Background
I have to explain about the house roof to get to why this page is about the garage roof. Please bear with me.
We had planned to put Solar Panels on the roof of our house but it has an Energy Star(R) TPO product (which we absolutely LOVE) with plastic 'ribs' to make it look like a white standing seam metal roof. It is about 15-years old and we have never had any problems with it. Hail bounces off and all we need to do maintenance-wise is power-wash it (due to gravel dust from the road and lichen). The story of the TPO Roof can be found in this PDF.
Like most everywhere, there were several high wind and hail storms that went through here during the Spring of 2024. A few of the 'ribs' finally lost their grip on the TPO and shifted a bit. Plus the south edge of the TPO was beginning to loosen.
The garage on the farm is a separate, good-sized, two-story, pole barn with metal agricultural panels (ag panels). We tend not to worry much about the garage when there are storms because, while it is fully insured, we have not had structural damage and haven't needed to put in any claim on it.
The Solar people don't install on TPO, so we would either need to 1) change the house to standing seam metal, 2) put the Solar Panels on the garage or 3) have a ground-mounted array. It is my opinion that farm land should not be used for ground-mounted solar before all buildings, parking lots, etc. are already covered; and that is when we started thinking about the garage roof. The Solar Array Project is on a separate page: click here to go there to read about that.
We decided to contact our insurance agent and have a claims adjuster come out to see if there was anything they would pay for regarding the minor damage to the TPO (house) roof and also check the garage in case it needed repairs/replacement before installing Solar Panels on it (assuming we could afford to make repairs to the garage).
Phone Calls and Investigation of Businesses
I had previously contacted our insurance agent to see if they had any recommendations for roofing contractors. They gave me the phone number for Fidler on the Roof.
The TPO product on the house is made by GAF and, according to our warranty paperwork, the warranty was still good. I had already contacted GAF via their website and had an email conversation with someone about who they use in our area because the roofing contact I had worked with previously was no longer working in that industry and I didn’t want to work with that company without him. I hoped that GAF would want to send people out to inspect our TPO roof and see what a success it has been; but no, they obviously had decided that pitched roofs with TPO was not a money-maker and really didn’t care. Anyway, they work with Christian Brothers and forwarded my contact info to them.
I checked out Christian Brothers online and they seemed fine (but they advertise using their religion as well and that turns me off), so when the guy contacted me to set up an appointment, I decided to see what he had to say. Can’t remember his name (obviously I didn’t go with that business), but he was a nice enough person and answered my questions, seemed to be good at his job and knowledgeable. They work on TPO but hadn’t seen it used on the high pitched roof or with the decorative ‘ribs’. They do standing seam metal and he thought there was a white version to replace the TPO in their standard colors. He had a customer that got solar installed and that installer had drilled into the roof causing leaks that the roofers had to fix. He said he would give me an ‘options’ type estimate so we could decide how we wanted to proceed. He took measurements and left. I have never received anything from him and that doesn’t really bother me.
I checked out Fidler on the Roof (really like that tongue in cheek name) on-line and saw that they do install standing seam metal roofs. They also said all the right things about being bonded and insured, etc. I decided to call the main number and tell whoever answered that I had been referred to them by my insurance agent. The person I spoke with had William contact me and we made an appointment for May 31 at 1pm. There were storms blowing through and he called to ask if we could move the appointment back because of repair work for existing customers. I like that they put current customers first. No problem. Eventually, he asked if I was ok with him sending someone else out so I wouldn’t have to wait on him and that too was fine with me. KJ came out on June 7th. She was very nice and it turns out we have a great deal in common. She knows her stuff as well and took measurements etc. and said she would send me an estimate for standing seam metal. But in the meantime, she (or someone) would come back and tack down the TPO on the south edges of the gables that had come loose in the big winds we had been having this year. She thought the TPO looked great otherwise and that the edges coming up was more of an installation issue than a materials under warranty issue. After inspecting the roof she thought with the repair the roof should be good for several more years.
