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CGI Roofing: The Austin Owner’s Guide
We stock and install CGI-compatible roofing parts across Austin, with most replacements running $400 – $1,800 installed depending on the panel profile, metal gauge, and what failed. If you’re calling us, it’s usually because you spotted daylight through a corroded panel after a hailstorm, or water creeping into the soffit after that long July heat cycle. We carry common CGI profiles on the truck and can source exact-match panels within days, not weeks.
CGI (corrugated galvanized iron) roofing has a long history in Texas, and Austin’s climate gives it a particular set of failure patterns. The zinc coating that protects the steel burns off faster under our UV intensity than in cooler climates, and once that coating thins, the Austin humidity does the rest. Owners typically discover a problem either after a storm pushes a compromised panel past its limit, or when a slow leak finally telegraphs through the ceiling. We’ve seen both enough times to know the fix is usually straightforward once you identify the exact profile.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI is a profile, not a single product line, and Austin homes carry a mix of original galvanized, zincalume, and factory-painted panels in several rib patterns. The compatibility factor that matters most is rib profile and pitch: standard corrugated runs about 3-inch pitch with a 1/2-inch rib depth, but some older Austin builds used 2-1/2-inch or 4-inch profiles that won’t lap correctly with a mismatched panel. Measuring from the center of one rib to the center of the next takes thirty seconds and tells us exactly what we’re working with.
On OEM versus aftermarket, the honest answer is that for CGI, the decision comes down to coating spec and gauge, not brand loyalty. A quality aftermarket panel in AZ150 zincalume or a reputable painted finish will outlast an unbranded factory panel every time, and it’ll cost 15 – 25% less than OEM. That said, if your CGI carries a transferable manufacturer warranty, we’ll keep it in force by sourcing the specified panel. One warning: big-box store “universal” corrugated panels are rarely a true profile match, and the overlap gap is where leaks begin. We’ve corrected enough of those to recommend against them.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Roofing Is Failing
- Rust staining at panel laps or fastener lines. The zinc coating has been compromised and the steel beneath is oxidizing. In Austin, this shows first on west-facing slopes where afternoon sun cooks the coating. Once staining is visible, the panel has lost structural integrity at that point and patching buys months, not years.
- Water beads or drips inside the attic after a hard rain, not during it. This seems backward to most homeowners, but CGI has a thermal cycle: the metal expands in heat and contracts when rain cools it. The contraction opens a micro-gap at a failing fastener or lap, and that’s when water enters. The leak appears as a delayed drip.
- Fastener heads lifting or rubber washers crumbling. Those washers are the first casualty of Texas UV, typically failing between year 10 and year 15. A lifted fastener head means the panel isn’t compressed against the purlin, and wind-driven rain can now get under it. This is the most common CGI failure we fix in Austin.
- Oil-canning that’s worsened over one season. Some oil-canning is cosmetic and harmless. But if you notice a panel that was flat last spring now bowing and reflecting light differently, the metal has been stressed beyond its yield point, usually by hail impact. It hasn’t failed yet. It’s failing.
- White corrosion powder around metal-to-metal contact points. This is galvanic corrosion, and it’s accelerated in Austin because our rain is slightly acidic. Steel panel against a dissimilar metal flashing without a proper barrier creates the white powder, then pinholing, then a leak path. We see this most often where chimney flashings meet CGI.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Austin homeowners, a CGI section replacement typically lands between $400 and $1,800, and the spread comes down to four things: how many panels actually need replacing, what gauge and coating you have, whether the fasteners all need swapping, and how accessible the roof slope is. A single panel replaced on a low-pitch ranch near Round Rock is a different job than a dozen panels on a two-story gable off Mopac.
Every CGI replacement we quote includes the panels, matching fasteners with new EPDM washers, removal and disposal of the old section, and a written price before any work starts. You’ll know the number on day one, and that’s the number on the invoice. If a panel we installed fails inside of 365 days, we come back and fix it at no charge under our Done Right Promise. No service call fee, no re-inspection fee. That’s the Kingswell standard, and it’s been the standard since 2004.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely do the diagnostic work yourself: measure your rib pitch, count how many fasteners have lifted, take photos from the ground with a zoom lens, and check the attic after rain for the delayed-drip pattern we described. That tells you the scope and helps you price the job in your own head before anyone steps foot on the property.
What you shouldn’t do is get on a metal roof after even light rain. Corrugated steel is slick, and the same thermal expansion that causes leaks also means panels shift underfoot. Falls from single-story roofs are the most common serious injury we hear about in this trade, and no repair is worth that risk. Swapping a panel properly also means getting the lap direction right for your prevailing wind, which in Austin means lapping away from the southeast. Get that wrong and you’ve built a wind-driven water scoop. Trevor Nash has walked enough Austin roofs to tell you plainly: if you’re unsure, call us at (325) 225-5429 and we’ll inspect it and price it before you climb anything.
FAQs
Factory-painted CGI with proper zincalume coating typically lasts 25 – 35 years in Central Texas, while plain galvanized panels run 15 – 20 years before the coating fails and fasteners start leaking. The spread is driven almost entirely by UV exposure and how well the original installer detailed the laps and flashings. If your roof is over 20 years old and you’re seeing multiple fastener failures, you’re at the replacement-or-section-replace decision point. Call us at (325) 225-5429 and we’ll give you an honest read on what’s left in it.
Yes, in specific cases: small pinholes can be patched from underneath with a quality sealant and a metal patch, and individual fasteners with crumbled washers can be swapped in place. But a panel with linear rust along the lap line or visible structural flex has failed, and sealant will just become a maintenance item you redo every spring. We’ll tell you which situation you have, and we won’t sell you a replacement if a repair will honestly hold. Call (325) 225-5429 for an assessment.
Most single-panel or small-section replacements take 3 – 5 hours on site, including removing the old panels, resetting the lap, installing new fasteners, and cleaning up. Larger sections or steep two-story roofs can run a full day. We’ll give you a defined arrival window before we show up, and we leave the property cleaner than we found it.
We stock common 3-inch-pitch corrugated panels in standard gauges and a few coated finishes on the truck, and we source exact-match profiles from our Austin metal suppliers within a few days when the spec is unusual. If you have a 4-inch pitch or a specific factory color, we’ll measure on site and have the panels cut to length before we return to install. We also work with materials from recognized trade brands like the ones we trust for cabinets and countertops, KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone, which keeps every layer of our work consistent.
If you’ve got a CGI roof that’s starting to show its age, the best next step is a straight answer. Tell me what you need, I’ll tell you what it costs, and we’ll go from there. Call (325) 225-5429 to schedule a free estimate. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and a written guarantee with the job.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Austin at Penhallow Remodeling Austin, serving Austin and nearby areas.
