Time To Replace Roof??

We just built a house last year and I'm starting to think we need a new roof already. (It will be a year at the end of the month.) The builder used Malarkey asphalt shingles and they have been flying off the roof since before they finished the house! They come off in whole strips and they come off in small sections. Each time we call them, they come and nail the shingles back but it never seems to fix it permanently. Sometimes the same piece flies back off, sometimes it's from somewhere else. I look at my neighbor's roof and, compared to ours, their roof is flat. Our shingles "curl" up a bit in some spots.

Is it time for a new roof?? Already?? Or should I get an independent roofer to come check the roof first to see if it was properly installed in the first place?

Any help will be most appreciated!! Thanks!

 

Sounds like a combination of cheap/wrong shingles and bad installation. Did you get any sort of home warranty?

The same thing happened with a house across the street. The elderly lady had a 2 man crew re-roof (second layer) and had nothing but shingles blowing off after every front came through. Same guys would come and patch and re-nail every 2-3 months. Her family finally had a real company come out, do a rip-off and put up quality shingles with 5 staples per shingle...no problems in the last 1 1/2 yrs.

Get a second GOOD company to come take a look and check the manufacturers install instructions.

 

Yes, the house comes with the standard 1 year warranty on everything, 2 years on HVAC, 10 years structure. We still have the rest of this month before the 1 year is up. Each time the shingles fly off, we call the builder and he sends his roofers over. But they don't stay on. I think I will get a roofing company to come take a look first before we call the builder to fix.

 

It has to be improper installation. They probably nailed them way high above the nail line. The prpose of the nail line is to make sure both layers of the shingle get nailed through and if it is nailed just above that line with a nailgun, it will penetrate through the top layer a bit and further weaken it. Nail placement and not being hot enough to seel the shingles and make them lay down are the biggest factors. My guys did a roof the day befor hurricane Jeanne hit Florida and we lost about 6 shingles. I had dry ins that held up too ( and some that didnt, but no damage inside because new construction).

 

A word of caution regarding the warranty, too, some manufacturers warrant it only if you use 5 nails in the shingle. My wife, bless her nurse heart, tries to one up me on construction methods. So when we had the roofing replaced due to hail damage (insurance), she questioned the installer about it. She had read the package...he hadn't. Cost me another $100 for nails, but she got what she wanted. Oh, and she was listening for the gun to fire 5 times before a pause, too. Man, she's tough!!

 

I've been asking around for recommendations for a good roofer to come take a look. We called the builder and he's kinda balking at having to come fix the roof again, even though we're still within the 1 year warranty on everything. He said he'll have to ask the "big boss" to see. In the meantime, I'll have to take a closer look at the shingle that blew off. Where is the nail line? Can I tell easily? Thanks!

 

You want to make sure things are documented before your 1 yr warranty runs out! wouldn't want to hear "we can't fix it for free because the warranty ran out yesterday"

I'd ask the new roofer looking at the job for a written estimate stating what's wrong and the cost to fix.

 

If you lift up a shingle and look at the one underneath, you should see an actual line within an inch of where the top shingle stopped. The exposure ( the part of each shingle that is exposed to the weather) of a shingle is about 5 5/8 inches, so the nail line will be between 6 and 6 1/2 inches from bottom edge of shingle. You shouldnt be able to lift a shingle more than 2 or 3 inches without pulling the nail through. If you can look at a whole shingle from the side you will see there are 2 layers and the underlying layer only goes up so far before it stops, you need to have nails through both pieces.. If you only have one layer ( a three tab shingle) then your nails need to be about an inch above the keyways ( slots), but not so important as long as they are close.

 

Yes its a sad world we live in where people are paid for a service with the only expectation from the homeowner is a top notch installation by a qualified installer. I think thats pretty pathetic for a builder who is in business to build someones American dream and resort to cost cutting by installing cheap sub-standard materials and expect for you the homeowner to take it on the chin.Whatever happened to the pursuit of excellence? Whatever happened to installing a product according to factory recommended installation specifications? The manufacturers cannot be to blame since they print installation protocol on the wrappers. We live in a technical world so log into any shingle manufacture website and part of the disclaimer clearly states," It is the responsibility of the installer to read installation procedures and guidelines.,not to much to ask? or is it? Builders and homeowners are so involved and consumed with the cost of these projects that they hire just about anyone with a pouch, a truck and a pocketful of business cards. Whatever happened to honesty and standing behind your work ?Bye,bye out the window.That is pretty sad when the customer and his wife have to count pops from a nailgun.I feel for you, buying a house with the wife thinking you dotted the I's and crosses your T's.,I could only imagine the look on your faces when the storm was brewing and you was thinking about how you were in your sturdy well built home feeling all safe and warm and cuddly going over to the window feeling like a proud new homeowner wrapping your arms around the little lady only to see 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, and 10 shingles go flying by the double bay window you both finally agreed on. This is what you need to do contact your attorney fill him in on what is taking place.,call the building department have them come inspect your roof.,with what you explained it is a faulty installation by the roofing contractor, then you find out which idiot from soggy ceilings roofing put that poor excuse of a roof on then you call the builder and find out which home inspector he paid off to pass that roof inspection and you line them all up and have your attorney chew on some butt for a while and have the builder and the roofing company and hell while your on a roll have that inspector throw some cash into the mix so they all 3 can pay for your new roof by a company of your choosing.If you need some advice on an attorney I have the best in the state.Good luck my heart goes out to unsuspecting homeowners such as yourself.God bless you both.