It was from talking with KJ that I decided I should contact our insurance agent and start that claims procedure to pay for the repairs (several of the ‘ribs’ had also loosened and are bent – need to be glued back down after the roof is cleaned) AND to see if there was more damage than I could see to help pay for the new roof. I said as much to our insurance agent and he initiated a claim. The adjuster/inspector was able to come out quickly in spite of the busy season of storms and claims – it was within a week of my call. His name was Colter and he was very nice and interested in the story of the TPO roof. He said he would have to talk with others about it since it wasn’t something he’d seen in that application. (Well, yeah.) He also inspected the gambrel barn/garage and said it had LOTS of hail damage that should be covered. I told him about State Farm having been our insurer when we bought the house and that whole saga. I didn’t want him to get in trouble if he put in a claim for damage that State Farm had already paid for in 2009. He said he could tell the new damage from the old. I promised him that if we used the money from the barn damage on the house roof, I wouldn’t submit another claim for the barn. He laughed and said if the hail puts actual holes in the metal ag panels, I SHOULD put in a claim.
And then I waited and waited for roofing estimates. I didn’t pursue Christian Bros.
Repair to the TPO Roof
I had gotten good vibes from KJ and Fidler, so after a couple weeks I started texting her about the estimate. She had been out of town and someone had dropped the ball. She had asked for a repair person to come out and was unhappy that had not happened.
It was the end of June when a nice Hispanic man showed up to tack down the TPO. He was going to go up on the roof from the north side, but the only place the TPO needed tacking was on the south edges. In spite of what appeared to be a language communication issue, I was able to convince him to use his ladder on the south side so he wouldn’t have to risk the slippery TPO any more than was necessary. He set about his business and I nervously watched. He did a great job. While he was there, I was able to get ahold of KJ because I was afraid he also was going to try to tack down the ‘ribs’ and I had already contacted the insurance company in case they would be willing to pay for that.
Between the three of us, we got it settled that he would only go so far as to use the roofing nails to tack the edge of the TPO through the flashing into the fascia boards and apply the waterproofing compound on the nail heads (it is dark gray). He was great – used a sheet of foam to help him work up and down the slant of the roof gables and he checked the edges all the way to the ridge and secured even the slightest looseness. There was only one scary moment and that was on the east gable near the soffit that housed A TON of wasps. Several came out at the hammering, but he was able to back off and not get stung. I'm sure we were both Very Grateful for that.
I asked about paying for the repair and he made it clear that an invoice would come from the office. Later, when I spoke with KJ again, I asked about the bill for the repair so I could turn it in to insurance and she told me “it was on them”. I suppose she felt guilty for how long it was taking to get the estimate etc. Or maybe it is just that she is a very nice person.
The Insurance Claim
The claim information and a check arrived on July 24, 2024. We had to send the check to our mortgage holder for them to endorse it so we could deposit it. The amount our insurance would pay for the house roof was under $600 to reattach the ‘ribs’ and pay for tacking the edges. They deemed the TPO roof to be structurally sound. (YIPPEE. We don’t have to worry about that roof right away.)
The garage roof/ag panel wall on the other hand (after depreciation/deductible) brought in $13,000+/-. That is a substantial amount and really should be used on the garage to keep our property value current. The check came back from the mortgage company and we were able to deposit it on August 6, 2024.
Thus the decision about where Solar Panels would go changed to either the garage roof or ground mounted.
Would the Garage Roof Support the Weight of the Solar Panels?
Not only did we need to find a roofing company that would replace the ag panels, we needed to find out if the trusses et all would support the additional weight of the Solar Panels. AND if we did have to 'beef up' the structure, could we afford the cost beyond what the insurance had paid? Thankfully, the Solar Company had a structural engineer who was able to determine the answer. And the answer was: no additional trusses would be needed EVEN if we upgraded the metal ag panels from 29 gauge to 26 gauge (thicker/heavier). Phew! And that is the reason we decided to replace the garage roofing (and the north wall).
Getting Estimates
On July 26th, Daniel from Fidler came out to bring the metal panel samples and color swatches that KJ had promised me for the standing seam roof. Since we decided to focus on the barn instead, he took photos of the claims information so she could get that estimate done.
