What a Standing Seam Metal Roof Install Looks Like, Day by Day
Five Days on Your Roof, Start to Finish
Most homeowners have never watched a roof go on. You sign the contract, a truck shows up, there's a week of noise, and then one day the driveway is empty and the roof is finished. That gap between "signed" and "done" is where almost every worry lives — how long will my house be open, what happens if it rains, are they really replacing the bad wood underneath?
So we pulled the drone footage from real Tampa and Sarasota jobs and walked through it phase by phase. This is what a standing seam metal roof installation actually looks like from the first tarp to the final magnet sweep — and what should be happening at each stage on any roof, not just ours.
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Here's Exactly What Happens Once the Crew Pulls Up
A typical single-family standing seam job runs about five working days. Steep pitches, multiple dormers, detached structures, or a rainy stretch will stretch that out — but the sequence never changes. Jump to any phase below.
Day One: The Old Roof Comes Off
Before a single shingle moves, the crew stages the property — dump trailer positioned, tarps and protective mesh over landscaping, pool cages, and A/C units, and ladders set on the safest approach. Then the old roof comes off down to bare plywood. On a full tear-off you'll see the whole deck exposed for the first time since the house was built, which is exactly the point: nobody can tell you what condition your decking is in until it's uncovered.
This is where the crew looks for soft spots, delamination, and old leak staining, replaces any bad sheathing, and re-nails the deck to current Florida code — a step that's required on re-roofs and one of the biggest structural upgrades you get out of the job. If you've been putting the project off, a free 20-point roof inspection will tell you what's likely waiting under there.
"I contacted Brad, the owner, many times before the job started and he patiently answered all of my questions. The quoted price was fair and did not change when the job was complete."
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Day Two: Making the Deck Watertight
The white surface you see in every one of these photos is the dry-in, and it is the single most important layer on a Florida roof. Synthetic underlayment goes down over the whole deck, self-adhered membrane goes into the valleys and around penetrations, and metal drip edge gets set at the eaves and rakes. Done properly, your house is already weather-tight at this stage — a surprise afternoon storm is an inconvenience for the crew, not a problem for your ceilings.
This is also the phase your county inspector signs off on before any panels can be installed. That in-progress inspection is not optional, it's not something a homeowner should have to chase, and it's a fast way to tell whether a contractor is pulling real permits. Any legitimate roof replacement in Hillsborough, Pinellas, or Sarasota County will have one on record.
"Good crew, worked on Saturday to finish, about 2 an half days, that included home and a sperate studio."
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Day Three: Panels Roll and Go Up
That trailer in the driveway isn't just hauling material — it's a rollforming machine. Coil steel feeds in one end and finished panels come out the other, cut to the exact length of your roof plane. That's the whole advantage of forming on site: a continuous panel from ridge to eave with no horizontal seam in the middle of the run, which is where cheaper systems eventually leak.
Panels are set with concealed clips rather than screws driven through the face, so the metal can expand and contract through a Florida summer without working the fasteners loose, and there are no exposed rubber washers aging in the sun. Seams are then locked or mechanically seamed shut. You can watch the roof change color across the photos below as a job moves from white underlayment to finished metal, plane by plane.
"They were professional and courteous from the start and were able to accommodate my timeline. My metal roof looks amazing and I couldn't be happier on the finished product."
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Day Four: The Details That Keep Water Out
Flat runs of metal almost never fail. What fails is everything the metal has to go around — valleys, chimneys, skylights, plumbing boots, wall-to-roof transitions, and the ridge. Day four is slow, quiet, unglamorous work: bending and setting custom flashing, fitting hem and eave trim, closing gable ends, and installing ridge cap over vented closure strips so the attic can still breathe. A crew that races this phase is the reason some metal roofs leak at year three while others don't leak at year thirty.
It's also the natural moment to fix things that were quietly wrong before. Undersized attic and roof ventilation cooks a Florida attic and drives up cooling bills; a tired, hazed-over skylight is far easier and cheaper to replace now than after the roof is closed up. If you're weighing systems before you commit, our breakdown of metal vs. shingle roofs in Florida covers the tradeoffs.
"The quality of the roof is truly top-of-the-line, and the workmanship is outstanding. They were reliable, respectful, and completed the job with great attention to detail."
See our profileDay Five: Cleanup and Final Walkthrough
The last day is the one homeowners actually judge you on. Rolling magnets go over the driveway, walkways, and beds to pull fasteners and cut metal; gutters get cleared of debris; tarps and mesh come down; and the trailer and leftover coil leave the property. A supervisor walks the roof and the ground with fresh eyes before anyone calls it finished, and the county comes out for the final inspection. Then you get your paperwork — permit close-out, manufacturer material warranty, and workmanship warranty — filed somewhere you can find it in ten years.
Below is what the other side of that week looks like: finished standing seam roofs across Tampa, Sarasota, and the surrounding coast. Click any photo to open it full size, or browse more of our recent work.
"Bradley and the team did an amazing job and cleaned up thoroughly at the end of every single day, which we really appreciated. The roof came out looking incredible and completely transformed the house."
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The Standards Behind Every Wilson Install
You don't have to take our word for how a roof should go on — you can use this as a checklist when you're comparing bids from anyone in Tampa Bay.
- Permits pulled and a county dry-in inspection before any panels go on
- Decking re-nailed to current Florida code and rotten sheathing replaced
- Panels rollformed on site so long runs have no horizontal seams
- Concealed clip fastening — no exposed screws through the panel face
- Written quote that doesn't change at the end, and daily cleanup
What Homeowners Ask Us Before Day One
No. People stay in their homes for almost every job we do. It is loud during tear-off and panel work, so if you work from home or have a napping toddler, plan around the first and third days. We do ask that you move vehicles out of the driveway and clear anything fragile off shelves and walls, since hammering carries through the structure.
We only tear off what we can dry in the same day, which is why the dry-in phase matters so much. Once underlayment is down, your home is protected against normal Florida afternoon storms. If a system is coming through, we stop tearing off and secure the site rather than gamble with an open deck.
It's the opposite on heat — reflective metal sheds solar gain rather than absorbing it the way dark shingles do, and with proper attic ventilation most homeowners notice their upstairs is easier to cool. As for noise, the panels sit over solid decking and underlayment, not open purlins like a barn roof, so rain sounds about the same as it did before.
We don't recommend it, and in most Florida re-roof scenarios you shouldn't want it. Going over shingles hides the condition of your decking, skips the code-required re-nailing, and traps an aging layer under your new roof. A full tear-off costs more up front and is the reason the roof underneath performs for decades.
Less than most people assume. Because we form panels on site rather than buying them finished, our metal pricing lands much closer to a premium shingle system than the industry average — on some homes it's genuinely comparable. Roof size, pitch, and complexity drive the number, so the only honest answer comes after a measurement. We also offer financing options if you'd rather spread it out.
If your roof is already at the end of its life, waiting is the riskier choice — that's the roof you'd be asking to survive the season. Demand and lead times also spike after a named storm hits the Gulf coast. If you're unsure where yours stands, a free roof inspection will tell you whether you have years left or months.
Wilson Roofing and Renovations Sarasota did an absolutely fantastic job with my new metal roof which was not an easy job. The crew worked incredibly hard and I am ecstatic at how this new metal roof has completely transformed the look of my home and is now the envy of my neighborhood. What impressed me the most was the level of detail this crew did with finishing touches and a Supervisor coming to ensure everything was cleaned up properly and that everything checked out. I'm thrilled with my new roof!!
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