Because a new roof is a major investment and something you’re likely to live with for a long time, it's important to choose your roofing contractor carefully. This rule holds true for all types of roofing contractors but is even more important with metal roofing contractors because application of a metal roof is a specialty that requires skills and tools that are quite different than those used for installing more typical roofing products. For sheet metal roofing systems, choose a contractor who has had at least three years of experience installing metal roofs.

The best way to find a good metal roofing contractor is through friends and neighbors who have had similar work done. Unfortunately, because metal roofs are uncommon, you may not know anyone who has had one installed. In this case, your best bet is to use one of the Web's contractor-finding sites such as ServiceMagic or QualitySmith. The benefit of these services is that they help you find local metal roofing contractors who have gone through a pre-screening process.The buttons at the bottom of this article link to these services.

Another route for finding metal roofing specialists is to call architects or builders who have designed or built homes utilizing metal roofs and ask them for their suggestions.