My house is 7.5 years old. It's a rowhome with a flat roof. There is a small puncture hole in the roof that has been temporarily sealed with caulk. Everything after this row is not confirmed...I'm taking this from what different roofers have told me. I have no idea how much is true.
I'm scheduled to have solar panels installed in two weeks and before they come, I want to make sure everything up there is okay and that the
The roof is Single-ply PVC membrane.
Roofer #1 says it's in good shape and that PVC is a really strong material that holds up to UV very well. But he gave me a quote of $1400 to seal the hole and caulk some other areas as a preventative measure. Unfortunately, he won't do business with me now because I won't pay 50% down for a job that is almost completely labor. He got pissed at me suggesting that I'd pay for all materials and 10% of labor up front, and won't even consider doing business with me now. He also told me I couldn't do solar with support bar penetrations because it would void the warranty.
Roofer #2 sealed the small puncture with caulk until he can return on a warmer day to patch the seal with the right material. He doesn't say much else and communicates with grunts, but he's the only person who has actually DONE anything so far, so I feel like at least he might show up when he says he will. In any case, he doesn't seem to be very concerned about money and didn't charge me anything for the temporary caulk job, and other neighbors say he hasn't charged them anything for small things.
Roofer #3 just showed me pics of ripples on the roof and said that the solar company should refuse to install with ripples because a roof has to have 7 or 8 years of life left on it in order for solar companies to install. (I've never heard that before, other than as a good rule of thumb, but he said it as if it is written into solar code or something). Anyway, he suggests re-roofing the entire roof, and replacing with TPO, which he says is a superior, thicker material. The cost for that would be in the $4000 range. These ripples are visible in the pics, but I saw pics from roofer #1 and there were no ripples noted. Roofer #2 never mentioned ripples either, or if he did, I couldn't understand him.
Roofer #4 is on his way over now.
Roofer #5 turned out to be a shady character.
Roofer #6 was the original installer and doesn't answer the phone anymore
Roofer #7 said I have to reseal the roof even though he hasn't been on the roof yet.
Roofer #8 said I have an EPDM roof, and that he can seal everything and lay another layer of paste and seal before the solar panels go up. This guy seems completely trustworthy, and I would go this route (about $3500) without another thought, except that he identified the roof as a different material than Roofer #1 did. One of these guys is wrong.
Most other roofers I've contacted have no interest in doing repair work and only want to do complete roofs.
I am chicken to get up on the ladder to look for myself what is happening up there, so I depend on pictures. Is it possible that one of the roofers caused the ripples in order to get me to buy a new roof? Is it possible that extreme wind and cold is causing ripples?
Is there some way for me to know when these guys are telling the truth?
What can I do to get a reputable roofer and trust that they're doing the right thing? Help!!!