We just had a new roof put on along with skylights.

We have not had the best of luck with contractors. Not sure if we expect too much.

I really don't know much of anything about roofing.

I took pictures and wonder if anyone could comment if these look ok

Other people we know used this installer. They are supposedly a preferred / certified? Owens Corning installer and we get a longer warranty from them because we used this installer.

Not sure if I just worry too much or know just enough to be dangerous. Other people aren't going on their roof to look over the work of a pro and second guess them. I kinda didn't want to go up there because i figured I'd see things I'd wonder about. But needed to go up there to install an antenna.

I found about a 1/2 doz. nails laying up there. Some heads were pushed into the shingles (like someone stepped on it?). Do these cuts self heal? Are they a big deal?

Flashing around the skylights - that look OK?

The flashing around the chimney - should it be above or under the shingles? I would think water would run down the roof and get under that metal? Or is there also some of that metal under the shingles?

I saw this ding in a shingle - something gouged it a bit.... self healing? There's loads of other layers of things below that to stop water? or a problem?

Should walking on the roof cause some granules to come off already? I know the old roof had loads of granules in the gutter. Not wanting to disturb the roof was part of why I didn't want to go up there. Is walking on a roof a big issue for wear?

THANKS!

 

I think you're being overly critical.

 

Yes there should have been roof sealant used on the exposed nail heads.
Yes the shingle should have been slid under the chimney flashing just on the low side of it so water would run over it, not under it.
You did not say exactly how far those shingle hang out beyond the roof in that gutter area.
You want it hanging over about 1" so water does not run behind the gutters.
There's always going to be a few loose granules on a new roof.

 

In a few of those pics I would be upset if that work was done on my house. I just responded to another user's recent post regarding roof work. IMHO many roofing contractors are pirates and cut throats. I don't know if they think you won't climb on a ladder to inspect their work or what.
A friend told me about a guy who put a vent on the roof without cutting the hole in the roof. It was on an elderly couple's house.

Depending on how hot the weather is we would even brush off the shingle 'crumbs'...

I get someone else up there to inspect. The problem you may run into is will that person protect the previous contractor's job or be honest and touch up/correct any mistakes.

If nails were left on the roof I can almost guarantee nails are on the ground. Do you recall if they ran a magnet around the house? My first summer as a grunt I was responsible for the final pass. That being any nails or debris on the roof/ground.

 

Norm - I would agree with you but then people point out issues. I may be paranoid, but that doesn't mean people aren't out to get me.

Lip - what are some things you see that you take issue with?

Joe - How would you correct the chimney flashing? I'm not sure which side you are saying is the issue? The right or left picture? I am thinking the right picture? Water runs down the roof and under the flashing?

We asked for some spare shingles for repairs. the guy said it's warrantied, call and I'll fix things.

I envision that's is lase faire answer to issues. Yeah I'll get up there and caulk the nail heads., the chimney flashing - either a story about never having a problem / there's other things under there that are protecting things / its warrantied, give me a call if you see water and we'll fix it.

 

oh, lip - the ground didn't have nails. He said we go over with the magnet brush. you see 3 nails, we come back....

That's how he was - a good salesman / hit the details... we use 5 ply plywood, not 3 which is not as sturdy, costs more but worth it, etc. they were up there with leaf blowers. so weird finding the loose nails up there?

 

I don't like some of those holes / nicks where the nail went through. Skylights seem to be problematic to begin with and I don't like that one seam. I've only known 3 or 4 people with them but they've all leaked over time. It looks like you can see the white underlying material in your one skylight pic? In my limited experience and again I haven't worked on a roof in a long time but I remember all flashing being under the shingle regardless if it was at an edge or chimney. If I were to do it the way they in the pic I'd have a bead of sealant/tar around the flashing edge. And I don't think that would still be the right way to do it.

 

I kinda don't like looking 'behind the curtain' when i get work done because I'll question what I'll see.

Went on the lower roof.

He talked about the roof behind the chimney. It would catch leaves and be wet back there. He talked about he'll put in a cricket. There's no cricket there, right?

Should shingles be this close to the roof? Seems snow / water will wick into the shingles / there should be some air gap between the shingles / roof?

That's not the case here. And this is 1 layer of roof. I think there was 2 layers before!?!

Is that fixable now? do they trim the shingles?

