Q&A - Metal roof installed incorrectly?

A new homeowner from Virginia came for some advice about a troubling home inspection report.

Getting a home inspection helps stop the surprises down the line, but they can reveal new information in the moment! Rolent, a first-time home buyer in Virginia, came looking for clarification on the information they recieved with their home inspection, so they asked our experts:

Metal roof installed incorrectly upon home inspection, advise please! Hey all, I'm a first time homebuyer (VA) and the home inspection was just completed. This is what the report showed: I'm not concerned about the garage roof, it's probably a tear down I was just curious about the condition. I'm concerned about the main house's roof (6.1 in above text). There is no evidence of leaking or moisture to the ceilings or walls, but I'm worried this could definitely become an issue down the line especially when I try to sell this place. I plan to contact a roofing expert but are these issues easily repaired or does the entire roof need to be replaced? I appreciate any insight.

One of our resident expert roofers, Kyle Nurminen from The Metal Roof Experts responded:

Absolutely NO need to panic!

First off, we can only tell so much from a close-up photo, but the rubber/neoprene grommets of these fasteners appear to be in good condition, and there is no evidence of any panel rot (or even surface deterioration) at the point of connection, so I see no need for repair or replacement. Depending upon where this home is located, what you are seeing here can actually be a requirement to meet local code (wind uplift) and/or (just as the report states) the manufacturer's specification. 

You can go to https://www.extrememetalfabricators.com/pbrmax-exposed-fastener-systems to see a perfect example.

For peace of mind, request a copy of the roofing permit from the previous owner or building department. That should include the product approval number for your installation. Look that up. So long as it meets that, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.  Just be sure you are maintaining these exposed fasteners proactively — tightening them as they loosen, and replacing them when rubber/neoprene washers begin to deteriorate — as this is indeed the weakest point of this sort of metal roof system.

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