Don't buy roofing metal from this Company

[Tom King]

The company name is      JD Metals

I ordered, and received shipment of a batch of roofing metal for a standing seam roof. We were well into the process when the next step was putting on the hip caps. This is not the first one of these roofs I've installed. Other similar roofs I've installed have withstood hurricanes with more than minimum hurricane force winds, with no damage.

Once the standing seam panels are installed, with no exposed fasteners, there are right angle bent "Z closure" strips screwed down to attach the caps (ridge or hip) to.  The strip is in a right angles "z" shape so the fasteners will be hidden uphill on the bottom leg of the Z.

This is the first time I've bought metal from this company. I have always before, and just like the drawing in this company's installation manual showed, slid the cap over the outward pointing leg of the Z Closure strips. Every other manufacturers installation instructions show this in exactly the same manner.

To be able to do that, the hem (lower edges) of the cap cannot be bent completely shut, but enough room has to be left for it to slide over the metal of the Z strip.

These were folded all the way flat, and tight. I tried to open one up a little, but it would take a lot of time, not be a clean and neat job, and impossible to seat the leg of the Z bar all the way in.

I went to the supplier and talked to them. The Manager and all the salesmen came over, and everyone not only agreed that I was correct, but that was how they had always explained to customers how to install a ridge or hip cap on a standing seam roof.

My salesman called the company, talked to some guy, and ended up having me talk to him.

The company salesman said that you had to specify when you order it if you don't want the hem tightly folded. The supplier Manager, all the salesmen, and I looked though all the company information they had been sent by the company. Not only could we not find any mention of having to specify this, but none of the supplier guys had ever heard anything about this before.

The metal company said that you just set the cap on top of the Z strip, and put it on with aluminum pop rivets. He said, "that's the way everyone does it."  He said if I would either have to open up what I had, or buy some more.

I called his attention to the drawing on the specific page in their own Installation Manual that clearly shows the leg of the Z strip in the not tightly folded hem of the cap. He said he'd check and call back.

I told the guys at the supplier that I'd check back later, and left to get back to doing some work. This is a real building supplier, and not a big box store.

Close to 5 o'clock this afternoon, the salesman at the supplier called back and said that the company would sell me more Hip Cap for half price.

I don't remember the name of the company rolling the metal, but I'll find out, and post it tomorrow. It's some initials starting with an M as best as I can remember, but can't say that's 100% correct.

Anyway, this is one company you don't want to deal with. I've used metal roofing from a number of different manufacturers, and it seems to me like the metal all comes from the same place, even comes in the same color names, and even the roll forming seems to be exactly the same, so there is no need to deal with this company.

Unless of course it doesn't matter to you that your high priced standing seam roof, with no exposed fasteners on the rest of it, has a ridge and hip cap just laying on the top held on by aluminum pop rivets.

[Tom King]

July 19.   The correctly formed hip caps showed up today.  Someone in the chain of supply decided that we wouldn't be charged for them.  That's all I know about it.

[mat60]

Good.deal.Tom...At.least.they.did.replace.the.cap.but.cant.understand.why.thay.didnt.want.to.go.good.for.them.to.begin.with...Dont.no.if.id.go.back.to.that.supplyer.