New Standing Seam Roof Just Installed...

I agree with the homeowner that these are not aesthetic issues only. Without even looking through all the photos, I noticed that in that valley, a piece of wood should not be in direct contact with a panel on top of it. I also noticed many cuts being done very sloppily with snips - the proper method is to use a circular saw with a metal blade or another tool that does not leave small nicks and tears which will probably rust (using snips or nibblers must be kept to a minimum). I also noticed several parts that are lumpily and sloppily crimped (crimps should be even and smooth) and several areas where the gaps are wider than what I would want - loose and uneven crimping can lead to water leaks. Also, the ridge vent should be centered, not lopsided. The flashing under the siding is old and damaged, and it goes under the roof pans, which will drain water into the roof deck. It needs to be under-over (under the siding, over the pans). Also, what did they cut that siding with - pliers? That should have been evenly and properly trimmed - not hacked into like a tough piece of meat. Is there actually an opening along the top for the ridge vent, or is it ventilating the underside of the pans themselves? If it is intended to vent an attic or above-ceiling space (a space above the finished ceiling but below the roof deck), openings in the roof deck under the ridge vent must allow air from the attic to enter the ridge vent and you really need to have vented soffits. It looks like they just cut a hole in a panel, bent up the rim of the hole, and shoved it over the skylight. Sometimes there is a cut panel near a skylight but the upslope panel should go along the sides of the skylight (I have forgotten the exact skylight flashing, but this does not look good and watertight to me, especially at the downslope edge). Your skylight flashing may need sealant every so often to keep water from getting under the panel. You might want to check the pipe boots as well - they should not be under the roof surface on their downslope edge. I also saw a blob of some kind of black sealant oozing from a seam into a pan - this should not happen (actually they shouldn't need that much sealant anyway). I sympathize with the owner because I have problems with roofing installers myself - not standing steam, but I understand your frustration. As far as what Mr. Miller commented on: any contractor that does not fold the bottom edge over does not know how to install this roof and should not be, and any contractor that does not try to flash under siding where a roof butts against a wall is a moron and should not be allowed to work on a garden shed, let alone someone's home. Also, the supplier is usually friends with the installer - calling them will result in two people that will work together to say you are wrong. This is a sloppy and bad job, and if this is representative of a typical standing seam job I would never have it done by anyone but me (and I am not a contractor). In standing seam, the seams are one of the most important and careful steps - they are what SEALS the roof! If they are sloppy, they are wrong. Isn't there anyone who takes pride in their workmanship anymore? Isn't there anyone who doesn't treat the properties they are working on like dirt? I would be angry if this was installed like that on an outhouse, let alone on a home. The average homeowner could do a job at least as good as that - better with practice.

Thanks for your additional post and clarification. I am sorry for your frustration. Is there any supplier of the roofing that you can turn to for help? When I look at things like this, I always break issues down into technical issues that could threaten the roof's integrity and aesthetic issues. I commented earlier primarily on some technical concerns. The gable issue though is more aesthetic. There are a lot of things done here which I agree are not visually appealing. I think that many of them can be fixed. In some cases even, color matched sealant can make things look better. Technically, they did a lot of things right. For example, many contractors would not fold the bottom edge over the starter. Many contractors would not have tried to flash behind the siding. The panel bent up the higher roof fascia is not real pretty but it is weathertight and in some respects not a bad idea. I would suggest a flashing be installed over it to cover it now though. Again if there is a product supplier involved who could come help you and the contractor together figure out how to make this look better, that would be great.

Todd, I'm really quite surprised that the things you listed above are the only things you see wrong with this roof. If you have time, could you please look again a little closer at the largest photo sizes in my photostream so you can zoom in to see things up close? I added a lot more photos today. What about the following: 1. badly smashed seams 2. seam end cuts uneven, jagged, and open at the bottom 3. openings at ends of ridge vents (susceptible to bats, insects, birds, etc.) 4. insufficient flashing where roof lines meet the siding (not to mention the chop job they did to our siding in a few places and the lag bolts they screwed right through it) 5. panel breaks/folds uneven (nearly all of them are folded at an angle with one side folded down and toward the roof farther than the other side) 6. drip edge not tightly fit at the corners 7. gable end drip edges sticking out from the fascia boards - this cannot be remedied since there will be no gutters to hide these imperfections and it's apparent they aren't planning to install any type of gable end trim, although they claimed at the outset that they did custom trim 8. no plumping vent pipe flashing 9. no wood stove pipe flashing 10. no sky tube flashing 11. drip edge/ridge vent cap end seams not centered with ridge and fascia boards - this will cause issues when installing the fascia - instead of installing the fascia correctly on the fascia boards where it belongs, it will need to be offset to compensate for the drip edge and ridge vent seams 12. take a look at IMG_8504 - IMG_8508 and tell me what you see - this should have been a gable end over the addition where the roof lines meet - instead they folded the last steel panel on the addition upward, "straightened" out the standing seam and tucked it up under the drip edge of the original gable end - they tried to flash something that shouldn't have been flashed and instead of using straight coil stock, they used a panel that had been put through the machine with stiffening ribs and seams 13. take a look at IMG_8516 - IMG_8519 - they speak for themselves... I could go on and on. This company was one of four estimates we obtained prior to making our decision. The owners are third generation steel roofers and the company has been in business since 1937. We never anticipated this kind of workmanship. A roof should be more than just protection from the elements. Aesthetics are extremely important, since this was to be the first step in a complete exterior overhaul of our house. If one didn't want their house to be aesthetically pleasing, then why even bother?!?! I'm sorry if I sound frustrated, but this has actually made me physically ill. We saved for years for this roof. I just can't fathom that we will need to just accept this the way it is... I appreciate your help.