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HarryB




Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:48 pm    Post subject: Dealing With Building Inspector Reply with quote

This is a follow up to my previous question, "Poor Workmanship Voids Warranty - Remedy?".

To recap, I allege that my roof was not installed properly because the roofer did not follow the manufacturer's instructions. Specifically, many shingles were only fastened with 3 nails and almost all of the nails I've seen were placed above the nail line, some of them so high they missed the shingle below.

The contractor has agreed to meet with the building inspector and me to look at my roof. Since the building inspector has already approved the job, wouldn't he have a vested interest in overlooking "minor" problems? He already admitted to me over the phone that they really don't climb up on the roof and actually inspect it - they just drive by and sign off.

When I talked with the shingle manufacturer's field representative, he told me that many, if not most, roofers install the shingles the way I described and things usually work out OK. But, when I asked if his company would warranty shingles that blew off if they had been installed that way, his answer was an unequivocal, "NO".

I'm just an average home owner and don't have any expert knowledge of roofs and how they function. I don't know if the building inspector is an honest individual or a crook. I've already run into serious problems with the contractor - am I now digging myself into a deeper hole?

TIA,
Harry
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gtp1003




Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 2313
Location: Shelby Township, Michigan

PostPosted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Call city hall and talk to the head inspector or an evengo to a concil meeting, state your peace and watch the poop roll down hill. I had an inspector try that with me about a piece of counter flashing and well i drove 25 miles back to the job to only find out he never got on the roof. Well he and his boss got a really nice call. Get my point if you dont get anywhere go up the ladder. Sooner or later you will get the justice you deserve. All i can say is get the shingle rep out there with the dummy that put the roof on but dont tell him he will be there. Lastly i hope you didnt pay since he has no license he eliminates the abilty to put a lein on the home. He will take you to court but when you have a shingle rep and another creditble company testify you will win hands down, but that takes money, i would charge from the time i hit the key till i got to where ever i needed to be at a cost of 50 dollars an hour.
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RooferR




Joined: 04 Jan 2008
Posts: 594
Location: NE Ohio

PostPosted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The building inspector is just doing his job the way they always have and will. I'm sure there is a super inspector out there who does it right, but I haven't seen one yet.
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HarryB




Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="RooferR"]The building inspector is just doing his job the way they always have and will. I'm sure there is a super inspector out there who does it right, but I haven't seen one yet.[/quote]
----------------------------
Who protects the homeowner if the building inspector doesn't?

Harry
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travis1




Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 46

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lawyers(necessary evils). Don't count on the government(let alone city inspector officials) to protect you. Protect yourself, do a better job next time doing your research.

Lesson learned. I have had expensive lessons myself.

Hired an uninsured sub who I thought my insurance would cover in the event of any mishap according to my agent.(this was 5 years ago).

The dumb basta*ds pulled the brackets off the roof for a huge neon sign during the tear off, temperoarily fastened the brackets to plywood(not the rafters),, sign fell off, almost killed someone, destroyed sign. I thought my insurance would cover. But they say anything in care, custody and control is not covered. Cost me $15,000.00 I fought this for 6 months and finally ate it. Dropped Ins. Company.(Western Reserve)
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tinner666




Joined: 10 Nov 2007
Posts: 537
Location: Central Virginia

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harry, the wrapper and the manufacurer's rep are nearly all you need.
My site has some albums that may pertain.
Google my handle and follow the links. I have albums at numerous forums. You may find something else to add to your case.
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Downunder Roofing




Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 166

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

capitalism! How ever, what ever you do DONT let obama socialise your medicine! trust me Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad


little of the topic Mr. Green
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rayyne99




Joined: 09 Oct 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Dallas-Fort Worth TX

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:27 am    Post subject: What state are you in?? Reply with quote

I work for a mortgage company, structuring and assisting people across the nation on their new home projects from beginning to end. Each phase of the project can be very confusing & frustrating to the average person not familiar with how everything is supposed work. My job is to help new home owners,to understand what is happening and why throughout their project. Then they are able make better decisions re: their project, & understand the contractor is on their side. No doubt, building a new home is a huge ordeal, compared to roofing. However, most people do not know how to utilize or tap into their local resources for objective assistance & guidance that will help them with such large projects, including roofing.

Each state, county, & city, vary greatly w/their roofing ordinances/permits.

So, If you would like to know a little more, then please feel free to contact me via email, and hopefully I will be able to provide you with further information & various resources to help answer your concerns within your local area.

thanks
deb
rayyne99@yahoo.com
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Stormer




Joined: 13 Oct 2009
Posts: 88
Location: Hudson, Wi

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Downunder Roofing wrote:
capitalism! How ever, what ever you do DONT let obama socialise your medicine! trust me Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad


little of the topic Mr. Green

Socialized medicine? In a roofers forum?
I can’t just set back and let this one go. Do you mean like the Medicare program your grandparents use?
Sure have it your way let’s stop that program and let millions more Americans go without health care.
But let’s not stop there let’s stop all those Socialized programs like Police departments, Fire departments , All road systems and Libraries just to name a few. Stop watching Fox and think for yourself, oh and yes please use spell check when you’re talking about that scary black man.
Now back to the roofing forum
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HarryB




Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:56 pm    Post subject: Re: What state are you in?? Reply with quote

[quote="rayyne99"]
[snip]
Each state, county, & city, vary greatly w/their roofing ordinances/permits.

