I'm in the early planning stages of a house rebuild and we're considering a solar glass roof right from the get go. Our objective is to cover the cost of construction through a construction-to-permanent loan, where when the construction is done, this loan rolls over into a traditional mortgage without one having to go through another closing. This usually involves a general contractor paying for the materials and labor of every phase of construction, and drawing from the loan for only completed/inspected work through a series of small installments.
The problem is, Tesla requires their solar roof contracts to be made directly with the client/homeowner; they can't move forward with a contract from another company such as a home builder or general contractor. How have other new builds installed solar glass then? According to the agent I've been speaking with, Tesla has mostly worked with builders who own the land, so the Tesla-to-owner agreement is still distinct. The builder will then transfer ownership of the home and the solar roof contract once someone purchases the home. There is no option for Tesla to offer a quote rolled into our full build cost. It will always remain on its own contract paid directly to Tesla.
Just in case, I asked the agent to forward my case up the chain of support. The answer was still the same. They apparently had a similar request previously and their legal team determined that there was no option to proceed without a "distinct contract to Tesla."
I then proceeded to ask, out of curiosity mostly, if I could finance the roof separately. Of course their lender could qualify me if the project was for a remodel or addition to an existing home, but their lender does not approve loans on brand new construction projects.
It's clear that Tesla is still ramping up their support for new construction. If you say "Yes" to the form that asks "Are you building a new home at this address?", the web site still asks you to upload pictures of your house for assessment. They told me their small team has only been working on new construction projects for a few months, and while the installation is similar to a roof-replacement, the contract process is quite different. It's a bit hard to believe that my only choice is to pay in cash or potentially risk my primary loan by taking out yet a 2nd smaller loan. Is it possible I've been asking the wrong questions? Maybe I've been talking to the wrong person? Has anybody had any experience with this process for a new build?
The problem is, Tesla requires their solar roof contracts to be made directly with the client/homeowner; they can't move forward with a contract from another company such as a home builder or general contractor. How have other new builds installed solar glass then? According to the agent I've been speaking with, Tesla has mostly worked with builders who own the land, so the Tesla-to-owner agreement is still distinct. The builder will then transfer ownership of the home and the solar roof contract once someone purchases the home. There is no option for Tesla to offer a quote rolled into our full build cost. It will always remain on its own contract paid directly to Tesla.
Just in case, I asked the agent to forward my case up the chain of support. The answer was still the same. They apparently had a similar request previously and their legal team determined that there was no option to proceed without a "distinct contract to Tesla."
I then proceeded to ask, out of curiosity mostly, if I could finance the roof separately. Of course their lender could qualify me if the project was for a remodel or addition to an existing home, but their lender does not approve loans on brand new construction projects.
It's clear that Tesla is still ramping up their support for new construction. If you say "Yes" to the form that asks "Are you building a new home at this address?", the web site still asks you to upload pictures of your house for assessment. They told me their small team has only been working on new construction projects for a few months, and while the installation is similar to a roof-replacement, the contract process is quite different. It's a bit hard to believe that my only choice is to pay in cash or potentially risk my primary loan by taking out yet a 2nd smaller loan. Is it possible I've been asking the wrong questions? Maybe I've been talking to the wrong person? Has anybody had any experience with this process for a new build?