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A recent trend of home DIY installations have seen a lot of people trying to install their own metal roofing rather than pay the prohibitively high cost for a metal roofing contractor. Basically, these home improvement enthusiasts are looking to save on both ends: the reason they want the roofs they're building is because of their energy efficiency and long-term durability.

So we're in a recession, and so things are a bit tight for everyone right about now. Retrenchments and salary cuts are the norm, not the exception, and people are trying to find any way they can to lessen the often expensive business of living. The fact is that you stand to lose a lot more than you stand to gain by adopting this strategy. Sure, there are companies around that make metal panels specifically targeted at these would-be home improvement gurus, standard-shaped panels that clip together by hand, say the advertisements. However, the thing you're apt to discover is that 'standard-shaped' is not that great a predicate when you're trying to cover a building of anything but the most uniform shape.

But your typical home doesn't have that. Odds are your home has a sidewall, a chimney, a dormer or a skylight somewhere up there, and the average homeowner trying to work around such structural irregularities without any panel-reshaping is almost bound to leave weak spots that make the internal structure of the roof vulnerable to water damage, possibly decreasing the lifespan of a roof which, properly installed, could last half a century without maintenance. The cost of installing a metal roof on your own could, in reality, be that you'll need to get the entire job redone by a professional. When even a simple mistake like leaving a mark on one of your metal panels with a lead pencil instead of duct tape can lead to massive corrosion and compromise the integrity of the roof, is it really a risk you want to take?

Unless you live in an A-frame or some kind of featureless box of a home, getting a metal roofing contractor in on the action is often the best thing to do. Since installing a metal roof is relatively easy (the panels are so lightweight and require so little work to fit together) your contractor is probably not going to need as much time as he would take on an ordinary, clay and fiberglass job, and thus, since most contractors charge by the day, will most likely charge you much less.

If not, you should get at least three metal roofing contractors to quote you for the job. Alternatively, call on your friends and family - you'd be surprised how well the concept of 'six degrees of separation' applies when it comes to finding anyone in the building, carpentry or plumbing industries. It's the way the average contractor gets the majority of his work, work he'll tend to want to do as well as possible if you're referred by a family member, as he'll know he's leaving an impression not just on one person, but on an entire network of potential customers.

If your contractor does try to charge you the same rate, you should probably seek quotes from numerous metal roofing contractors, or better yet, ask around amongst your friends and family for referrals. This is how most contractors get business, and knowing that you're tied to a network of past and potentially future clients will make that contractor much more eager to please with quick service delivery.