Northern Lights Metal Roofing installs standing seam metal roofing across Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is our specialty, and it is the system we recommend most often to homeowners who are tired of replacing asphalt after every hail season. Because the panels lock together with concealed fasteners, there are no exposed screws to back out, crack their washers and leak in ten years.
What Standing Seam Metal Roofing Actually Is
Standing seam refers to how the panels join. Each panel runs vertically from ridge to eave, and the raised seam where two panels meet is folded or snapped together above the water line. As a result, the fasteners sit underneath the panel rather than through it. That single detail is why the system outlasts exposed-fastener metal by decades.
Why It Holds Up in Our Climate
Minnesota and Wisconsin roofs face a punishing cycle. Hail arrives in spring and summer, wind lines follow, and then snow load and ice dams take over in winter. Standing seam handles all three:
- Class 4 impact rating — tested against two-inch steel balls dropped at 90 mph, which exceeds nearly every hail event either state produces
- Wind ratings up to 140 mph on properly installed systems, because there are no shingle tabs to lift
- Snow sheds instead of sitting, which lowers structural load and reduces ice dam formation at the eave
- No granule loss, so the surface does not age the way asphalt does
- Non-combustible, with a Class A fire rating on most assemblies
How Long Standing Seam Metal Roofing Lasts
A properly installed system runs 40 to 70 years. Compare that with 15 to 20 for asphalt in this climate, and the arithmetic changes. Most homeowners here replace asphalt two or three times over the life of one metal roof. In addition, you pay a deductible each time a storm takes the asphalt.
The Insurance Discount Most Homeowners Miss
Many carriers in both states offer premium discounts of roughly 20 to 30 percent for Class 4 impact-resistant roofing. The exact number varies by carrier, so ask your agent for yours before you decide. Given that Minnesota premiums rose 34 percent in a single year, that discount compounds quickly.
Colors, Profiles and Finishes
We install panels in a range of widths and rib profiles, finished in Kynar 500 PVDF coatings that resist chalking and fading far better than standard polyester paint. Therefore, the color you choose still looks like that color in year twenty. We will bring samples to your inspection so you can see them against your siding and trim.
Standing Seam Metal Roofing vs. Metal Shingles
Not every home suits a vertical panel look. For those, stone-coated metal shingles give you the same Class 4 protection with a profile that reads as traditional shingle or shake from the street. Both are metal, and both outlast asphalt. So the choice usually comes down to appearance and budget rather than performance.
Installed Across Minnesota and Wisconsin
We install standing seam metal roofing throughout our Minnesota and Wisconsin service areas — from the Twin Cities metro and St. Cloud through the Chippewa Valley and the St. Croix corridor. We are a GAF Master Elite® Residential Contractor, licensed and insured in both states, and every installation carries manufacturer and workmanship warranties.
Call (763) 276 – 1390 in Minnesota or (715) 501 – 7663 in Wisconsin for a free estimate. For independent background on impact ratings, the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety publishes the testing standards carriers rely on.