WTF? Is it me and being picky? Or our bad luck to find guys that BS good, but don't do the work right?

 

I continue to find issues with the roofing job - the eaves drip edge in 1 area extends past the plywood, supporting the shingles over the gutter... and blocks the gutter from being flush against the facia and the gutter guys when securing the gutter / hitting the drip edge, just cranked it down and bent the gutter a bit.

and inside the attic, the ridge vent opening is 3/8" wide in some spots, up to 1" in others.

we had another roofer come out and after looking at things agreeed there's issues but overall its an OK roof. he was going to get us pricing to fix things but haven't heard back : (

And a roofing consultant wants $1,200 to look and write a report.

anyway, the OC preferred contractor mailed us our 'warranty' which is the standard warranty for the shingles (if installed correctly and undamaged during install),.

other than that and after 2 weeks, haven't heard from him looking for the other half of the $16K job.

My wife thinks he's gone / not going to pursue it.

A guy that owns some commercial real estate / we've known for years says the $8 we paid him likely covered the material costs and paid the day laborors / what he likely called 'his crew' and he's forgoing the last $8K to save the headache of dealing with us?

2 things:

1) You think someone woudl walk away from 8K that quick?
2) I still use the new pool liner analogy that woudl need to be patched because installer was sloppy - you didn't buy a patched pool liner, you bought a new pool liner. I would really like tearing off the old roof and redoing the whole roof. But to do that, I'd want to get the first 8K back. My wife and the real estate friend say that's not gonna happen. In that case, I guess I get someone competent to patch things, I can hook up the power exhaust fan he didn't connect, etc. and move on...

 

Well you might actually come out ahead in this situation. I think I need to retract my statement (#2). The job is not up to par.

At least you have that. Report them to the BBB and your state attorney office. You have enough evidence and professional back up to verify your claims. Do not pay the balance under any circumstances. In fact you might want to try and sue in small claims court.
Just my opinion.

 

come out ahead? I can wish. Certainly not for the time my wife and I have been debating how to handle.

I'm certainly not paying him any more money unless I have a court telling me to do that.

What I'd really like is to get the first 8K back. Again, my wife and the real estate investor friend say I'm dreaming. I don't know if he'd going to come back looking for the second 8K or not. Like to at least get that firmed up.

And if he gives up on that second 8K so easily, I feel getting the first 8K back wouldn't be a stretch.

Admittedly, for a court, I need more than a bunch of pictures. A roofing consultant says he;d want $1,200 for a report

I was on the roof today and took some pics to send to an contact at the skylight company to see if they see issues - underlayment is clearly visible on a couple. And 1 has space / no bonding to allow me to slip papers under it. and other issues.

I certainly want / will trash him on social media, bbb and the state. My wife says to not do all that till we have things ironed out financially with him. My thinking is the opposite - trash him and use that as part of getting him to give us our money back.

What a waste of time.

 

I would heed your wife's advice. And be carefull of what you say on social media. Could backfire on you.
You should attempt to let him fix the issues. But if he can't then mitigate your loses but getting another contractot to fix the problems and keep detailed records.
You won't get back any money. You did receive a new roof that is ok, as verified by an independent contractor. A court will see that as a service rendered. But you can and should sue for additional work and repair.

 

Careful what you say - it's all the truth : ) What's your thinking on backfiring issue?

Him fixing things - no way he or anyone related to him is getting on the roof (he was never on it the first time).

Please don't think I'm shooting the messenger here (taking issue with you) just giving my side of things.

It's an OK roof, but there's issues that need to be resolved to ensure it lasts as long as it should / be a quality roof overall.

Fixing all that will likely wind up causing other problems - a crew will ahve to disturb the integrity of the roof to replace damaged shingles, etc. fixing 1 thing and potentially breaking something else that won't be noticed for years

That contractor SAID it was ok with issues. But we haven't gotten a quote as he promised - is he realizing it's too much to fix / risk other issues being on the roof that much?

again, say there's a leak even now. How would we know? when will we know? Till the water drips through the plywood, soaks the insulation in the attic, then sheetrock then we notice it.. years from now after plywood has started to rot, etc.?

I like referring to analogies. he did an 'OK' roof but has issues. again the pool liner example... he installed but damaged / cut / punctured the new pool liner in several places. even if you let him patch those areas.... is that what you paid for? did the patches shorten the life? Affect it cosmetically? (and that's a part of the roof - color selection, textures, dimensional effects of coloring / shading).

