Complain about a product or service

Roofing

By James Allen

Hey Jim! • Picking a contractor • The contract proposal --- • Jim's Q&A's • Ask a question

June of Rineyville KY: I have had several estimates on replacing the roof. Now I can't get anyone else to come out. Why? I told one company the name of the roofers who had put on our roof we have now. It was a very bad job.

There could be a dozen reasons. The most likely, IMHO, is that most roofers are very, very busy in good weather. Was there something wrong with the estimates you received? Were they all within about 10% of each other for the same scope of work? You could always politely ask them why they can�t get to you. I would.

Steve of Surrey BC, Canada:
Is cedar roof restoration any good? Does it last ten years like the company says? My roof now is 15 years old; with repairs and stain they want $5,800 for a 2900 sq foot roof. A new roof is much more money. Is this a rip off?

If the shingles are in good shape they can be treated (cleaned and treated?). How much more life is a function of your environment. Cost-wise, not knowing your region, I can only suggest that you obtain multiple estimates to see if there is a trend in pricing. Good luck.

Betty of New York, NY:
My mother is a nursing home in the south and her vacant house has had a severly leaking roof for some time. The leak is between the walls of the kitchen and bedroom and has ruined the wall and floor. I just found her 25-year warranty for the roof shingles. Is the roofer who guaratees the shingles obligated to find and fix the leak? (I've tarred and one crook put silicone on the roof and said he'd be back if it didn't work.)

The first question that comes to mind is, how old is the roof? Shingle warranties are made by the manufacturer, and are (in my experience) pro-rated. "Workmanship" is guaranteed by the installer, and there are limits to that liability, usually specified in the contract, or by state statute.

What to do is to get a roofer to look and determine the cause, then provide a contract and guarantee for the work. Remember: licensed and insured contractors are the ones to deal with. And, I've never heard of applying silicone to a roof.

As for estimates -- the more, the merrier.

Betty B. of Anytown
A recommended roofing company here in this small town no longer does small roofing jobs but the company recommended one of its workers. He and two of his "partners" looked at my mother's house and determined that she has a "dead" valley, through which they claim the water doesn't run, but remains stagnant. Therefore they said they would put a piece of roofing rubber there (with no shingles over them) to stop the leak.

They said this is used on flat roofs and would be the only answer for the problem. I objected and asked questions and they became annoyed. Are they telling me the truth? The area doesn't look flat to me from the ground. (They are not insured nor a bona fide company - just workers for the company I mentioned earlier that no longer does houses.)

I'm not a roofer. When I'm faced with issues in disciplines in which I'm not skilled, I'm forced to look to others. One of the ways I try to obtain assurance is by dealing with those who have been licensed by the state. That way I'm assured (somewhat) that the license holder has at least met the state requirements for knowledge and experience in that discipline.

Another way is to get multiple opinions and estimates from licensed contractors to compare. Also, many trades have a general membership organization that not only promotes the discipline, but helps sets standards. They could be a good source of information.

The fellows you dealt with may not be experienced in customer relations, but may have the knowledge requisite to solving your problem. And maybe not. Seems like you need more information.

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