So, If you would like to know a little more, then please feel free to contact me via email, and hopefully I will be able to provide you with further information & various resources to help answer your concerns within your local area.

thanks
deb
rayyne99@yahoo.com[/quote]
-------------------------------
Deb,

There is a good chance my dispute with the contractor is heading for a legal showdown, so all the help I can get is appreciated.

This morning I am supposed to meet with the contractor and building inspector at my house, which should give me a better idea of what I am up against.

The shingle manufacturer's field representative promised to come to my house tomorrow morning to look at the roof and tell me if it was installed according to their instructions.

I have begun working with an attorney (a necessary evil at this point) in the hopes of avoiding any legal blunders. I have already learned some things about the lien the contractor has threatened to place on my property.

Your offer for help is most appreciated - I may need to take you up on it.

Thank you,
Harry
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BAMBAMM5144




Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 744
Location: Wisconsin

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Its funny how Stormer and other Obama supporters always say to not listen to FOX because FOX is the one station that Obama does not own and they actually speak BOTH sides of it. Anyone who is actually informed of this presidency should have huge problems with it. As in, how come Michelle Obama is the only first lady that needs 22 "first" aids when all other presidents wives have only had one. How come those first aids cost the tax payers 1.5 million when the other wives have had the cost of their aid come out of their husbands salary?

Also, if this socialized health program is so great, how come it excludes the first family and other members of congress?

Knowledge is power and I had to chime in. Sorry.
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Downunder Roofing




Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 166

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stormer wrote:
Downunder Roofing wrote:
capitalism! How ever, what ever you do DONT let obama socialise your medicine! trust me Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad


little of the topic Mr. Green

Socialized medicine? In a roofers forum?
I can’t just set back and let this one go. Do you mean like the Medicare program your grandparents use?
Sure have it your way let’s stop that program and let millions more Americans go without health care.
But let’s not stop there let’s stop all those Socialized programs like Police departments, Fire departments , All road systems and Libraries just to name a few. Stop watching Fox and think for yourself, oh and yes please use spell check when you’re talking about that scary black man.
Now back to the roofing forum


Spell check> I dont give a dam for a man that can spell a word one way. mark twain. lol

Im from new zealand = socialized medicine for over 40 years= people are more careless because the government is paying for it= over crowded hospitals= stressed doctors, nurses= poor health care= bad value for money= equals very unhappy people including roofing contractors who pay WAY to much for $#@! heath care that i dont use? i dont have a say in what health care i choose, the goverment has all the say. the price is all the same for everyone and its twice as much as it would be for privatised health care.

We as humans are intitled to good heath, but not free heath care.

Trust me it looks good from the outside, but when you get amongst it you want to get out.

Just remember FREE heath care is not FREE, you all end up paying for it. trust me
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Downunder Roofing




Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 166

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

socialism (medicine)is like communism , just with out the military.
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Downunder Roofing




Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 166

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

my very first comment was a joke, that know one got. Which is fine, but if you insist on a political debate.....sure Mr. Green
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HarryB




Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:26 am    Post subject: Building Inspector Offers a Deal Reply with quote

This morning I met with the building inspector, the contractor, and another person who was invited by the contractor. He made himself out to be a representative of the shingle distributor and manufacturer (more about him later).

They all went up on the roof and looked at the nailing pattern. After a while they had a hushed conversation and then the building inspector asked me, "If the contractor takes care of the drip edge issue and the shingle company writes you a warranty guaranteeing the installation, would that be acceptable to you?" (The drip edge problem is a side issue. The inspector told the contractor to fix it - the contractor has already been out four times to work on it.)

I was taken aback because I had shown the inspector the manufacturer's installation instructions, which he scrutinized rather carefully. I had also shown him a copy of the manufacturer's warranty which clearly stated, "[the company] shall not be liable for and the Limited Warranties ... do not apply to: Faulty or improper application of said product or product not installed or applied in accordance with the printed instructions on the product bundle wrappers".

I asked, "Are you telling me that the company will state in writing that they will honor their 25 year warranty for my particular roof exactly the way it is right now including missing and misplaced nails?" The company "rep" said, "Yes." I replied, "If you provide me with that documentation I will be satisfied."

The building inspector said he would pass the roof on that condition (and on the condition the contractor fix the drip edge problem).

After they left I made a phone call and discovered that this factory "rep" is not really a factory rep at all - he seems to be some contact person for the distributor and has no authority to speak for the shingle manufacturer. I'm not surprised because I have on good authority that the manufacturer will never certify an installation. I knew this when the inspector made me the "offer", but kept my mouth shut until I could think through what was going on.

I smell something fishy here, but don't know enough about city officials and contractors to understand what is happening. What I do know is that this contractor is not one iota closer to getting his money than he was before today. But neither am I any closer to having my roof properly installed.

I was told by both the building inspector and the "rep" that this is the first complaint against this contractor. The contractor told me my roof was installed like all other roofs, so am I to conclude I'm the only person who thinks the manufacturer's instructions should be followed?

Tomorrow I am scheduled to meet with the only field representative of the shingle manufacturer in the state. He wants to know more about the details of today's events.

Harry
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