At some point with loads of patches, would you say we're starting over with a new liner and you aren't installing the 2nd. is he entitled to money for that first liner? He provided a (crap) service. It's an OK liner but has issues - maybe shorter life, patches are visible, etc.

And like car damage - at some point insurance says the repairs cost more than the value of the car. from inside the attic We noticed that the ridge vent is 1" wide in some areas, 1/2" wide in others, shingles / underlayment block some of the vent. tearing up the ridge vent, cutting to the correct width, clear obstructions, etc... and not mess up the existing shingles below it as they stand there working... the repairs are too much / not feasible, and we just need a replacement car?

And car damage - they fix things but there's dust in the finish. the bondo is uneven, The fixed area color isn't close to the rest of car color. you keep letting him fix it? Or he's incompetent so you go elsewhere. They have to redo it. should he get paid for the crap job that the next body shop has to tear off to do correctly? (yeah, some analogies are not 100% accurate... they'd sand, etc. not dig out the old bondo... but you get the idea?)

admittedly, here it's just lighthearted debate. I DO understand your view / what you are saying.. Hopefully someone has been through this and can comment.

 

No problem with taking "issue" with my comments.

As far as social media goes, especially in today's society, what you might say and how it's interpreted could be considered libel and slander. Only facts, and no opinions or personal attacks.

Legally, it helps if you give the original contractor the opportunity to fix the problem. But if you feel so strong that he should not, then allowing him the chance to pay for remedial action should be made. What's important is the fact that you make him aware and given the opportunity to make it right. And it should be in writing.

The reality of the situation is that you have a problem and you must deal with what it is. Removing the roof completely is one alternative but not cost effective or likely at anyone's expense but yours. So you need to deal with what you have. Repair of those areas that most likely will cause problems down the road. Anything can be fixed. It's just a matter of time and money. Integrity of the rest of the roof being affected by repairs should be minimal. Any typical shingle roof will only have a life span of approx 20 years (regardless of the warranty, which usually is only the material). So your goal is to maintain or fix the current roof to get that 20 years. When you reach the 10 to 15 year time span you may begin to see ware and tear. But that does not mean the roof is no good. It means it's doing it's job.

I would call my insurance company and ask them how they will respond when and if you have problems that can be attributed to poor workmanship as opposed to normal wear and tear. Make sure you give them all the facts about what is taking place. Remind them that they have a stake in this since they are insuring a home from damage. Maybe you can get them to help track down the contractor and sue him.

If you plan on going after the contractor then try to find other homes he did and get their views of workmanship. Also contact the mfg of the roof and explain that their product is being compromised by this contractor and you expect them to intervene on your behalf (not that it will happen, but no harm in asking).

Keep us posted on what action takes place down the road.

 

Thank you again!

Contact the manufacturer (Owens Corning). I (and my wife) did, but they aren't really helping and even this contact person that the President said would be in touch said 'we're a manufacturer, we can't really control the quality of installers'. Yeah, but you have a preferred / platinum program of installers and this guy is preferred (lower rung). Seems it's more something the installer pays for / needs insurance, etc. rather than an indication of quailty. The preferred level has dozens of contractors withing 25 miles of us (central NJ). There's about 3 platinum (higher tier). S hould have gone with platinum.

I toyed with contacting the houses that he gave us to see house color. some were suppsedly done by him, others are in an Owens / ABC supply database of houses with the color / type of shingle we are looking at. Just contact them to say 'you might want to look up on the roof to actually see quality. And if your gutters clog, it's likely because of nails / roof install debris he didn't pick up.

Insurance company? They have a stake? Interesting thought, but not really following? Hurricane, shingles blow off / rain gets in, insurnace has to pay? Yeah, I guess. I dont' thing it's THAt bad that they fly off . Or general roof leaks? I would think that's just wear and tear/ not an insurnace issue?

Check these pictures, some of the group I sent to skylight company. the rep left voicemail saying issues are just cosmetic.

Being able to slip a paper below the shingles? That's OK? And only on 1 of them. so if nothing else, the guy is inconsistent on how he does things. All that underlayment is exposed on 2 different skylights. I know PEX doesn't like sunlight. Does underlayment exposed to UV degrade?