Looking at a property that needs a new roof... Should I Tesla roof?

[zovc]

Hey friends,

Spoiler: Life Story

I've honestly been losing it over the whole Net Neutrality issue here in the US. I feel like a tinfoil hat wearer, and my anxiety attacks are getting worse. It doesn't look like there's anything we can really do about it. (I feel like I'm doing everything I can, I even called and offered a Louisiana senator double what he was allegedly bought out for... lol)

So, the city I went to school at has a municipality that offers fiber-optic internet. I have been blowing their phones up asking about what's going to happen to them if this legislation gets revoked and none of the people I talked to even knew what Net Neutrality was... not reassuring... Eventually I got to talk to the Chief Business Analyst of the organization and we had a very good chat. The municipality has been top-notch for as long as I've known they existed and the talk I had with the CBA was reassuring. Basically, I've been wanting to move to this city for almost a decade at this point and I'm actually in a position where I realistically could try to. And it sounds like I could actually still take some refuge from oppressive cable companies if I made the move.

I'm looking at purchasing a multi-unit home in a college city that has enough money coming into it that it's basically been unaffected by every economic crisis the US has had since I've been alive. Most places in Louisiana tank when the oil industry hiccups, but this place keeps trucking along. It seems like a nice place to own property. I like the idea of getting a multi-unit home because even if I want to live there, I could rent out the rest of it and still have privacy.

Anyways, one unit I'm looking at is priced to sell but mentions that its price is so low to account for a new roof. Being the dork I am, my first thought was a Tesla roof. So, I looked around online and apparently my estimate is close to half the cost of the property, haha. But unlike a boring normal roof, it would actually make progress towards paying back its price.

So, I'm interested in hearing you folks' thoughts about Tesla's solar roofs. Either in the context of costing nearly half what a property is worth, or just hearing your thoughts in general.

Solar roof or not, this is a huge step in my life. So there's going to be lots of planning and discussing with friends and family before I actually make a decision. If you have any advice for a 27 year-old single person in the US looking at properties, that's more than welcome, too. (Either here or in a PM.)

 

[Testwerke]

aaa

 

[zovc]

If I was interested in specifying the city, I would have done that to begin with. If someone's familiar with the area they might be able to infer but I don't think we need to help anyone find out where I live or want to live.

 

[Kmpkt]

What is the cost of a Tesla roof versus a normal roof with existing solar panels? Is there a significant difference in the rate at which one solution would repay you over the other? Lastly living in Louisiana, what would the insurance considerations be for either of these were a hurricane to destroy them? Knowing insurance companies as well as I do, I could see them dragging their feet incredibly hard were you to try replacing a Tesla roof were it to cost them twice as much as a conventional solar panel array.

 

[zovc]

Good things to consider. I'll try to find out about warranty/insurance/claims from Tesla's side of things. They tout that they're basically indestructible, but they don't say that the roof can't be pried off by a hurricane..

I got a huge variety of estimates using some random online tools for conventional roofs, so I can't really be sure. At the very lowest, a roof could be ~1/5 the cost of a Tesla roof, but I also don't know enough about what sorts of 'premium' come with a Tesla roof that I'd be losing out on the conventional roof. Like, material, height, attic space... I'm taking for granted those things are included in the Tesla roof's price where as I'm assuming the lowest estimates for conventional roofs are perhaps not up to snuff.

As far as a 'contemporary'(?) solar installation, I have no idea what its estimate would be. I should look into that. I will say I suspect conventional solar would be less resilient to a hurricane, but that's 100% assumption.

 

[jtd871]

Have you checked Google Solar's evaluation of the property for solar energy potential?

 

[zovc]

Assuming google's estimates include all the frills and the lower end of a roof estimate would be satisfactory in the same ways as a Tesla roof, it looks like a conventional roof + solar would be just over half the cost of a Tesla roof. The Tesla roof estimate includes 1 power wall, I'm not sure what all the Google electric estimate includes--and again I'm hazy on what these roof estimates include versus what Tesla does.

 

[Aichon]

On the page where Tesla gives you an estimate, I seem to recall there being a link to view the assumptions or edit the advanced details or some such. From there, I believe it was possible to see how they calculated your ROI, which should help you figure out whether you’ll even see one. When I tried it out for my home, despite living in the Sun Belt, Tesla said I would have a net loss even after 30 years, so it would never pay for itself.

I’m guessing it’s because I would otherwise replace my roof with asphalt shingles, since they’re the standard ones around here, so maybe if you were planning to replace with premium roofing material it’d make sense? Otherwise, I’m not sure for whom it makes financial sense at this point, so I’d probably advise holding off.

 

[Josh | NFC]

I coughed up some water when I heard your joke about your solar roof paying itself back.

I wish solar roofs didn't age and depreciate...then they might actually make some economic sense. I doubt they even hold up as well as shingles.

 

[Aichon]

Ehh...a few years ago it was a complete joke, but these days? Not so much. The tech has really advanced and the costs have really dropped.

We’re well past the point where solar panels can pay for themselves FAR before they reach the end of their usable lifespan (though obviously YMMV depending on where you live). It’s such a safe bet that there are even companies that’ll install them at no cost to you and then will get their money back over the next few decades by being your electric provider.

But solar roofs are, of course, a different beast. When it comes to durability the Tesla ones are, from what I’ve heard, quite a bit more durable than pretty much any typical roof. They even provide a lifetime warranty against hail and other stuff of that sort. The videos they’ve posted are pretty compelling, but again, the cost seems to be absurd unless you were already in the market to replace your roof, were planning on using premium materials, and were planning to add new solar panels too. Anything less and it still is a joke financially.

 

[Testwerke]

aaa

 

[zovc]

A Tesla sales person finally got back to me. It looks like they're just getting the ball rolling starting January of 2018, so next month. But, they're doing a fairly slow rolling out of the solar roof, they're going to work down the East coast of the US and the rep said (guessed) it'd probably be at least 2 years before they are in my area.

So it looks like my options for this property are a boring roof or a boring roof + solar. Which is probably ultimately more sensible.

 

[Phuncz]

Just use a tent for two years, no problem !