Composed of numerous panels or shingles that lock into one another on the vertical axis, the lines of a standing-seam roof run from the edge of the roof to its peak. Water is prevented from leaking or pooling on the roof by the presence of the design's characteristic crimped panel-edges, which are raised off the surface of the roof and thus prevent water from seeping between the panels. Yet, despite the apparently simplistic principles behind its structure, a DIY standing seam roof installation will probably sound like a rather loony idea to anyone in the industry.

And indeed, while getting hold of the roof components might be a bit expensive, the installation is the exact opposite. Indeed, metal roofing panels of the standing seam variety are very light - often no more than a pound - and as such your contractor's not going to charge you anything near the rates he would installing heavy traditional materials. If he does, well, he's trying to stiff you, and you need to shop around for a new contractor. When you don't even need to remove the old roofing materials to install a new layer, there can be no cause for amplified up costs beyond the belief that you're dealing with affluent, gullible customers.

Properly installed, standing seam roofs are watertight, immune to the forces of wind and hail, fire retardant and require virtually zero maintenance aside from the odd hose-down every year or so. Indeed, they so improve the safety of your home that many insurance companies are willing to cut large amounts of money off the cost of their policies for homes with metal roofs.

You should find a professional at your local hardware or construction outlet to demonstrate just how to fit the shingles together. The most visually stunning configuration you can arrange panels in is a staggered pattern. You can find panel solutions, such as those made by Permanent Roofing Systems, that take a lot of the guesswork out of this process, as they can pretty much be clipped together by hand. Designed for the construction amateur, these four-way shingles often come pre-assembled in multi-shingle sheets, greatly reducing the labor you'll be required to undertake. Go to permanentroofing.com for a downloadable PDF full of DIY standing seam roof installation tips.

If your roof is irregularly constructed - with features like skylights, dormers or chimneys - then you need to reconsider what your goal is in doing this job on your own. In such cases, pre-made shingles just aren't going to be enough to cover the entire roof surface. The irregular areas are going to require custom-cut shingles, and working with a saw and some chalk just isn't going to be enough. What's needed is hydraulic shear called a break, a portable device used by professionals to shape standing-seam panels on-site, a feat that would take a human ten times as long to replicate.

So maybe, on just this one occasion, it's the time to loosen those fists and hand over the cash for a skilled roofer's work. Indeed, if your worker as recommended by the manufacturer, or at least is recognized as qualified to install standing seam roof panels, it'll mean that your roof is subject to warranty - and that you can look forward to fifty or more years of being secure in the knowledge that you've a strong roof over your head.

So maybe, on just this one occasion, it's the time to loosen those fists and hand over the cash for a skilled roofer's work. Indeed, if your worker as recommended by the manufacturer, or at least is recognized as qualified to install standing seam roof panels, it'll mean that your roof is subject to warranty - and that you can look forward to fifty or more years of being secure in the knowledge that you've a strong roof over your head.

For more interesting articles on DIY Metal Roof Installation Tips check out www.DurableMetalRoofs.com