Commercial Metal Roofs
Ottawa Roofing Pros installs, repairs and retrofits metal roofs on warehouses, plazas, light industrial buildings and farm buildings across Ottawa and its rural townships. We work with structural standing seam, ribbed and corrugated steel, and insulated recovers over tired panels.
Our crews bring more than 17 years and over 1,500 roofing jobs to every project, and we know how Ottawa's temperature swings work fasteners loose and how livestock humidity eats steel from the inside.
We are licensed, insured and WSIB-covered, and we take metal roof leak calls 24/7.
We install new commercial metal roofs, repair leaking ones and retrofit aging steel roofs with new panels or an insulated membrane. Our clients run warehouses and pre-engineered steel buildings, plazas with metal mansards, light industrial units and farm buildings across the wider Ottawa area.
Metal suits buildings where a long service life, snow shedding and low maintenance outweigh upfront cost. Structural standing seam can run 40 years or more, and steel is non-combustible, which helps on buildings where torch work is a concern.
Ottawa is a good place to buy steel roofing. Ideal Roofing manufactures metal roofing and siding on Michael Street in Ottawa's east end, and Vicwest is another long-standing Canadian panel maker, so common profiles and trims are close at hand.
Typical calls include warehouses in the Stittsville Business Park through our Stittsville roofers, older steel buildings off Colonnade Road handled by our roofing team in Nepean, and plaza mansards and service buildings covered by our commercial roofing in Orléans. Metal is one of several systems within our commercial roofing services.
Most commercial metal roof leaks come from four causes: fasteners backing out, rust, failed seams and laps, and condensation that looks like a leak. Each has a different fix, so we diagnose before we quote.
For leaks that need same-day attention, our commercial roof repair service covers metal as well as membrane roofs.
Commercial metal roofing comes in three forms: concealed-fastener structural standing seam, exposed-fastener ribbed or corrugated panels, and retrofits that add a new roof over the old panels. Slope, budget, building use and how long you plan to own the building decide which fits.
Panel material matters too. Most commercial panels are steel with a Galvalume (aluminum-zinc) or galvanized coating, then a factory paint finish, and the coating weight and paint system set how long the steel resists rust.
Structural standing seam panels clip to the purlins with concealed clips, and adjacent panels are joined by machine-folded seams. Floating clips let each panel slide as it heats and cools, so there are no exposed fasteners to work loose.
Because the seams sit above the water line, structural standing seam can run on much lower slopes than ribbed panels. It costs more upfront but often lasts 40 years or more with little maintenance.
Ribbed and corrugated steel panels fasten straight through the panel into the purlins or deck, with rubber washers sealing each screw. They are fast to install and economical, which is why they cover so many warehouses, drive sheds and barns.
The trade-off is maintenance. Exposed fasteners need checking and eventual replacement, and these panels need a steeper pitch than standing seam to stay dry at the laps.
A retrofit puts a new roof over an old metal one instead of tearing it off. There are two main routes: an insulated single-ply recover, or new metal panels on a sub-framing system.
For a single-ply recover, we fill the panel flutes with insulation, add polyiso and a cover board, and install a PVC or TPO membrane, detailed on our single-ply TPO, EPDM and PVC roofing page. For a metal-over-metal retrofit, sub-purlins carry new panels above the old roof, with insulation added in between.
We roof barns, drive sheds, machine sheds, equine arenas and workshops across rural Ottawa, including West Carleton, Osgoode and Cumberland, and on farms within about a 30-minute drive of the city. Most are ribbed steel, and most problems trace back to moisture, wind or age.
Livestock barns are hard on steel. Humidity and ammonia from animals condense on the underside of the panels and corrode them from the inside, so we look at ventilation and specify panels and coatings that suit that exposure.
Wind is the other enemy. The September 2018 tornado that hit Dunrobin in West Carleton and the May 2022 derecho both stripped metal from rural roofs across the region, and lifted panels usually start at eaves, rakes and ridges. On re-roofs, we tighten fastener spacing at those edges and replace undersized trims.
For metal roofs on farmhouses and rural homes, see our residential metal roofing page.
A commercial metal roof project runs in six stages, from site visit to final documents. Most re-roofs of a 10,000 sq ft building take 1 to 3 weeks on site, plus factory lead time for custom-length panels, which varies by season.
We lock in the panel order as soon as the contract is signed so it doesn't hold up the schedule.
We walk the roof, check fasteners, laps, rust and trims, and look at the underside for condensation and purlin condition. Photos and measurements go into a written report.
We confirm roof slope, purlin spacing and the extra load of any retrofit. Where a sub-framing system or added weight is involved, an engineer reviews the structure.
You choose the panel profile, gauge and colour, and we order panels cut to length with matching trims and closures. Work is phased around tenants, livestock or harvest as needed.
Tear-offs come off in sections we can close the same day. Retrofits start with flute fill, sub-purlins or insulation over the existing panels.
Panels, clips or fasteners, closures, ridge caps, eave and rake trims and snow guards go on to the manufacturer's details. Penetrations get curbs or flashing boots, with crickets above wide curbs.
We check every fastener line, seam and trim, sweep metal shavings off the panels before they can rust-stain the finish, and hand over photos and warranty documents.
In 2026, ribbed steel roofing in Ottawa typically runs $900 to $1,400 per roofing square (100 sq ft), or $9 to $14 per sq ft, and standing seam $1,200 to $1,800 per square, or $12 to $18 per sq ft. Large plain warehouse roofs can price lower per square than small, cut-up plaza roofs, and a written quote after a free assessment sets the actual price.
These factors move the price:
Metal roof repairs follow our standard ranges: $350 to $1,200 for minor repairs and $1,200 to $3,500+ for larger ones such as re-fastening a full roof section. Where panels are sound but leaking at fasteners and laps, a commercial roof coating over metal at $4 to $9 per sq ft can extend their life.
Our 1-year written labour warranty covers workmanship on every metal installation. Panel manufacturers' warranties are separate, usually covering the paint finish and the steel's coating against perforation for terms that vary by product, and they depend on proper installation and registration.
These are the questions building owners, farmers and managers ask most before committing to a commercial metal roof.
Rain is louder on bare steel over an open warehouse, but insulation and a ceiling below make the difference negligible in finished space. Retrofits that add insulation usually make a building quieter than before.
Structural standing seam often lasts 40 years or more. Ribbed steel lasts decades too, but plan for fastener and washer replacement somewhere around year 15 to 20.
Usually, yes. Re-fastening, resealing laps, new closures and spot panel replacement solve most leaks, and a coating can seal an entire roof's fasteners at once.
Replacing panels like for like often doesn't, but adding sub-framing, extra weight or structural changes generally needs a City of Ottawa building permit. Our roofing permits guide for Ottawa explains when one applies.
Our crews dispatch from Centretown to every Ottawa community and anywhere within about 30 minutes of the city.
Free roofing estimate
Send us the building address, roof size and photos if you have them. We book a free site assessment and follow up with a written proposal covering panel system, trims and schedule.