A metal roof on a Lower Mainland house costs $13 to $22 per square foot installed for steel standing seam, $12 to $22 for metal shingles and $8 to $14 for exposed-fastener panels, at typical 2026 Lower Mainland prices. All figures here are CAD, installed, before GST. On a typical 2,000 square foot roof, standing seam comes to $24,000 to $40,000 before tear-off, deck repairs and extras. Architectural asphalt shingles on the same roof run $11,000 to $20,000.
Those ranges are wide on purpose. The system, the shape and pitch of the roof, the state of the plywood under the old roof, and the city you live in all move the number. This guide goes through each of them, then explains how our estimate tool turns an outline of your roof into a range, and why the in-person measure still sets the price.
Installed cost per square foot, by system
| System | Installed, per sq ft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steel standing seam | $13 to $22 | 24 gauge steel, PVDF finish, concealed clips |
| Aluminum standing seam | $18 to $28 | For houses facing salt water |
| Metal shingles and tiles | $12 to $22 | Stamped steel at the low end; interlocking aluminum on BC contracts ran $16.64 to $21.43 |
| Exposed-fastener panels | $8 to $14 | Lowest on barns and shops over purlins; near the top on a house with a deck and trim |
| Architectural asphalt shingles (for comparison) | $5.50 to $9.50 | |
| Cedar shakes (for comparison) | $12 to $22 | Surrey and Fraser Valley sit low in the range, Vancouver high |
Per square foot means roof area, not floor area. Roof area is always larger than the footprint once pitch and overhangs are counted, and on a two-storey house the two numbers have little to do with each other.
Some quotes you see will fall well outside it, from $9 to $38 per square foot, usually because of the gauge, the finish or what is left out. $13 to $22 is the range we work from for a typical house. Copper and zinc are quoted on site. Their prices move with the metal market and the detailing varies from roof to roof, so we would rather measure than guess.
What a whole roof costs, by size
| Roof area | Standing seam metal | Architectural asphalt |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 sq ft (bungalow, townhouse) | $18,000 to $26,000 | $8,000 to $12,000 |
| About 2,000 sq ft (typical detached house) | $24,000 to $40,000 | $11,000 to $20,000 |
| 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft (large house, two wings) | $40,000 to $58,000 | $18,000 to $26,000 |
The rows are a guide, not a quote: the pitch and shape of your roof decide where you land.
For a typical house, metal shingles come to about $20,000 to $35,000 and exposed-fastener panels $15,000 to $25,000. Premium interlocking aluminum shingles are a different bracket: across 112 BC contracts in 2025 and 2026, one supplier's median roof was about $48,700, with the middle half of jobs between $39,100 and $77,400. Aluminum, complex roofs and the waterfront push every range upward.
Tear-off, deck and the other extras
The per-square-foot prices above are for the metal and its installation. What sits under and around it is priced separately on any honest quote.
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-off and disposal, one layer of asphalt | $1 to $3 per sq ft | Worked examples: about $2,200 on 1,800 sq ft, $2,400 on 2,000 sq ft |
| Second layer of shingles | +$0.50 to $1.50 per sq ft | Two layers always means a full tear-off |
| Cedar shake tear-off | $3 to $5 per sq ft | Heavier and dirtier than shingles |
| Removing an old metal roof | $2 to $4 per sq ft | Depends on the panel and how it was fastened |
| Plywood patches | $80 to $150 per sheet | Common at eaves, valleys and chimneys |
| Full new plywood deck | $2 to $5 per sq ft | Required over the spaced boards under cedar |
| Synthetic underlayment | $0.75 to $1.50 per sq ft | Included in our panel prices; listed so quotes compare |
| Ice and water membrane, eaves and valleys | $700 to $3,000 per roof | More on hillside and snow-country homes |
| Ridge vent | $350 to $3,000 | From a short ridge to a full system |
| Soffit intake vents | $250 to $2,000 | Most 1960s to 1990s houses are short on intake |
| Skylight replaced during the re-roof | $900 to $1,800 each | Like for like, fixed |
| Seamless aluminum gutters | $10 to $25 per linear ft | Whole house $1,500 to $4,000 |
| Snow retention | Quoted on site | Sized to the length of eave and the number of rows |
Disposal is part of why tear-off costs what it does: landfill tipping runs near $147 per tonne, adding $600 to $1,200 to a house roof. Skipping the tear-off saves about $1,500 to $4,000, which is why some owners ask about going over the old shingles; our guide to metal over shingles covers when that works.
