Roofing Nightmare! Advice needed


  #1  
Old 09-30-03, 06:09 PM
indigo997
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Roofing Nightmare! Advice needed

I know this is long, but I need some help with this situation.

I had a couple of small leaks in the roof (ok.. one huge one on the porch that rotted out a lot of wood but the main roof on the house wasn't leaking).
I paid $5,000 to have the old roof pulled off and a new one put on. During the initial consultation, I took the man to the front of the house and showed him the rotten wood on the porch (there is no ceiling on the porch so you could look straight up and see the underside of the roof). I also had him write out a contract (which they wouldn't have done if I hadn't asked) saying that they were going to put on a new roof and replace the wood on the porch. It was very brief and not very descriptive but does say that there is a one year warranty.
When they were putting the roof on, the guy came to me and said that he was going to have to charge me an additional $400 if I wanted the rotten wood on the porch replaced. We argued because I had shown him the damage and expected it to be included (it's not like it was covered up). Basically he didn't do a very good job with it since I wouldn't pay extra. He just scabbed some small boards onto the rotten ones. He acted like he was doing me a huge favor though.
When they finished, the last rafter on the porch was so rotten that it was hanging down further than the rest of the roof and the decking wouldn't even stay nailed into it. It was popping up.
We had a big "discussion" when they wanted paid because I was so unhappy with their work on the porch. Basically, the guy yelled at me for an hour until I was just too upset to deal with it so I paid them. Later that week, my boyfriend and another friend replaced the rotten rafters on the porch.
During the first big rain, we ended up with SIX leaks. Three major and three minor. The roofers did come out and said that they fixed them.
We later found an area around the valley in the back where they didn't put a starter row of shingles so water is just running onto the decking. The whole last board is rotten. Not wanting to fool with the roofers, we decided we'll fix it ourselves.
However, I noticed this week that there are still atleast three other leaks.
I also went on the roof and also found that there is no flashing in places that there should be.

Now what do I do? How much can I force them to fix? Can someone take a look at the pictures I've posted and give me an opinion on what needs done? I'm sure they are going to say that they did what they were supposed to and not want to do more. I'm supposed to have a watertight roof for years to come, and it hasn't been watertight one day since it was put on!
Here's the address to the pictures:

www.pbase.com/indigo997/roof

Thank you! I'm a 27 year old female and feel that I was completely taken advantage of. I really need help getting what I paid for.
 
  #2  
Old 09-30-03, 06:49 PM
lumbus
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Just to clarify, the address to the pictures is:

http://www.pbase.com/indigo997/roof

 
  #3  
Old 09-30-03, 06:58 PM
Docfletcher
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What planet was that crew from? $5000 is a lota money. Find a lawyer that will give you a no charge consultation to see if anything can be done. Most places require a permit and a licensed contractor. A building inspector would never have allowed that job. It will be very hard to get him to make good because he has the money. I am very sorry you were victomized.


Doc
 

Last edited by Docfletcher; 09-30-03 at 07:16 PM.
  #4  
Old 10-01-03, 02:18 PM
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Wow, they really screwed stuff up doing that. First off, unless they used some expensive caulk, UV radiation from the sun will deteriorate regular silicon caulk over time. I would call your local municipality to make sure they are licensed to work in your area. I would also suggest contacting a lawyer. The job they did is rather pathetic and will need very little additional evidence to persue them.
 
  #5  
Old 10-01-03, 03:32 PM
indigo997
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Can someone tell me or show me what the flashing around the chimney *should* look like? I'd like to know exactly what it is they did wrong. I am going to call and give them a chance to come fix the mistakes before I start getting them into trouble. I guess they just think that I don't know the difference. What about the things around the pipes? What's wrong there that's allowing it to leak?
 
  #6  
Old 10-01-03, 05:52 PM
C
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Here is one way to install flashing:

http://www.1866roofmen.com/html/chimney_flashing.htm

Here is another:

http://dmrgutters.com/pg/chimneys.htm

A boot like this goes on the pipes that poke through the roof.

http://www.maycoindustries.com/roofingproducts.htm

They could install the missing drip edge, too.

Hope this helps.
 
  #7  
Old 10-01-03, 06:19 PM
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I hate to tell you this but you have been had. Unfortunetly, you helped yourself fall into one of the biggest rip off traps. You wanted a contract. Now that you have a contract, your up a tree. The US is a contract country. He only had to do what was spelled out in the contract. If the contract did not specify flashing you will not get any. You can chase him, yell at him, take him to court, and he will win. That is why in over 30 years, I have only had a few contracts. My hand shake is my contract. Most homeowners always want a contract. Most have good luck, but then there are a few who do not. Sorry about that. I do not have to tell you about what is wrong. It is obvious in the photo's.
Call a good roofing company, have them come over and fix the problems. These are fixable, and not too expensive. Time to move on. I am really sorry for you. Wish I was closer, I would send over a crew.
 
  #8  
Old 10-02-03, 05:01 AM
Docfletcher
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Well said Jack!
 
