How much does it cost to replace a metal roof on a house or warehouse?

Replacing the roof of a 200 m² warehouse starts at B/. 7,600.00 in labour. But the number that matters is not that one: it is that 80% of leaks do not come from the sheeting, they come from the junctions.

Breakdown: a 200 m² warehouse roof

Adjust your real square metres in the remodelling calculator. If the existing structure is sound and does not need replacing, deduct the B/. 1,200.00 of purlins.

Which sheeting to choose

Trapezoidal against corrugated

They cost the same to install. Trapezoidal has a deeper rib, which gives it more rigidity and allows greater spacing between supports: fewer purlins, better behaviour in heavy rain. It is what we recommend for warehouses and industrial sheds.

Corrugated is the traditional choice in housing: cheaper in material and more conventional in appearance.

UPVC-coated — B/. 10.00 per m²

The extra B/. 2.50 per metre buys corrosion resistance. In Panama that pays for itself in two situations: coastal areas, where salt eats the galvanising, and environments with chemical vapours, typical of process plants.

If your warehouse is in Colón, on the Panamá Oeste coast, or near the sea in general, do not hesitate.

80% of leaks are here

After years replacing roofs, this is what we have seen: water almost never enters through the middle of the sheet. It enters at the junctions.

All at B/. 5.00 per metre. In the warehouse example, ridge caps and flashings come to B/. 250.00 out of a B/. 7,600.00 total: the 3% of the budget that decides whether the roof leaks.

The foam closures deserve a special mention. They are the foam pieces that fill the gap between the corrugated sheet and the trim profile. Without them there is a continuous opening for wind-driven rain, dust, insects and birds. They cost B/. 5.00 per metre and there are quotes that leave them out to "sharpen the price". Check yours.

Thermal insulation: the fastest return

Double-foil bubble insulation at 5 mm runs at B/. 5.00 per m². On a 200 m² warehouse that is B/. 1,000.00.

Under Panama's sun, bare metal sheeting turns the interior into an oven: the temperature under the roof can run well above the outside air. With insulation, the difference is felt immediately.

If the unit has air conditioning, the insulation pays for itself in the electricity bill within months. If it does not, it is the difference between being able to work inside or not. It is the best-returning line item in the whole project.

The gutters: do not economise here

On a 200 m² roof, a 6" gutter saturates in a heavy Panamanian downpour. The water backs up, gets in at the roof-to-wall junction and runs down inside. The 8" costs B/. 2.50 more per metre in metal — and the same in PVC — and prevents exactly that.

Same with downpipes: the Ø 4" costs the same installed as the Ø 3". There is no reason to fit the smaller one.

How long it takes and how it is planned

A 200 m² roof is replaced in 8 to 12 working days: strip-out, checking and reinforcing the structure, fitting purlins, laying sheeting and insulation, trims, gutters, then the final tests and cleaning.

The critical part is planning by bays. You never strip the whole roof at once: you work in sections, always leaving the greater part covered. A downpour with the shed open ruins stock, equipment or fittings, and that cost far exceeds the roof itself.

In the rainy season — May to December — it is worth starting early in the morning and keeping contingency tarpaulins on site. That is not paranoia: it is how you work here.

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