Metal Roofing Machine?

ldshadle

Does anyone make a mobile metal roofing machine that makes metal to look like standard roofing metal? Do you guys think there would be much call for it?

RooferJim

your talking about a standing seam panel machine. yes they are out there.

Roofboy

Hello,

You can google NU-TECH, ZIMMERMAN, or KNUDSON. These are three types of panel machines that the company I work for owns.



Keith

joasis

I see them on eBay from time to time....last one was a 12 inch standing seam roller, for the simple snap lock, low rib...and was going for around 17k, I am guessing with a trailer. I can see advantages and disadvantages to having a mobile machine, but with the weight of the coils, and you getting to inventory it, it would take years or a lot of roofs to be profitable. besides...how many coils would you have to keep to have any potential customer like the color choice? We have installed no less then 20 different colors, and Mueller brought out 4 new colors this year.

coolflatroof

to all,

where would you buy the coil for these machines? specifically aluminum coil for 16" snap-lock profile with kynar 500 coating and 26 ga Galvalum / G-90 steel with same coating? please list suppliers...
Thanks

Roofboy

Hello,

We purchase all our coil and flat stock from Custom-Bilt metals.


Keith

joasis

I have to ask, you are in the trade and do not know your suppliers?

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nlgutters

Englert inc in danvers mass

coolflatroof

To Joasis,
Yes, I am in the trade. We however don't do alot of standing seam, so i had to order it from ATAS before. Now our last job, which was perma-shake, not standing seam showed us what a crappy company ATAS really is. I'm actually going to have a separated thread about it soon. But any way, one of the things was that we had to wait 7 weeks (yes, almost two months for the material, while suppliers - ATAS and Harvey's both knew that the roof was blown off by the storm back in November 07)
So we no longer can rely on such irresponsible companies as atas. So, i'm looking into these machines. So far i'm liking the SSP machine from www . newtechmachinery . com but even the SSR has one nice profile (FF100) and only costs around 16000 new... but, again, where do i get the coil? Does Alcoa sell it?

Roofboy

Hello,

A.M.S.I. out of Georgia sells all types of metal tools. They don't sell coils but you can order several types of panels cut to length. Also as I said in an earlier post Custom-Bilt sells coils but they are on the west coast.


Keith

coolflatroof

to roofboy,
Exactly, the shipping from west-coast may easily run $600, thus it might not make any sense. Do you know as to their prices on .032 alum?

joasis

I would start by asking the machine reps for leads to suppliers...they would know, since the machines would be useless without the coils. If I wasn't wanting to get out of the roofing side of my business, I would probably give serious thought to a 12 inch SSR snap lock panel, since field cutting would be a breeze, and there are brakes that can handle the 26 gauge steel available.

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coolflatroof

to joasis,

why would you want to get out of roofing?

from reading your post i can see that you charge way too low... basically u killed your own market by charging less than shingle guys....

what break can i use for 24/26 ga steel/.032 alum?

thanks

joasis

If you think I am too low, then you do not understand demographics. I haven't killed anything....my age and lack of stable employees is getting to me. Now, for your information:

Tearoffs, here, in this area...$25 a sq and $5 for each extra layer....$30 a sq up to maybe $45 for a really steep roof on comps...and the comps cost $40 a sq......not much money compared to Chicago or the East Coast, but you have to consider, that is the prevailing price here.......Metal roofing is now about $170 a sq for panelized material, plus a tearoff, plus heat shield...but still, no where near the prices you may get elsewhere...and except for the very wealthy customers, there are very few stone coated metal slate roofs installed, due to the prices of up to $900 per square....now you may say I perpetuate this by not raising prices, but then you would be like the guy saying I don't frame homes for less then $9 a sq/ft.....hang out your sign, and twiddle your thumbs, since you won't be working. Homes here get framed for $4.50 average, down to $2.75 lately as the field slows down.

Ok...you say offer great quality and you can outsell your competition.....your competition is doing exactly what you do, and getting most of the work....I don't tell others how to price their markets, and I don't pay much attention to those who think we are cheap here...it is about the market, and what is acceptable. I make a pretty good living, and the cost of living here is very reasonable.

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coolflatroof

Joasis,
where do you get your material? do you have roll-forming machine, or you buy pre-made?

i got a rough quote from Englert on steel and aluminum coil - 24 ga = $0.97/sq ft, 26 ga = $0.90 and .032 alum around $1.35... that is just on coil delivered from NJ i guess, as they have a factory there. Also, you need all the flashings, ridge-caps, etc... Is this too much?
My calculations give me a figure of about $115/sq of 26 ga steel and .032 alum comes to something like $185/sq, once you roll it out. Seems kind high assuming the investment of over $100,000 into equipment and all.

With all the flashings, clips, screws, etc, i am looking to spend at least $165/sq just for materials...

Am i missing something, or it really take that a very long time to pay off your machinery.


BTW, i did not mean to offend you buy saying that you killed your market. But reading your previous posts where you state that once you were pretty much the only metal roofing guy down there... well, what i meant is that back then, you should have been charging more, to make sure market does not depreciate.

joasis

My cost for 26 gauge is now running .74 a sq/ft...trim averages $1.20 a lineal foot....prices have doubled for materials, but since a lot of hacks, and other roofing companies got in the act, the market price hasn't risen in comparison. Consequently, it is not as lucrative to do metal installs, as it once was. When I quote a roof now, I generally do a take off on material, and estimate days x miles, plus freight on the roof, and upcharge for steep slopes, etc, etc. If I don't get the job, and I still get probably 1 in 3 I bid on, I don't cry about it, because we are making money. My minimum for installs is $120 a sq now, including basic trim. A 12 on 12 slope will double that.

I am close to 5 steel building manufacturers, and all of them will roll steel panel roofing, including SSR. It is a competitive market here....and now you know why I don't get serious about my own machine....MBCI has about any special panel profile available I could want, and why try to stock material?

It may make sense for you to get a machine, but here, it would be dicey, since panelized roofs are common, you would be trying to sell an upscale product that is tough to do. If metal roofs were much higher then they are now, there would be fewer of them here.

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