We received the Fidler estimate on August 1st. We had decided to upgrade from 29 gauge to 26 gauge ag panels on the roof to be able to support the solar array. And while she did include that in the estimate, the boilerplate info didn’t accurately reflect the pole barn open framing using purlins instead of OSB sheeting. Plus it turns out the color swatches didn't match the current colors of our barn and that is problematic in that only one wall was listed for replacement and the roof color is the same as the trim on all the walls. We sent our concerns via PDF with the estimate to have her make adjustments and KJ scheduled to meet us to discuss everything.
Strangely enough, before our meeting, we came across a billboard advertising Delta Metal in Richmond and according to their website, they carry the ag panel pattern on our garage in the colors of our garage. We hoped that Fidler could use that material as a substitute and simplify this whole thing.
I contacted Delta Metal in Richmond and confirmed that they carry the matching shape of ag panel and colors we currently have. I also asked if they prefer to work with any particular roofers in our area. The nice lady gave me a couple names. Since I had not heard anything more from KJ, I decided it didn’t hurt to get a couple more estimates.
In doing Google searches on those names, I discovered some scary info about one of them and tentative reviews about the other. Bummer. But Google suggested a business in Odessa and looking at their website and Facebook page, I decided to give them a try. Lovely woman on the phone scheduled a visit promptly and a few days later the man arrived to give us an estimate. In the meantime, Hubby found the man’s Facebook page and it was full of MAGA crap. We were polite to him anyway but pretty sure we wouldn’t be using that business. He did promptly get us an estimate which was in line with Fidler’s but the form/wording of the contract (with its legalese) was all centered on protecting the business, not the customer. I then proceeded to look for contracts online that would protect us in case we needed to have the contractor sign our contract while we signed theirs.
I finally heard back from KJ and she sent a new estimate that was even worse in regard to the details being outlined in that it could be interpreted as putting the wrong weight ag panels in the wrong places (among other things). Obviously a disconnect between the office staff that take the estimator’s info and entering it into a template contract. We were getting more nervous about Fidler and so I finally went to Angi’s (online construction/contractor recommendations) to ask for names of roofers. I also saw that Fidler advertises that they are certified by Angi’s and wanted to confirm that. Well, Angi’s gave me the names of four (4) roofers in our area and Fidler was not among them, so that again made me nervous. After investigating the recommendations and being contacted by ONE of them, I agreed to have Easton Roofing come out to get us an estimate.
Charles from Easton came out and gave us an estimate. Being an ‘overly honest’ person, I told him about how I really wanted to use Fidler, but they were having problems getting the contract/estimate to match what we need; plus, their metal supplier did not having a match to our ag panels. He knows William and KJ at Fidler and believes them to be great people and a good business. Couldn’t have said nicer things about them. That made me feel good and like a heel at the same time. LOL. He didn’t mind that we were asking him for an estimate as a back-up and told us he also didn’t mind competing for our business. The vibe was good with this one, LOL. They use a couple of different metal suppliers and Delta is not one of them. But he sent over samples of his ag panel supplier and THEY MATCH our panels. (Hubby had also gone to Richmond and gotten samples from Delta and the red was not a match.)
The estimate from Easton was right in line with the others and since they could match our panels, we opted to use Easton Roofing and signed the contract the first week of September. At this point, I will repeat that the garage has red walls and a white roof and we were replacing them with a thicker gauge in the SAME COLORS.
Hubby decided he wanted the shallow pitch roof beefed up by adding purlins midway between the existing ones creating an 18”-On-Center spacing, we asked for that to be reflected in the contract; but it wasn’t and Charles said that would be done with a change order (can you say cha-ching?). The metal ag panels had to be produced before the roofing company could schedule the install and Charles said it could be anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks for the panels to be available. We were hoping for the 2 week turn around but I’m getting ahead of myself. It was not fun contacting KJ to tell her our decision but she seemed to understand and I hope we can work with Fidler on the house roof in the future.
Waiting for our Project to Start and Installation
I contacted Easton after the first 2 weeks and they had no information for me. I contacted them again after a month and still they couldn’t tell me any kind of timeline. Hubby contacted them on week 5 and got an actual response that there was one metal installation ahead of us and it would be not long after that.
