We have had no issues thus far and our builder did not raise this concern for our new construction.
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New Construction Solar Roof?
- Thread starter ToasterStrudel
- Start date
UltralightBeam
Member
I'm in a position where we'd be most likely going with a custom builder. If doing that, I would 'hope' that things could be easier. Does anyone know what the approximate lead time would be for a solar roof? ie: 'Are these things even 'in stock?'' Or is there some sort of supply shortage or crazy delays when ordering?
jimm01
Member
My experience is Tesla’s PM is an enigma. Maybe it was due to Covid-19 and things have improved. I had a terrible time getting straight answers. I repeatedly tried to talk to someone who was within a few degrees of separation from those designing my solar roof. It proved impossible. When I finally got an email from a regional PM I soon realized I was going to have to play hardball. One issue was I wanted to burry the conduit in the wall. I even offered to install the conduit my self-it’s just drywall. When Tesla came to install the roof I had to tell them to specifically show me where the roof connections would be run. They were about to run conduit all over the front of my house and a riser down the back. I had to stop them. Besides the aesthetics it would eventually start to rust.
Good luck.
PS: I think it is wise to have a roofing company install the roof.
UltralightBeam
Member
So something interesting here. Reaching out to Tesla, they said the project manager mentioned that "Most projects advance to install within 8 months of your initial layout creation. Timing to installation for your project specifically will be possible to estimate only once we have an order confirmed and permits submitted to your city."
I know it says, 'Within 8 months' but would you say that if permitting and submission were done in August, that they could still come in to coordinate and install before Winter hits hards in the US? Or do you think that's way too long of an 'estimate'?
Obviously, the concern would be not having a solid 'roof' on for the winter so work can continue on the interior of the home.
Thoughts?
I know it says, 'Within 8 months' but would you say that if permitting and submission were done in August, that they could still come in to coordinate and install before Winter hits hards in the US? Or do you think that's way too long of an 'estimate'?
Obviously, the concern would be not having a solid 'roof' on for the winter so work can continue on the interior of the home.
Thoughts?
We accepted our solar roof quote in October 2019. Construction started in March 2020 in California. No snow here, but some rain. Completed in April. Final Inspection passed in August. PTO in September. 7-day delay during installation due to Covid and multi-month delay on inspection also due to Covid shutdowns.
So, I think the timeframes they gave you are perhaps a bit pessimistic. But give demand, parts shortages, etc. not way out of wack.
UltralightBeam
Member
Hmm maybe I'll just see if I can plan it by ear. If they think they can do it based on their supply etc etc, great. If not, I'll probably have to look into the traditional solar panels on the southern and maybe western facing side of things. Aesthetics of solar panels vs roof, not as great but the trade off I guess is more output and cheaper cost?
I am glad to see that you have built a custom home. Congratulations! I am hoping that you can answer some of my questions regarding Tesla roof.
We live in Arizona and are in the process of designing a custom home of about 4000 sq ft single floor. We are still deciding between a flat roof and a pitched tiled roof. We became curious about the Tesla roof and just paid the $250 to get an evaluation. We will soon be choosing our builder. We might start construction in another 2-3 months. I am hoping that you will be able to answer some of my questions.
1. Is it worth going with Tesla for our sized roof purely from economics point of view?
2. If we decide going with Tesla, should I wait for their inputs to design our roof before getting the blue prints for the house? What I am afraid is if their process is long, we might end up delaying the construction of our house. Moreover, we are not even sure if we want to do a Tesla roof.
3. What are the kind of pains that you endured with Tesla? A custom home construction will necessarily not keep to a schedule as various trades are involved. Will Tesla accommodate changes in schedule and not cause delays of their own?
4. If we were to sign a contract with Tesla, would they be able to increase the price before installation? I read one such scary story right in this discussion.
Tam
Well-Known Member
You already read the story so you already answered your own question. Price Increase is Tesla's nickname so I don't see why Tesla would stop doing that except when customers would get a good lawyer:
Consumers Accuse Tesla of Bait-and-Switch in Solar Roof Tiles Class Action
Consumers say that Tesla pulled an old trick, bait-and-switch, when they contracted with the company for its new technology – solar roof tiles.
topclassactions.com
Tam
Well-Known Member
I think it is best to coordinate with Tesla so you don't have to throw away your brand new electrical equipment (such as the main breaker panel...) to fit Tesla's design.
araxara
X-LR M3AWD, MYLR
We are also in the process of designing a new home in Tucson and have tried to get the answers to the same questions you have. However, we have already decided on a solar roof and this will be part of our ongoing design (with proper pitch and orientation). We don’t anticipate construction starting for another year. Due to the nature of our lot, we don’t even have final plans drawn and no approval yet from the homeowner’s association. We are aiming for about 32kW roof with about 8 power walls.
