Sheet M-205 · Material chapter E
Metal siding: standing seam steel, priced and weighed honestly
Metal is the material metro Atlanta buyers ask about last and keep longest. Standing-seam and corrugated steel panels — Galvalume or factory-painted — cover whole modern elevations, gables, and accent walls, and they change the maintenance maths of a house more than any other cladding on the sample board.
Why it lasts here
Steel does not rot, does not feed termites or carpenter bees, and is noncombustible. Factory paint systems on quality panels carry finish warranties commonly in the 30–40 year range, and the panel itself is routinely a 40–60 year material. Hail that cracks aged vinyl usually leaves cosmetic marks on steel rather than openings — read the storm chapter for how that distinction matters to a claim. In Georgia heat, light colours and ventilated installation keep surface temperatures manageable; the panel expands and contracts with temperature, which is why the fastening system, not the sheet, is the craft.
What it demands
Concealed-fastener standing seam costs more up front than exposed-fastener corrugated, and earns it back in maintenance: exposed screws carry rubber washers that age out on roughly a 15–25 year cycle and must be replaced before they leak. Panels oil-can — a visible waviness — when the substrate is uneven or the panel is over-restrained; heavier gauges and striations reduce it but no honest installer promises a mirror. Cut edges and scratches must be treated or they rust first. And metal telegraphs rain noise on uninsulated assemblies; a solid deck, underlayment, or insulation layer — see the energy section of the sample board — quiets it.
Where Atlanta allows it
Whole-house metal reads contemporary or modern-farmhouse, and many metro HOAs restrict it to accents, gables, or outbuildings; historic districts generally will not approve it as a substitute for documented wood siding. Check the approval register before falling for a colour chip.
Cost, stated as a range
Standing seam installed in Atlanta: $10.00–$16.00 per sq ft. Exposed-fastener corrugated runs lower, roughly $7.00–$11.00, with the washer-replacement cycle priced into its honest lifetime cost. Tear-off adds $1.00–$2.00 where applicable. Worked examples and the estimator live on the cost guide; the rates there and here are the same ledger.
Detail notes — read before specifying
- Ask which fastener system you are buying: concealed clips that let panels move, or through-screws with washers on a replacement clock.
- Specify the paint system and gauge in writing; both decide how the wall looks in year fifteen.
- Every penetration and roof-wall junction still needs flashing — metal sheds water, it does not forgive missing kick-outs.
- Ground clearance and dissimilar-metal contact (treated lumber, copper) are corrosion details, not afterthoughts.
Compare against fiber cement for the mainstream replacement and engineered wood for the traditional look, then price your walls on the ledger.