It turns out that while Easton’s sales guy was charming, he wasn’t much more than that and neither is the business. After trying to get answers about the status of our job, I finally left it to Hubby because they would actual reply to him. I can't express enough how frustrating it was to send a text to the company and get no response but when Hubby would copy and send that same text they would answer him and ignore me.
 |
Finally, in early November, Hubby (and by extension, me) was told that the metal panels et al would be delivered on November 7th. They were delivered and I was home at the time. As the delivery guy was leaving, I took photos of the labels and discovered that EVERYTHING was for RED panels. Only a few corner and window trims were white. I panicked! First I double checked that the contract was clear about Bright White on the roof and Patriot Red on the wall. As soon as Hubby was available, he also took photos and sent them in a text to the company. OOPS, Charles had sent in the order wrong. There was an apology and promise to get the order done correctly with a RUSH added to it. |
 |
The corrected Bright White roof panels and corresponding bits were delivered on Friday, the 15th and the job was scheduled to begin on the following Monday (November 18). Hubby reminded them that they would be adding the purlins and was told the crew would bring them with them. |
 |
 |
Hubby and I spent the weekend making sure everything close to the garage was moved out of the way.
It rained all day on Monday so we assumed the job would be pushed back, but we did not get any word from the company about it.
Tuesday was bright and clear and the crew arrived promptly at 7 am (dawn) and got straight to work removing the existing panels that were being replaced.
Carlos and his guys were fabulous! There ended up being about 10 men working on the job. |
 |
Sadly, the crew weren’t told anything about the purlins.
Luckily, Hubby was available when they arrived and showed Carlos what was needed and Carlos said they would get the purlins brought out by the time the panels were removed.
Hubby also made sure Carlos knew about the repairs due to wood rot around the windows on the north wall. |
 |
 |
| |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The new purlins were not delivered by that time the panels were removed so Carlos simply had the crew remove some of the boards from the steep sides to use to on the repairs of the wall portion.
Once the new boards arrived, they replaced the ones that had been removed.
Compare the photo above right to the one at left and you can see what I'm talking about. |
 |
The photo below is to show how much the red color of the south wall had faded. We are very grateful that we did not have to replace the south wall and because of the white trim, the faded walls are not obvious compared to the new wall on the north. |
|
 |
|
 |
The two (2) photos above show the north wall without the panels and with the rotted wood removed.
The photo at left shows the wall with the wood repairs having been done.
Again, once the new boards were delivered, they replaced where they had removed boards in addition to beefing up the shallow pitch of the roof. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with that crew!! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The north wall, having been repaired, was first to get the new panels.
I keep using the word 'impressed' because these men are so skilled at their jobs.
Part of the crew continued 'beefing' up the roof and preparing to install the new roof panels while the other part of the crew meticulously measured, fitted, and cut on the ground each panel for the north wall.
FWIW: In the photo below right, you see panels laid out on the ground. Those are most likely the new panels waiting to go up. The crew cleaned up the old panels as they went and put them either into the trailer or next to it for removal/recycling. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
In the photo above right (and at left), you can see that the crew made measurements first and then cut the panels while on the ground before raising them into place.
The precise measurement and cutting really impresses me.
Each panel on the north wall is a single length.
No panels were bent and great care was taken throughout resulting in NO DAMAGE during the installation. |
 |
 |
 |
The steep slope of the roof was completely paneled before moving on to the shallow slope.
You can see in the following photos how the crew measured and used a chalk line to mark where each panel was then cut while on the ground before being taken up for placement.
One panel at a time was done so that the edges would align perfectly.
They also marked the location of each purlin (from the bottom edge). Every screw went into a board.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Notice the scraps on the ground in the photo at left. Those are the pieces removed before each panel was attached.
The same process used on the west side of the building was used on the east side of the building. |
 |
 |
 |
Before the shallow slope panels could be installed, a form-fitting foam insulator was attached along the top edge of the steep slope panels and then flashing was attached over the foam.
The foam helps keep water (and air) from being blown under the flashing and shallow slope panels.
The same application is applied at each side of the peak of the shallow slope and finished with the ridge cap.
Once completely insulated and capped/trimmed, the result is a water-tight roof. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The last thing to do was the trim flashing of the shallow pitch.
The crew was gracious about letting me point out where I thought they needed the final screws. I'm absolutely sure they did NOT need me to do that, but I needed me to do that. LOL |
 |
Because the crew did clean up as they went, there was very little left to do once everyone was off the roof.