With that said, what we decided to do is sign up for a Tesla Solar roof with power walls and specify that this is a new construction. For $250 we got some PDF specifications that can be used for the design process (which you should have gotten too). Tesla’s configurator had selected 12.5kW array with 2 power walls, but we will change that when we get closer to construction.
Tesla is now “hounding" us for blueprints so they can move forward. In our case, we won’t have any complete drawing for at least 6 months. Tesla also said that they could drop our “order” if they don’t hear from us, but conceded that what we did was the only way we could at least see what some of their requirements were to help in our design process. It’s a chicken or egg problem in that they want final drawings before they can tell you what they will provide (or even if they can provide), but you can’t do final drawings unless you know what their requirements are.
We are anticipating that Tesla will drop our order and that we will reapply about 90 days before construction begins. We are hoping they have the lighter colored slate option available by then, but considering that our lot is on a hill top, it won’t matter for aesthetics. It sounds like you are about in the same predicament as us, so maybe what I described won’t be of much use, but rest assured, you are not the only one.
Hello, I am doing a custom home and seem to have no luck getting with anyone from Tesla who can help me. Can you tell me how did you get a hold of anyone that will work with a custom home builder? Can you put me in touch with who handled your account?
That really is not how Tesla works. They have no ability to coordinate with a builder.
My $0.02 is build your house, plan for the solar roof, but put up a real roof one, and then after your home is built and occupied, ask Tesla if they would consider putting on a solar roof in your location, with your as built roof complexity. Having a home with large simple roof planes will help, but if, and only if, Tesla installs in your area.
So, yes, you may end up paying for more than one roof, making the Tesla solar roof even more expensive.
araxara
X-LR M3AWD, MYLR
I'm building a custom home with a pitched roof, and I initially wanted to use Tesla Roof Tiles. I paid the $100 deposit and got an estimate, but my project wasn't advanced enough to provide building drawings at that time.
About six months later, Tesla told me that they no longer offered Roof Tiles in my area and to find a local installer. There was only one installer listed on the Tesla website, and they were in Phoenix (I'm in Tucson). After my project started moving along, I tried to contact the "local" installer, but they were no longer listed on the Tesla website (I had neglected to get their contact information previously). It looked like there were no longer any local installers.
After much research, I determined that Tesla was not interested in installing Roof Tiles in my area, even though they had previously offered them. I also found out that the inactive tiles were actually made of metal, not glass, and I didn't want a mismatch in terms of aesthetics and durability.
I decided to find another company and take my chances in being able to integrate Tesla Powerwalls later. I chose SunStyle (SunStyle.com). They offered their Dragon Scale Roof Shingles, which have been previously installed at Google headquarters. The shingles are glass for both the active and passive elements. SunStyle also hooked me and my builder up with a "local" roofing company, Level 5.
It turns out that Level 5 roofers specialize in both solar shingle installation and complete solar packages. I'm currently working with them, although my solar installation will be at least 12 months away. The builder will interact directly with the Level 5 roofers, who will be sourcing all of the materials.
About six months later, Tesla told me that they no longer offered Roof Tiles in my area and to find a local installer. There was only one installer listed on the Tesla website, and they were in Phoenix (I'm in Tucson). After my project started moving along, I tried to contact the "local" installer, but they were no longer listed on the Tesla website (I had neglected to get their contact information previously). It looked like there were no longer any local installers.
After much research, I determined that Tesla was not interested in installing Roof Tiles in my area, even though they had previously offered them. I also found out that the inactive tiles were actually made of metal, not glass, and I didn't want a mismatch in terms of aesthetics and durability.
I decided to find another company and take my chances in being able to integrate Tesla Powerwalls later. I chose SunStyle (SunStyle.com). They offered their Dragon Scale Roof Shingles, which have been previously installed at Google headquarters. The shingles are glass for both the active and passive elements. SunStyle also hooked me and my builder up with a "local" roofing company, Level 5.
It turns out that Level 5 roofers specialize in both solar shingle installation and complete solar packages. I'm currently working with them, although my solar installation will be at least 12 months away. The builder will interact directly with the Level 5 roofers, who will be sourcing all of the materials.
Oh wow, that makes no sense at all to have to pay for a roof twice. Oh well, I guess time to abandon this Tesla Solar Roof option. It would have been perfect because where I am building my home there isn't any gas in the area, so I am going all electric in Las Vegas Nevada. So basically in the desert.
