We are on the Eastside and also considering a standing seam roof. Would love to know which roofer you decide to go with, or who you have ruled out.

I also prefer the least amount of distraction between seams as possible. A few roofers have suggested "striated" panels, which I think are awful, at least on the style of home we have, and the few I have seen them on.

I've driven around town looking at metal roofs. There are probably a few neighborhood watches sending out emails about suspicious car activity because of me. There have been a number of roofs with oil-canning even with pencil ribs, and there is a huge range of craftsmanship. HUGE. Some make the house look like a tin roof was slapped on, some really make the house. Some are finished with a huge ridge vents and other details that make it look like a Transformer toy folded neatly - I think it's like the roof equivalent of massive amounts of crown molding. Others look like the metal panels were just cut at the ends, all exposed, not always flat, with gutters that sort of match, but something doesn't quite work. Some look perfectly done.

I've spoken to a few of the homeowners. One is a commercial builder. His home has 22 or possible even 20 gauge; the roofer is a commercial contractor he is familiar with and so this was available to the builder at a reasonable price. He is obviously biased, but says he would not recommend anything thinner than 24g. A couple of roofers I've mentioned the 20 or 22 gauge to thought that was crazy. With one roofer, going from 26g to 24g added 10K to the bid; with most of the others it was a 3-5K difference.

Have you also considered what style seam? Nu-ray has several styles, a couple of which I think are weird - like an upside-down L.

I think if you want to avoid oil-canning, and want to avoid pencil ribs and striated panels, perhaps consider an extra heavy gauge?

What style house do you have? Is the roof a prominent feature when you look at your home from street level? Oil-canning isn't ideal, but it's a cosmetic issues, not functional. It may not be noticable on a house without a prominent steep roof that sits high on the lot. On the other hand, if it's a house on the downhill side of the street with a very visible roof...