All the metal panels, whether the old ones or the wrong color new ones, were loaded onto the trailer to be recycled or used elsewhere.
Magnets were used multiple times to find any screws that made their way to the ground.
Trash was collected and taken with them. |
 |
It was not quite dark when they finished cleaning up and headed out. We sent them away with a 1-pound jar (each) of our honey. They were pleased and surprised to get it.
Obviously, I took lots of pictures (having gotten permission first). These men worked like a well-oiled machine. They appeared to really enjoy their work and they were really good at it. It was a pleasure to watch them. After waiting for SO LONG, it was almost a shock that they finished the job in a single day!
Below are the (left) Before and (right) After photos.
I never liked the 'embellishments' of the fake hay loft door, fake barn door and fake shutters on the ground floor windows. I am SO happy to have them removed. |
|
 |
It wasn’t until after everything was done that we received the change order with the price to add the purlins: $2,000+/-. Of course I signed it, what else could I do? That made the total for the job just over $20,000. (Translation, $6,000 out of pocket.)
You Call that Customer Service?
The only thing that marred the day was some customer service guy from the office. First was the phone call to my phone number to let us know (because Hubby was not answering his phone – he was in meetings most of that day) that they would be by to deliver some drinks and fetch some items that had been shorted in the delivery. He called me ‘sweetheart’ and I quickly told I that I didn’t appreciate it and please don’t do so again. He laughed it off and said he calls everyone sweetheart or some male derogatory thing and I shouldn’t be offended. I told him that doesn’t make it right and he should have respect for others.
Then, when he arrived, he made some condescending comment about my taking photos and I told him that I am a professional photographer with a degree in Commercial Art but he did not seem to be able to hear that and kept being disrespectful. For being a customer service guy, he wasn’t well trained in customer service. He stayed for a while and I talked to him and he finally figured out that I am a knowledgeable person (for a female) and seemed to decide to show me some respect. Thankfully, when he returned to the farm from fetching whatever was lacking, I missed it.
Two days later (November 21st - Thanksgiving was the 28th), this same guy shows up (turns out I missed his text saying he was coming out, shoot – could have saved him a trip) to take pictures of the job. And he does this from the outside of the fenced yard because the gate was closed. “Wouldn’t want to trespass, haha.” I met him at the walk-through gate at the driveway and I didn’t argue with that at all.
He talks AT me from the other side of the walk through gate (no way was I going to invite him in at that point) and I just waited until he stopped talking. I then told him I was happy with the work done by Carlos and the crew. He then proceeds to thrust a cardboard box at me saying it was ‘Thank You Swag’. Well, I know what that means: Advertising crap with the business name on all of it. I told him thanks, but I didn’t want it. He was surprised and said the office girls sent it … tshirt and koosh balls, etc. I told him I would just throw it away so he should take it back so they can use it somewhere else.
So much for me thinking he heard all my talk about being an environmentalist. Anyway, I told him I wished that instead of spending money on ‘swag’ they had used that money to improve their procedures. He was obviously confused. I told him the only thing I wanted was the invoice so that we could get them paid. That we would do a funds transfer if they are set up for that, and if not, we would send them a check for the full amount. He finally left.
As soon as the roofers were finished, I sent an email to Shinnova (the Solar Company). It only took a couple days for them to get everyone aligned to do the solar installation.
On November 25th, I called Easton and asked them to please provide us with the bill/invoice so we can pay them. They did not have an email address for me (even though I had gotten emails from Charles, oy vey). So I asked him to send it to Hubby and cc me so I would also receive it. The bill arrived the following day and Hubby tried to pay it but had trouble with their link to the transfer site. So he called the company and they were able to do the transfer over the phone. That project is complete and paid in full. I am SO happy to see the backside of that company. I DO NOT RECOMMEND Easton Roofing.
Oh, I should also note here that I received a text (February 20th) from the guy that came out and really pissed me off – saying they want to come out and do a roof replacement inspection. (As in, he thinks he's texting a prospective customer.) I replied: "NO. I want nothing to do with Easton Roofing. Do not contact me again." (Think that will get me off their list? Nah, me neither.)
|
