EXHIBIT 23.1 CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated January 19, 1998, which appears on page 17 of Gibraltar Steel Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997. PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP /s/ PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP Buffalo, New York June 12, 1998