Standing Seam Roof Installation in Los Angeles

Before Anything Is Ordered

Every installation starts on the roof, not on a spreadsheet. We measure each plane and look at the details that decide how the job runs: valleys, hips, the walls the roof meets, chimneys, skylights, vents and any solar equipment. Where we can, we look at the attic too, because ventilation and the condition of the deck both shape the scope.

We also look at the site. A flat lot in Studio City and a steep hillside lot in the Hollywood Hills or Bel-Air are very different jobs to stage. Street width, parking, where a material lift can go and where the debris bin can sit all get planned before the first day.

You then get a written scope that names the metal, the finish, the seam type, the underlayment, how each flashing will be built and what happens if the deck needs repair. That document is what you are buying, so it should be specific.

Permits in Los Angeles

Reroofing generally needs a building permit. Inside the City of Los Angeles, that goes through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Many neighborhoods people think of as LA are separate cities with their own building departments, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Malibu, and each has its own process. We pull the permit with whichever department covers your address and schedule the inspections it requires.

Two state rules often come up during permitting. Homes in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone need a Class A roof assembly under Chapter 7A of the California Building Code. And Title 24 energy rules can set cool roof requirements for some reroofs, depending on climate zone and slope. We confirm both for your address while the scope is being written, not after.

Installation, Step by Step

1. Protect the house. Landscaping, windows, pools and walkways are covered before tear-off begins.
2. Tear off to the deck. We remove the old roof down to the wood. We do not lay standing seam over an old roof, because that hides the deck for decades.
3. Inspect and repair the deck. Soft, rotted or damaged sheathing is shown to you and replaced. Nothing new goes on top of a deck we would not stand behind.
4. Dry in with underlayment. A high-temperature underlayment goes down, chosen to match the slope and the rated assembly.
5. Set the edges and flashings. Eave and rake trim, valley pans, wall and chimney flashings and skylight details go in. These are bent in our shop to fit the house.
6. Form and install panels. Panels formed to length in Van Nuys go up one by one, held by clips laid out for fixed and floating points.
7. Seam and cap. Seams are snapped or mechanically closed depending on the system, then hips and ridges are capped and closed.
8. Final inspection and cleanup. We walk the roof with you, the city inspects where required, and the site is cleaned, including a sweep for stray fasteners.

Where Installations Go Right or Wrong

The middle of a standing seam panel rarely causes trouble. Problems almost always start where the roof changes direction or meets something else. These are the details we spend the most time on.

• Valleys. Two planes meet and concentrate water. The valley pan and panel cuts have to send that water past, not under.
• Walls and chimneys. Flashing has to tuck behind the wall finish or into the masonry and still let the panels move.
• Skylights and vents. Every penetration needs a flashing designed for a seamed roof, not a part made for shingles.
• Panel expansion. Clips have to be laid out so long panels can move with the heat without pulling at the trim.
• Oil canning. Some waviness in flat metal is a known trait of the material. Panel width, metal thickness, striations and careful handling all help keep it in check, and we talk about it with you up front.

Why One Company Does Every Step

On many roofing jobs, one company sells it, another forms the panels and a third crew installs them. When something goes wrong, nobody owns it. Eclipse Metal Roofing measures, fabricates and installs every standing seam roof with its own people, and has done so in Los Angeles since 2006 under California license #888710. You can check that license with the Contractors State License Board.

If you are still comparing materials, our guide to the standing seam metal roof in Los Angeles covers seam types, metals and finishes. We also install corrugated metal roofing and metal that imitates shake, tile or slate.