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Problem with roof, and roofing contractor

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CowCrazy

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? California

3-7-05 - Am attempting to follow directions from HomeGuru,and make use of "color" to get a response. Forgive me, I can find nothing about that. And I just searched again. :confused:

Cow
----------------
New roof installed August 1998. Guaranteed 40 year shingles and I do have the manufacturer info for them and all of that. Chose a roofing contractor that had done work in my neighborhood, had all the right licenses, etc., and seemingly a decent reputation, at least I found no negatives at the time.

Signed a contract. Gave him a check for part of the work to begin the job. I paid the building material supplier directly. And paid contractor in full at completion of the job. There was a verbal change in the original contract, as roofing contractor had "made an error" (a several thousand $$ "error") in his bid. I do know that my home is deceiving and did verbally agree to pay the additional amount. And did.

In these past 6 years California has not had great amounts of rain----apparently not sufficient to know if my roof leaked---Until a deluge occurring in Oct. 2004. And leak it did, causing extensive inside damage to two rooms.

It took repeated calls to the contractor to get him out to assess the problem. (While awaiting his visit, I checked with the city, only to discover, to my dismay, that he had never had a final inspection done on my roof in 1998.) He could only tell me that that area of the roof was "worn out." And proceeded to tell me the cost to repair same. Not a lot of choices for me----many people in our area had rain damage, more rain was forecast, so I did pay him to repair my roof to prevent any further damage. Visually this repair job is horrid, and vastly depreciates the value of my home. Part of the repair deal was that he would secure a final inspection and he did not do so until I reminded him several times, and the final was done Dec. 2004.

Presently, I am attempting to get this contractor out to discuss some other problems with roof, as well as the repair. Have now sent two certified letters to him, both confirmed delivery, and have yet to have a conference date set.

There are a good many areas of concern. I have had another contractor out, and to make my roof right will cost nearly $3000, errors made in the original installation of my roof. I will not detail other things that are not on the up and up, as I do not want to point fingers in public until I have exhausted all avenues with trying to deal with the original contractor.

I do have extensive documentation to substaniate the facts. I do believe that I have enough to seek "help" via at the very least, small claims court.

Questions that I have:

*My original contract carries a 5 year warranty----when does that start? The August 1998 date when the job was physically completed, or the December 2004 date when the final inspection was done?

*Am I "out of line" expecting this contractor to at least work with me to correct the problems? I feel that up to now he is doing very little to cooperate.

*Does anyone have experience with similar issues in the small court system? In CA there is a $5000 limit, and that would certainly help toward fixing my problems. Have talked with an attorney, and it seems that most are only interested in taking on "hundred thousand $$" issues. There are many side issues that I did not discuss, and am uncertain how I need to deal with them via the court system.

*At what point to I make a report to the state licensing board and the BBB? Feel that others should be alerted to this contractor's MO.

I would appreciate hearing input from others. Thanking you in advance for your efforts.

Cow
 
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CowCrazy

Junior Member
Post script

Am in California, problem addressed in my first post.

In my quest to be as complete as I can be in all phases of this problem, today I came up with a new angle. Have not, as yet, been satisfied when requesting bids to fix/repair from other roofing contractors. Been uncomfortable in that I was not certain I was getting accurate info.

Therefore, today, I have elected to seek the services of a licensed, bonded, etc. home inspection company (the kind of company that evaluates a home for the buyer and/or the seller to alert them of problems) to evaluate my roof. The cost will be well under $100, definitely most affordable since I am dealing with a huge investment/improvement project that I did on my home. In my humble opinion, this is my best way to get an unbiased, documented report on the condition of my roof.

Am thinking, think with me, this gives me information to present to the original roofer if and when I ever get to meet with him-----personally. And I think it would show the courts that I have been fair in any requests that I should make in the way of reimbursement from the original contractor.

Would certainly appreciate someone else's thinking, and maybe this idea might be of assistance to another. Thanking all for any input. Have a grand day.

Cow.
 
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CowCrazy

Junior Member
Update

State: CA

In the way of an update, having pretty much done this on my own, and having wished many times over for input from this source, but........it was never forthcoming, altho' I did learn a lot from other posts, little "hints" here and there that I utilized in my quest.

I did settle with the roofing contractor, out of court, he is to repair my roof PROPERLY, at his expense, as well as give me the $ 500 deductible on my homeowners policy for inside repair work. I did concede on one point, but figured I won in the big picture. And all is in writing---signed, sealed and delivered, shall I say.

For others that might be in a similar situation, I offer the following from my experience:

1. It is documentation, documentation, documentation----records of phone calls, letters (certified), bills, invoices, outside bids, contracts, receipts, and PHOTOS (take photos as any project moves along, step by step, I even had photos of license plates of various vehicles that had been on my property). I strongly recommend keeping a complete file of your every move in any and all home projects that you undertake. It is the "little" things that mount up to making a strong case later on, should the need arise. One thing that I would do another time, is start a log at the beginning of ANY project, large or small----and record the date, the time, and the action, rather than have to put "scattered notes" together later on.

2. Having the home inspector make a judgement call proved to be a valid way to have gone. His statement and his photos were invaluable. Worth the $$$ I spent.

3. Use the internet----valuable info at your finger tips at any hour of the day or night. You can get info on the contractor via the state licensing board, a ton of info is out there. Keep probing til you find what you need.

4. Small claims court info is abundant on the internet

5. My state/county within, offers a FREE small claims court seminar that provided much valuable input. Worth checking out. They were a huge help in getting my documentation in order to present in small claims, even tho' I ended up without going to court, with their assistance I was well prepared, and it served me well in dealing with the contractor.

6. And don't give up-----Wishing all, success in dealing with home problems, and have a grand day.

Cow ;-)
 

dawell0

Junior Member
Thanks for your info. I am a victim and have no legal knowledge, other than what I gained through the web on my own. I hope to apply your experience in my MAJOR house problems with construction. I'm consulting with a lawyer, trying to determine our next step.

I MUST 2nd that documentation is what has really helped our case. This is what is getting us a leg up over the incompetent contractor. I've also learned from telling everyone about my problems just how many crooked and unskilled contractors there are out there. Thanks for your advice and sharing your experience on this site.
 

CowCrazy

Junior Member
Most sincerely, I appreciate your reply. At some points was fearful that I had 'imparted' more than I should have, in the way of information. And surely hope that my experiences have helped someone else.

I do have to agree that it would "appear" that dependable contractors are very difficult to find. Even with recommendations, the right licenses, etc. it seems that all is not always translated into reputable, sad, but often true.

Wishing you all kinds of good luck and success in your projects.

Take care, one and all.
Cow ;-)
 

CowCrazy

Junior Member
Suggested to use "color" for response

HomeGuru-as per your suggestion, I have attempted to find what you meant in regard to "using a color," IF I would appreciate a response from you. Forgive me, I have looked and searched, and am still clueless.

Would love for you to review my "procedure" in my "case" and comment. Thank you.

Holy Cow
 

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