Are you wondering why metal roof repairs vary so much in cost from one home to the next? Worried about the risk that your repair could turn into a full roof replacement after discovering a leak on your metal roof?
At RoofSmart, we do hundreds of repairs every year on all kinds of roofs. In the past 15 years, we have repaired just about every kind of issue imaginable on a metal roof. Repairs can be as simple as replacing a damaged panel or turn into a full-blown replacement if we find enough hidden damage.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what it typically costs to repair a metal roof in Seattle, what kinds of repairs fall within the $500–$3,000 range, and the hidden factors that could cause the price to skyrocket.
You’ll learn how different panel styles, underlying damage, and the scope of repairs all play into your final bill so you can go into the process informed and prepared.
What is the average cost range of a metal roof repair in the Seattle area?
Repairing an issue on a metal roof usually costs $500 to $3,000+ for a typical Seattle homeowner. However, if your roofer finds other issues on your roof or realizes that the problem is worse than it looks, you might have to pay several thousand more.
In some cases, the damage is so extensive that the repair turns into a full replacement, which costs $60,000 to $70,000 these days. This is not as common, but we have seen it happen before.
The rest of this article will explain what kinds of repairs fall into the average cost range and the factors that can cause the total repair cost to go up.
What are some common types of metal roof repairs?
There are a variety of different roof repairs that we commonly perform on metal roofs in the Seattle area. Each one varies in price. You’ll notice that there is a common theme of leaks, which is usually the result of poor installation and the constant rain in the Seattle area.
To give you an idea of what kind of repair your roof might need and how much it costs, here are some examples of metal roof repairs:
- A leak around an object on the roof ($500 to $1,500): If you need a roof repair, this is the best case scenario because it is the easiest and cheapest type of repair. Roof leaks typically happen around pipe boots, bath vents, or chimneys due to poor installation or sealing in that area. To do the repair, your roofer will have to pull up the entire panel that sits next to whatever object is leaking. If you’re lucky, only one panel around the object will need to be replaced, but it could end up being multiple.
- A leak on a perimeter joint (around $3,000): A perimeter joint is a roof piece that goes on the outer edge of the roof. If the leak is on the edge of the gutter, this will add to the expense because you’ll need to remove the gutter and then put it back when the repair is done. That whole panel will need to be replaced.
- Leaky skylight ($1,000 to $3,000+): Sometimes, when a skylight is leaking, you just replace the skylight, and it’s a super easy fix. Other times, the skylight was installed wrong, so you have to take it out and pull off the panels around it to fix it.
For example, we had a customer who had a lot of skylights that weren’t installed properly and were leaking.
This is a picture of the skylight from above (the upper part of the roof). As you can see, the water comes down, hits the top of the skylight, goes sideways, and then it disappears into the roof.
We had to take off and reinstall a lot of the panels just to properly install the skylight. There was also a significant amount of mold and rotting wood to deal with.
What are the factors that impact how much metal roof repairs cost?
Because every roof is unique, your roofer has to approach each repair differently. Here are the factors that can potentially increase the cost of your repair if they apply to your roof:
- What style of panel do you have? If you have snap lock panels, then you can typically get away with replacing one panel. However, if your metal roof panels are mechanically seamed together, then removing one panel to repair damage actually means that you’ll have to remove an entire section of the roof. Once the panels are mechanically seamed together, they cannot be separated without damaging the panels. Replacing an entire section of the roof can easily take your project from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars
- Is there rotting wood underneath the leak point? Rotting wood on the roof is a common issue in an area like Seattle with excessive moisture. Unfortunately, you cannot see rotting wood until you pull back the metal panels, so you won’t know that there’s damage until your roofer finds it. This can add a few hundred dollars onto the total cost, depending on how many boards need to be replaced.
- Is the roof damage extensive? If your roofer finds that the entire roof has rotting wood and moldy insulation, then you’re looking at an expensive fix. This can pretty easily cost several thousand dollars for replacing the boards, performing mold remediation, and replacing insulation. Then, on top of that, you’ll have to replace all of the panels that were removed. At that point, the project has become a roof replacement and will cost tens of thousands of dollars.
What’s the average cost to repair a roof in Seattle?
Now that you know what it might cost to repair a metal roof in Seattle and why the price can jump quickly depending on panel type, moisture damage, or hidden rot, you might be wondering how that compares to other types of roof repairs.
But what about other types of repairs? There are so many different ways your roof can be damaged, no matter what roofing material you have.
Your next step is to read “How Much Does Roof Repair Cost in Seattle? (2025 Guide)” for a full breakdown of roof repair costs across different materials and situations. Whether your roof is metal, shingle, or flat, this guide will help you set realistic expectations and avoid costly surprises.
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