Update to Chimney Flashing Saga

(Sorry I had to create a new topic… the strange message board rules wouldn’t allow me to reply any more in the last post, because I’m still considered a new user)

So I spoke with my general contractor. He agrees the chimney flashing is substandard, and is going to re-do it himself (rather than have the roofers do it). He was pretty dismissal of my other concerns though. He says the wonky ridge line is a function of the fact that we have uneven elevations at those points because half of the roof is new (single layer of shingles) and the other is old roof (that has 3 layers). They added OSB sheeting to the new side though (the old roof doesn’t have any), so I’m not sure the elevation is all that different.

He also says the overdriven and high nails are “just part of roofing” and largely unavoidable. I pointed out that if they had used the correct shingle (Duration instead of Oakridge) that the Sure Nail strip might have prevented some of the overdriven and high nails. I did a non-scientific random survey of a few shingles, and out of 20 nails I inspected, 7 (35%) were overdriven, and 2 were high nailed (10%). Safe to assume that is too many?

What do you guys think I should do at this point? Should I get an independent roofer to come out and give me an unbiased (hopefully) opinion? Should I just negotiate a credit and live with the shoddy work and hope it doesn’t leak?

Any advice is very appreciated! Thank you!

He is right about that hip ridge!
He agrees and
He says he is replacing the flashing himself.
Let him!
Sounds like a stand up guy.

Also, i feel you were unreasonable about the nails penetrating the exposed soffit.
He is Required to penetrate the wood all the way through.
He broke the rules for YOU.
He tried.
Yes, you need to repaint your soffit in some spots.
NOT his problem.

You also complained about the bottom of a hip
Even though it wasnt finished yet AND part of it was multiple layers…

Also, in my opinion Oakridge is better than Durations.
The Durations are a bad design.
They openly tell the roofer to nail anywhere in the surenail strip and they are wrong.
Dead wrong.

I dont mean any offense toward you.
Good luck and i hope you will let your roofer try to satisfy you.
I see/hear nothing alarming except the issue he has agreed to replace himself.
I am liking the guy…

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No offense taken at all! I’m not the expert here – you guys are! So I welcome all opinions. And yes, my General Contractor is a very upstanding guy – it’s his roofers (sub-contractors) who left something to be desired, in my opinion.

Interesting to hear you like the Oakridge better than Duration shingles. I actually assumed they were pretty much identical shingles, aside from the Sure Nail strip, which (according to OC’s marketing) gives better wind protection and less chance of blown through and high nails. That may all be marketing mumbo jumbo though.

Thanks for your insights though… I welcome all others.

No, owens corning is right in what they say.
I would have to say the Durations might actually have the best protection against wind.

The problem is their design leads to rotting, rusting fasteners and leaks.
Their surenail strip sits lower on the shingle and becomes a water trough every time it rains.
That is only one design problem.
Their nail area is inconsistant
With only half of the area being double thickness
The other half being single thickness.
You dont want the nail to hit in between the single and double thickness.

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If you were supposed to get Durations make them tear off the Oakridges and put the right shingle on.

Simple straight forward breech of contract.

Durations are OK but Oakridges are pretty much crap.

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Well, like so many things in life, this one isn’t 100% cut and dry. The specific shingle wasn’t specified in the contract, but we had a text conversation about it, and the Duration shingle was what I told him to use. Whether that would hold up in a court of law, I don’t know and don’t plan to find out.

My GC is a good guy though and I told him I’m happy to move ahead with the work that was done, if he’s willing to extend his workmanship warranty to 20 years, instead of the original 10. He was happy to do so, and we will both cross our fingers and hope there are no leaks in the next 20 years. As mentioned, they are also re-doing the poor flashing job around the chimney.

For those out there thinking he probably won’t be around and running his business in 20 years, it’s a definite possibility, but I feel comfortable enough considering they live in my city, their kids go to the same school as mine, and they have a good reputation I think they will want to uphold. Maybe I’m being too easy on them, but time will ultimately tell.

Thank you to everyone who offered their input and advice. I very much appreciate it!

High nails and overdriven nails are part for the course for some roofing installers
The biggest risk is blowoffs, unless there is nails directly in the seams.

There is a price differential between the 2, and the duration is definitely a heavier shingle. He should have used thumb busters for the open cornice soffit portion. If not, then have him trim the exposed nails back. Over driven and high nails shouldn’t be party of roofing, but they are to installers who don’t know how to adjust their guns or aim straight. If you didn’t do a complete tear off, however, you can’t complain about the appearance. If you want to have someone check out the roof then call Owens Corning direct and ask for one of their inspectors. They verify warranty claims, especially if he’s a preferred contractor.