  #9  
Old 10-02-03, 09:05 AM
indigo997
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The contract states:
Tear off old felt and shingles, replace with 25 year cambridge 3 tab shingles and felt. replace ventpipe boots and ridgecap. check all flashing and replace if needed. one year leak warranty. clean from roof work. replace wood around porch and chimney. replace sheeting as needed at $40 per sheet. Install flashing at cost of job.

I wouldn't sign until he added "install flashing" because I knew there were places completely missing flashing and "replace" didn't seem to cover that.

He actually didn't install a ridgecap either because I decided to wait and have someone else do the ventilation. He didn't subtract anything from the price for that though, and then he wanted me to pay for that wood around the porch too!

I'm sorry, but I can't afford to pay someone else to fix what they were supposed to do. I already paid them 25% of my family's income for this job, and they should be the ones to do it.
What I'm wanting to know is exactly what they should do, and who to complain to if they don't.
 
  #10  
Old 10-02-03, 01:55 PM
Docfletcher
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Greetings,
You did not ancer my question asking if this was a licensed roofing contractor? Or is it a John Doe kinda outfit? If he is licensed call your building inspector and have him take a look at it. If he should ask why a permit was not pulled for the job explain that you did not know it was required. While there he will explain exactly what needs to be done to bring the job to code. Only a lawyer can tell you for sure what legal remedy may be available to you. You may find however that your legal fees will will make any recovery far to costly to pursue. You handed the money over, game over as far this contractor is concerned. If the contractor is not licensed it will be even harder to get the problem corrected. This is because even if you get a judgement
against him...Getting a judgement is one thing, collecting is quite
another. I feel based on what you say that you have been ripped off.
It sounds like you had concerns over this job even before they started. I know my writing is of no comfort to you. I don't see how anyone's could be. It is not much help to you now but in the future always get refferences, get at least 3 estimates, and deal with licensed professionals.
I believe someone on the board told you to move on. I think that is your single best course of action. Get a pro in there to fix whats wrong. It may cost a several hundred $$$, but well worth it when you consider the time and effort pursuing to do otherwise.
Once again I am very sorry you were victomized.

Doc
 
  #11  
Old 10-02-03, 04:53 PM
lumbus
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This is the boyfriend.

We don't know if they are licensed, but we will try to find out. Just not sure who to call. The roofers were refered to my girlfriend by a friend of hers who is a contractor, so the results were both surprising and disappointing. If that hadn't been the case we would've gotten more estimates, as you suggested.

You are probably right that it will be hard to go after them, but I wouldn't want them to get away with nothing. They'll do this to other people.
 

Last edited by lumbus; 03-18-05 at 11:15 PM.
  #12  
Old 10-02-03, 05:29 PM
indigo997
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What are the consequences of having an inspector come? Whatever he finds wrong is up to me to have fixed, right? This house is in pretty bad shape, and I'm sure there's more wrong than just the roof. I can't afford to fix everything right now though. Can't an inspector give you a time period in which you have to bring it up to code? I don't want to get myself in a situation like that. Also, what if we decide to fix it ourselves. I wouldn't want him coming back out and checking up on what we've done.
Unless he can do something to get the roofers to fix it, I'm not sure that's a good idea.

Like my boyfriend said, these people were referred by a friend in the business so we never expected this.
 
  #13  
Old 10-02-03, 05:33 PM
Docfletcher
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Hi Marcus,
Perhaps this friend can intercede for you with these guys. Failing that, in view of things perhaps he can take a look and help you with setting the project to right. You can also try small claims court. The limit there most likely is around $ 2000. Again though collecting that judgement can be tough. Call your better business administration to lodge a complaint. See how many other complaints they have lodged against them.


Doc
 
  #14  
Old 10-02-03, 06:20 PM
Docfletcher
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I know it's a uneasy feeling to have the inspector check it out. However, he should only be looking at the roof. After all many houses that need all kinds of work are visable from the street. Inspectors never go knocking on peoples doors to fix this and that. Rather, thier job is to make sure all new work is safe and done to code. In the future if you do your own work it is hoped that you will at least see what code requires before you begin, and that no shortcuts are taken. In the case of electrical and heating/ventiation please do secure a permit and have it checked. That way the chances are good that you will wake up alive. Let me say again that the inspector will not go into your home, unless you invite him in. Will not care that window or door is rotting and you must fix it. He don't care if the window falls out and you freeze in the winter. What he does care about is that if you replace the window that it meet code. For example if you make the window bigger (width wise) that a new header is installed above it. Go to town hall and see if a permit should have been pulled. If so I'm sure the inspector would like to know that they are working without proper permits. You could try a bluff, tell contractor that you are calling the building inspector to look at thier shody work. That may get them off thier duf.

Doc
 
  #15  
Old 10-28-04, 08:58 AM
joseph123
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Originally Posted by lumbus
Just to clarify, the address to the pictures is:

http://www.pbase.com/indigo997/roof

The picture does not exist. Where is it?
 
 

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