlayment under it. The noise people remember comes from metal on open framing over porches and barns.
No. Reflective finishes send much of the sun back, and the attic usually runs cooler than it did under dark shingles.
It can. Some insurers give credits for roof type and wind mitigation; ask your agent what your policy offers before and after the job.
Most homes take three to six working days once the panels arrive, depending on size, pitch and weather.
A panel with five V-shaped ribs, screwed through the face. It is the traditional tin roof of the Lowcountry and costs less than standing seam.
Once a year and after any named storm. Near the beach, a freshwater rinse of the trim and fasteners helps them last.
Yes, financing is available for qualified homeowners. Ask when we bring the quote.
Savannah, Pooler, Richmond Hill, Tybee Island, Wilmington Island, Skidaway Island, Port Wentworth, Garden City and Bloomingdale.
Free quote
Tell us the town, the roof you have now and what you are thinking about. We call back to set a time to measure, usually the same business day.