The deck is the one item nobody can price until the old roof is off. We carry plywood as a per-sheet allowance so you know the rate in advance, and we photograph what we replace.
What moves a quote up or down
Pitch and access. Steep roofs need more fall protection, more staging and slower work. Steep roofs typically add 15 to 30% to labour above 6:12 and 20 to 40% above 8:12. Easy single-storey access runs 15 to 30% less than the same roof on a tight hillside lot.
Complexity. Hips, valleys, dormers, chimneys and skylights all mean more cutting and more flashing. Complex and premium metal work can reach $25 to $40 or more per square foot against $15 to $28 for standard projects, and upgraded flashing packages alone run $1,500 to $4,000 or more.
Metal, gauge and finish. Aluminum is priced above steel. 24 gauge steel carries about 30% more metal than 26 gauge and is priced accordingly. PVDF and SMP finishes carry different warranties (PVDF 20 to 40 years for film adhesion, while the SMP "40-year" warranty covers film adhesion only), and quotes do not always say which is being offered. These are the places where two quotes for "a metal roof" can describe quite different roofs.
Who is quoting. Quotes for the same address commonly differ by $8,000 to $15,000. A quote should name the panel, gauge, finish and underlayment, how the deck is handled and what the extras cost. If it does not, the difference between two quotes may be in what was left out.
Does the city change the price?
A little, and less than the roof itself. Surrey prices typically run about 5 to 10% below Vancouver and Burnaby about 3 to 5% below, which tracks the wage gap: roofing journeymen in Surrey passed $38 an hour in 2025 while the Metro Vancouver figure is north of $42. Vancouver pricing in turn runs about 15 to 20% above national and provincial averages.
On the North Shore, expect Vancouver pricing plus the pitch and access surcharges above, because so many North Shore roofs are steep and lots are tight. Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission price close to Surrey, and that is the benchmark we use. In practice, roof design, size, condition, access and scope usually matter more to the price than the municipality.
Metal against shingles over 50 years
Industry lifespan charts put a metal roof at 40 to 80 years and basic asphalt at 15 to 25, with a Canadian source giving 15 to 30 depending on quality. Over 50 years that is one metal roof against two or three shingle roofs.
At today's prices, two architectural shingle roofs on a 2,000 square foot house come to $22,000 to $40,000, plus a tear-off at $1 to $3 per square foot each time, plus annual moss treatment at $300 to $800. One standing seam roof is $24,000 to $40,000 with one tear-off and no moss. That is before inflation, which only widens the gap, and before a third shingle roof. Our metal roof versus asphalt guide goes through the rest of the comparison.
The honest caveat: if you plan to sell within a few years, shingles are the cheaper route to a dry roof and we will say so when we see the house.
How the estimate tool works
Our estimate tool asks you to outline your roof on a satellite map and answer a few questions: pitch, the system you are considering, the number of storeys, and details such as skylights and chimneys. It turns the footprint into roof area using the pitch, applies the price ranges above, adjusts for your municipality and emails you a range within minutes.
It cannot see the plywood, the flashings, the attic or how your lot is accessed, which is why the range is a range. When we visit for the re-roofing to metal measure we check all of those, count the penetrations, look at the ventilation and give you a written quote with every item on its own line. Most quotes land inside the tool's range; where one falls outside it, we explain why on site.
Next step
If you want a number for your own roof, start with the estimate tool and you will have a range by email in a few minutes. When you are ready for a firm price, book a free estimate and we will measure the roof in person, check the deck and attic, and put a written quote in your hands with no obligation.