Work not done to contract...now what?

I posted on here a while back about not being thrilled about the visible work/clean up my roofers did, and got quite a bit of feedback!! Figured I’d share some pix taken when my husband was up there shoveling snow off after we found water leaking down an interior wall… guess my intuition was right, they DIDN’T do a good job up there! My worst fear – they shingled the flat part, which was supposed to have been done with rubber! Does this mean water has been coming in for a year? Right underneath that is an area of the attic that has only a few inches of clearance, so I really don’t know, but will try to find out, if water has leaked into insulation and hung out there for a year!
Wondering if anyone has any tips on how to get this guy to respond? I left (civil) voice mail and sent a text message asking about flat roof, 3 days, zero response. Next step?

sorry, I can’t seem to get the pix to actually appear…only the link appears
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85056697@N00/5429407851/
http://flickr.com/gp/85056697@N00/6h9v4j
http://flickr.com/gp/85056697@N00/dY53i7

Hey Melody I remember the post.It got a little hairy on that one.I have a S.W.A.T modified AR-15 that might change ones mind. :shock: But really compare the contract with the work performed.Find out if they are still in business.Determine the length of the workmanship warranty.If all is good on your end, I would call again,leave a message letting him know that you will be seeking legal council.Alot of companies are so swamped right now with the excessive amount of snow,ice etc.He maybe a little behind.

agreed…a good threat to go to the better business bureau always seems to work too

Probably not the whole year, without the ice dam that probably drains better then it is doing now but with that dam in place there is no where for any melt water to go. In that second pic it looks like there is water still pooled above the ice

I’d say its a general contractors work and not a roofers. Either that or “Master elite”.

Heya Melody, looks like the “gut feelings” you had after your roof was complete were right. From painting exposed nails to all the scuff marks left on your house, and now a leak. Hope they fixed all those scuff marks.

If he isn’t answering your calls (regardless of how busy he is, he can still answer his phone) I would go to his office. And seek legal advice, this contractor sounds pretty shoddy. Isn’t he the one who changed business names the same time you hired him?

while looking at the roof i see some things i would have done alot differently. There would have been atleast 2 crickets added. now you say flat how flat is it. anything under 2/12 can not use shingles. thats using a 3 tab i will only go to 4/12 with laminates. I would have installed some type of counter flashing with ice and water going up the vertical walls to divert the water. IMO threating them with a lawsuit might just get some attension. Or they will just ignore you. Small claims court is only good up to 2500 and im sure you paid more than that so remember a lawyer you will need to hire also. But the roof is not done to my standards.

After looking at the pictures and reviewing what the roofers did I would not place all the blame on them.
I would place some of the blame on the architectural design of the area in question.

It appears you live in snow country and a roof is pitched to a dead stop area there are certain things that have to be taken into affect in snow country to correct the situation.

It is not all the roofers fault.it is of course easy to pin the blame on the roofer. I think it is time to start pinning some of the blame on the architectural design.

While I mostly agree with Stormer, the roofer should have clearly identified that as a problem area and offered you the option for modifying it to avoid the problems you are now having. Any roofer worth squat would have looked at that for a couple of seconds and had red flags popping up.

Was this an insurance job? That could be part of the problem. The insurance typically will only pay to replace what was already on there. I doubt that it was any better before, you may have simply not had the snow/ice there that you are experiencing this year.

My other point would be WTF was your husband doing up on that roof shoveling? Looked to me to be rather steep, with ice and snow and a 30’ drop off the edge.

:shock: Some roofing crews think that they can apply laminated shingles in all critical spots on the roof and ignore the rest.
This may cause further damage.
This mess should be replaced ASAP.

Hey BlackSquare could you forward those to me? Or post them for the techniquely challenged such as myself?

Sorry.I just practiced my englesh on this forum 8)

You have a Pm Blacksquare.

I have no problem concerning my job,at least i solve is relatively easy. Assume my truck, not so shiny, and i not able provide 300 job per season, but i have advantageshttp://www.roofing.com/images/topics/10614/img_1297442630.jpghttp://www.roofing.com/images/topics/10614/img_1297442686.jpghttp://www.roofing.com/images/topics/10614/img_1297442709.jpg

Melody,

please execuse my ignorance because pics don’t always show everything. Roof design is the number one problem. This roof makes ice dams. Period. It will always leak (IMO) when there is heavy snowfall that stays arounds for a few days. Poor design.

Ice/Water shield does not make up for poor roof design. Architect/Builder/Framing Crew/Etc. screwed up. One, some, or all of these parties messed up. I have seen roofs/walls look nothing like the engineered drawings quite a few times. Obtain a copy of your original building plans/permits and compare with as built design. I surmise something is amiss. That flat area looks too flat and design just doesn’t look like anything in snow country…

You need flat roof material in there, NOT shingles…

or ice and water sheild at least

Well that’s what Melody said in her first post, was that spot was supposed to be “rubber”.

[quote=“bcdemon”]

Well that’s what Melody said in her first post, was that spot was supposed to be “rubber”.[/quote]

ya think, then why all the other answers KASH?

I love you guys…the ones that get what I’m saying, anyway! :slight_smile:

As for the “poor design” – this house was built in 1896. I don’t know what good it would do at this point to dig up any plans, although it would be fascinating to have them.

Should the flat area have been graded, somehow, by a professional builder (not the roofer)? Well, that was something I asked back when I was talking to the roofer. His answer was no, it just needs to be roofed properly-- WITH RUBBER.

His contract says RUBBER. I would not have hired anyone who wanted to do SHINGLES up there. I know you can’t shingle a flat roof!!!

He did finally call me back, and swore up and down that he did what he did because once he was up there, he decided that due to the many angles, there would have been too many seams, and the shingling will be just fine, if not better, than the rubber. I reminded him that he did not say one word to me about this while he was working on the roof or since then. He said, if I want, he will come out in the spring and “look at it”.

I did get another roofer up there, who sees other things done “wrong” as well, including the ridge vent (improper nails used) and something “flapping in the breeze”. GREAT!! He gave me a quote to redo the flat part and the other areas that need it.

My next step is to call a lawyer in town and see what he suggests.
I have not yet told my original roofer that I’m doing this.
I kind of doubt “reporting him” to the BBB or to GAF will amount to anything.

This is exactly the stuff I was trying to avoid by meeting with a (large) handful of roofers, listening to them carefully, and not going with the cheapest bid. I kick myself every day for choosing this guy, and not sending him away, as awkward/confrontational as that would have been, when he told me he was splitting up his company.
His “A” rating on BBB, his glowing references, and professional appearance all mean nothing in the end. :cry:

As for what was my hb doing up on the roof…when you call a dozen roofers (literally) and none of them respond, you do what you have to do! (with help from neighbors, and a rope tied around a chimney)
:shock: