Standing Seam Metal Roofing in St. Louis
Specification decisions outlast almost everything else about a roofing job.
Standing seam, and when it is worth it
Standing seam metal is a different category of roof rather than a nicer version of the one you have. Panels run unbroken from ridge to eave and lock together at raised seams, and the fasteners sit under those seams rather than punched through the surface. No exposed fastener means no rubber washer sitting in the sun waiting to perish, which is where exposed-fastener metal roofs eventually fail.
Where it earns its cost is on low-slope sections, long unbroken runs, and porches or additions where a shingle roof would be working near the bottom of its slope range. It also sheds snow and resists uplift well. The tradeoffs are real: it costs substantially more than asphalt up front, it demands a flat and true deck because the panels show every wave underneath, and it is unforgiving of a bad install in a way that shingles are not.
Hail is worth being straight about. Metal is highly unlikely to leak from hail, but large stones can dent it, and a dented panel is a cosmetic loss that some policies specifically exclude. If the roof is going on a house where appearance is the point, ask your carrier about cosmetic damage exclusions before you commit.
This is not a mild market. NOAA's Storm Events Database logged 125 hail events in St. Louis County between 2020-2025, with stones measured up to 2.5 inches and averaging 1.32 inches. That count is of reported events, not of insured losses, and reporting density tracks population, so a busy county logs more reports than an empty one. Even read conservatively it means a roof in this area takes repeated impact.
The work, and its limits
Keys does roofing, gutters and downspouts. It does not do siding, windows or general contracting, and saying so is more useful than a longer list would be. Shingles are Atlas and Malarkey.
- Tear-off and full replacement, decking replaced where it has softened
- Leak tracing and repair: flashing, boots, valleys, fasteners
- Documented inspections, photographs and a written scope in your hand
- Seamless gutter rolled on site, guards, resealing and re-hanging
- Downspout reroutes, extensions and buried drainage to a proper outlet
Drainage is the unusual one. Most roofing companies here stop at the gutter and leave the water to find its own way, which it does, usually into a basement.
Call Keys Roofing at (314) 220-2333
Straight through to the office. Roofing, gutters and downspouts only, across greater St. Louis.
Ask about the spec
Straight answers on what suits your roof.
Before you sign anything
Get the scope in writing first. It should say what is being torn off, what is going back on, what happens when soft decking appears, and who carries the workmanship warranty as distinct from the shingle warranty. Ask whether the crew are employees or subcontractors and whether the salesperson attends the job.
Two warning signs specific to this state. A contractor offering to cover or rebate your deductible is offering something RSMo 407.725 bars. So is one promising to negotiate your insurance claim. Both tell you the company is comfortable operating outside the rules, which is worth knowing before it is on your roof.
Questions people actually ask
How long does this last compared with standard shingles?
Longer, in the general case, though the install matters at least as much as the product. Specification decisions outlast almost everything else about a roofing job, which is why they are worth slowing down for.
Is it worth it on an ordinary house?
It depends entirely on the roof rather than the house. Low slopes, long unbroken runs and porch sections are where the upgrade earns its cost. On a simple steep roof, a good architectural shingle installed properly is hard to beat on value.
Does Keys install anything else?
Atlas and Malarkey shingle products, and that is the whole list. A company that claims to be certified by every manufacturer is usually certified by none of them.