05/30/2026
🚨 A Brand-New Roof. A Potential $67,000 Problem. 🚨
Most homeowners assume a new roof means peace of mind.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
We were recently asked to perform an independent roof inspection on a luxury home in Franklin, Tennessee after concerns were raised about the quality of a recently completed roof replacement.
From the street, the roof looked beautiful.
Up close, the details told a different story.
Our inspection identified deficiencies in critical copper flashing, chimney flashing, roof edge details, valley construction, standing seam copper fabrication, and waterproofing transitions that could require more than $67,000 in corrective work to properly address.
The photos in this post illustrate just a few of the issues we documented:
📸 Standing seam copper panels that were never properly locked together.
📸 Undersized step flashings that fail to provide the required coverage at roof-to-wall transitions.
📸 Roof edge and drip edge details that create openings for water intrusion.
📸 Valley flashing that fails to properly transition into the roof edge drainage system.
📸 Fascia and gutter damage caused by improper flashing details—followed by repairs that repeated the same defect that caused the damage in the first place.
The lesson for homeowners is simple:
👉 A roof is not just shingles.
The true performance of a roofing system depends on the details hidden beneath the surface—flashings, valleys, roof transitions, drainage paths, sheet metal fabrication, and proper integration of every component.
The most expensive roof isn’t the one that costs the most upfront.
It’s the one that has to be repaired, rebuilt, or corrected because critical details were overlooked.
Before signing a roofing contract, ask:
âś” Are all flashings being replaced?
âś” What materials and thicknesses are being specified?
âś” How are roof-to-wall transitions being waterproofed?
âś” Are sheet metal details custom fabricated or field improvised?
âś” Does the scope clearly define all flashing and drainage details?
Two proposals may both say “new roof.”
The difference between them could be tens of thousands of dollars in future repairs.
If you’re considering a roof replacement, copper roofing project, roof repair, or independent roof inspection in Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, Murfreesboro, or Williamson County, make sure you’re evaluating the entire roofing system—not just the shingles.
Because when it comes to roofing…
The details matter.