Share a picture with us?

Thanks. I didn't have the presence of mind to take one today when I was at the house. (We haven't moved in yet) but I will take one tomorrow. Thanks for responding!!

Definitely a picture would help but doesn't sound right from your description. Who did you hire for this project? Is he a real roofer?

That is how they install pvc on mobile home re-roofs.

Here’s a picture. he is going to trim the excess and fix those seams (roof was just installed yesterday) but you will still see the metal.

This is what he wants to use to cover the metal strips

Yes, he’s a real roofer. Has great reviews online going back a number of years, I know ppl who have used him (just not for pvc) and he seems to know what he’s doing per my contractor. although I was the one who hired him, not the contractor who is working on the interior of the house.

What exactly did he use for the roofing as I am not certain what a PVC roof is?

I would find the manufacturer instructions as that looks very much like roofing while intoxicated. I cannot imagine how that is correct in anyone's opinion.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. pvc is a type of material used for flat roofs. it’s supposed to be a better alternative to rubber flat roofs. I believe that he probably did it correctly aside from how he finished it. I’d love to hear from ppl who instal pvc roofs how they typic finish it and how he can correct this.

I've seen epdm roofing used on commercial projects. Have not encountered pvc roofing yet. I don't think either would be particularly appropriate for a residential project like yours. There is obviously slope on the gable. Not sure why it would be used there. If you have low sloped roofs I would recommend standing seam metal roofing. Would look much better. As for the it seems sloppy. You will definitely want him to install rake trim of some kind. If done correctly I would also think there should be a metal drip edge installed too.

Thanks for taking the time to answer. the area pictured is sloped but most of pvc Roof is flat or maybe slightly sloped. Not sure if you can tell from this picture.

From what I quickly read this is used for flat roof jobs and IMO yours is not flat so maybe a bad choice of material for your job.

If that is how it is supposed to be installed, just lapped over the edge, trim board, roof edge or not I would find it inappropriate for a house. Warehouse or industrial maybe, but not a house.

So I spoke with the roofer again. Turns out this is the cheapest way to do it, although correct. The more expensive and nicer way is to use metal coated in pvc which can be made into any shape, which is what I think I’ve seen online.

"Turns out this is the cheapest way to do it, although correct."

Again, for warehouse or industrial building. Would not fly for me.

You have a pretty big house there with a kinda wacky roofline, so I'm guessing that finances aren't a problem for you. So I have to wonder why you went for the low priced spread.

I'm all for practicality, but I"m not seeing that here. Being completely blunt, your new roof looks hideous. It's totally wrong for your house.

Even if it means you have to pay twice, I'd rip that mess off and start over. I see that some others have given you worthwhile ideas above.

Good luck.

PS - online reviews don't mean squat.

thanks but start off again with what? What material would you recommend?

The second pict is what it looked like before we put on the new roof. we replaced the brown shingles and the slate in the front of the house with new shingles. Maybe this picture will give someone a better idea of the roof

From what I understand there are 3 main choices for residential flat roofs, IMO all of them kind of industrial looking - membrane, bitumen, and built-up. Normally membrane is EPDM, but PVC is sometimes used, as it apparently was in your case.

I haven't had to deal with a flat roof on a house (thank goodness), but I have low-pitch roofs on my henhouse and woodshed. They're this stuff. It''s reasonably long-lived, but it does need routine maintenance, and it isn't very attractive. I don't know that I'd recommend it for your house.

However, as Norwood suggested above, you may be able to find metal roofing that looks good and does the job. What kind you can use will depend on how much pitch your roof has - "flat" roofs on houses generally have at least a little pitch.

You may need to find a more roofer who has more flat roof experience Unfortunately, as I said above, online reviews are worthless. You'll need personal references from people you trust, and a good, sensitive BS detector.

Or you can let this guy finish his way, and see whether you can tolerate the appearance. Maybe you'll get used to it in a couple of months.

Thanks for all of the advice. At this point what I think we are going to do it put trim over the gable so it looks more finished and paint it to match the house. It won't be perfect but at least its in the back of the house and not the front. At the end of the day the research I did prior to installation shows that pvc is better than rubber, so I'm hoping that it will live up to it's reputation and be waterproof.

But it's white and nothing on your house is white. Rip it off and use TPO or EPDM in a black or black granular.

Yeah I do regret the white part. I had the option of choosing a different color for $1000 more but was told that we wouldn't see the white part (which clearly isn't the case). It would cost around $10,000 for a new flat roof. I'll leave it for now and be grateful that it's a secure roof that does it's job.

The better method is a metal drip edge in the proper color installed prior to the membrane and the membrane glued to the top side of the drip edge, leaving only the proper color and clean edging seen.

Thank you labra design build and B F. This is the advice that I was looking for. Labra design build is this what you mean? In a wider size and different color. so you won’t see the edge of the pvc

Yes but it would go under the pvc and the pvc would be glued to the top surface and not wrap over the side.

Thank you for explaining. do you mind sharing a picture of that

also, if it turns out you can't paint and the roof has to stay white, at least your house will stay cooler in the summer!

True!

schob1:

What you're seeing is called termination bar, or "T bar" in the trade. It is the appropriate method for this roof. With the excess trimmed and the molding he's proposing to cover the T bar, I'd give his solution a shot.

Thanks would the drip edge in a thicker size work as well

So why did you pick a warehouse roof for your home instead of something once and done like standing seam metal?

I don’t know, that option never came up. I had four roofers come look at it and they all mentioned rubber and pvc. I initially started this thread asking for suggestions in finishing off the pvc so it looks neat. I appreciate all those that answered my question and gave advice.

I'm not sure if you had to keep this within a tight budget, but if you did, then maybe that's why a metal roof wasn't proposed. they're great but also mega expensive.

and some homes with low-slope roofs do have PVC. it was pitched to us as an alternative when we got a new roof.