Decide these before anything is ordered
- Deck or purlins. A solid deck with underlayment is the residential norm. Open framing with purlins is common on shops and barns and suits exposed-fastener panel.
- The system. Standing seam for a house, exposed fastener for most outbuildings, stone-coated steel where the roof needs to read as shingle or tile from the street.
- Ventilation. Vented or unvented assembly, and how intake and exhaust actually work on this roof shape.
- Penetrations. Every vent, flue and future solar mount is cheaper to plan than to retrofit.
- Trim and gutter details. Eave, rake and valley trims are part of the look as well as the waterproofing.
New construction and additions
On a new build the roofer should be talking to whoever is framing. Panel length, seam direction and where the roof breaks all interact with the structure. On an addition there is a second question: whether the new roof is matching an existing metal roof or meeting an asphalt one, because the transition flashing between two different systems is a detail worth seeing drawn before it is built.
Shops, garages and detached buildings
This is where Arkansas metal roofing is at its most cost-effective. An exposed-fastener panel over purlins on a shop is a fraction of the cost of standing seam on a house, goes up quickly, and is easy to maintain: the washers are a wear item and replacing them is a known job rather than a failure.
The distinction worth keeping straight is that this is a different product decision from the house, not a cheaper version of the same one. Our farm and rural property page goes into it.
What to get in writing
- System, manufacturer, gauge, panel width and finish
- Deck or purlin specification and fastening schedule
- Underlayment and, where used, ice and water membrane locations
- Ventilation approach and the specific ridge and intake products
- Trim profiles at eave, rake and valley
- Workmanship warranty, separate from the manufacturer's product warranty
Before you sign
Four things you can check in Arkansas
Arkansas registers roofing contractors and does not examine them, so the state confirms who is bonded, insured and answerable to the committee. Everything about skill is still yours to check.
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The roofing contractor registration
Arkansas requires a roofing contractor registration certificate to perform residential roofing work. Ask for the registration and check it against the Contractors Licensing Board's own record. Working without one is a Class A misdemeanor under 17-25-603, with each day counted as a separate offense.
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The $15,000 surety bond
Every registrant files a $15,000 surety bond with the application, along with proof of workers compensation coverage where the business has employees (17-25-604). The bond is not an insurance policy for your project, and it is worth knowing it exists and who wrote it.
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A current insurance certificate, sent by the agent
Ask for general liability and workers compensation certificates to be sent to you directly by the insurance agency, naming you, rather than handed over as a PDF. Arkansas does not test roofers, so this is one of the checks that carries real weight.
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A written contract with a change-order process
Get the scope, the metal system and gauge, the underlayment, the fastening method and the price in writing, with a stated process for anything found once the old roof is off. Decking damage is the usual surprise on a tear-off.
Registration rules from Ark. Code Ann. 17-25-601 to 17-25-611, published by the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board. Status as of August 2026.
Related reading: The Arkansas Metal Roofing Guide, standing seam metal roofing, and metal roofing for farm and rural property.