I have an inquiry from someone in NJ ...

[Jerry Peck]

... home suffered extensive damage due to a poor roof installation is in need of consultation from someone here in NJ. The roofer claims the warranty is with the manufacturer, but the installation is so poor it’s laughable….though not for the homeowner.

[Steven Turetsky]

Shouldn't this person be looking for an attorney and not a Home Inspector?

If what you say about the roof and what the roofer says is so, I would suggest getting with a good attorney, read the warranty (I would imagine it states the roofer's responsibility), and then I would file a claim against the manufacturer and roofer.

I'm sure the manufacturer will come to the site and document (better than anyone else) the cause(s) of the failure. If (when) they document poor/improper workmanship (should it be so), it would be the strongest evidence against the roofer.

Don't you think that the manufacturer would be a better witness in court (should it get that far) than a Home Inspector or even a roof inspector?

[Jerry Peck]

Shouldn't this person be looking for an attorney and not a Home Inspector?

Depends on the qualifications of the inspector - it is a good idea to check things out before spending gobs of money on an attorney.


I'm sure the manufacturer will come to the site and document (better than anyone else) the cause(s) of the failure. If (when) they document poor/improper workmanship (should it be so), it would be the strongest evidence against the roofer.

Don't you think that the manufacturer would be a better witness in court (should it get that far) than a Home Inspector or even a roof inspector?

My experience with manufacturers is that they will sometimes back their customer (if the roofer is a big customer) and their warranty only covers material, not labor anyway.

I've also had manufacturers issue letters specifying a repair which is difficult to do instead of just stating the roof needs to be replaced, the roofer then tries to do the fix and messes things up even more, and the manufacturer says 'not my problem, they chose to fix the roof and did not follow our instructions to the 'T', now it is not our responsibility.

Most of the time, maybe even all of the time, it is best to get an independent 'expert' second 'opinion' before walking into the attorney's office with a briefcase full of money.

[Darren Miller]

I got a message yesterday from a guy looking for a roof inspection. The problem was when I called back 3 times, it went to a fax machine.

[Steven Turetsky]

Depends on the qualifications of the inspector - it is a good idea to check things out before spending gobs of money on an attorney.



My experience with manufacturers is that they will sometimes back their customer (if the roofer is a big customer) and their warranty only covers material, not labor anyway.

I've also had manufacturers issue letters specifying a repair which is difficult to do instead of just stating the roof needs to be replaced, the roofer then tries to do the fix and messes things up even more, and the manufacturer says 'not my problem, they chose to fix the roof and did not follow our instructions to the 'T', now it is not our responsibility.

Most of the time, maybe even all of the time, it is best to get an independent 'expert' second 'opinion' before walking into the attorney's office with a briefcase full of money.

I agree that it is ALWAYS good to "check things out" before spending "gobs" of money on an attorney (I assumed this was done since you stated the installation was "laughable"). But a second opinion about what? Does the roof leak or not?

I once asked my doctor for a second opinion and he told me I was ugly too!

The feeling I got from the original post was that there is no question that the roof leaks, and that it was already evaluated by an "expert", and the problem is that the roofer does not wish to stand behind his work. Do you really think another "expert" telling him the roof leaks will change his attitude?

Obviously the roofer is trying to bullshit the homeowner, and needs a fire lit under his ass.
I think it is time to play hardball... very hard ball.

I would waste no time and I would cut directly to the chase. I really don't think it would cost "gobs" or "suitcases" of money to have an attorney send a "nice" letter to the roofer and the manufacturer informing them of intent to commence legal proceedings unless immediate steps are taken. And then I would "commence".

You stated "extensive damage". Do you think anything less is going to solve anything?

Let the roofer tell it to the judge.

It has been raining here for the past week and more rain is predicted. I hope the homeowner has lots of buckets.

[Jerry Peck]

The feeling I got from the original post was that there is no question that the roof leaks, and that it was already evaluated by an "expert", and the problem is that the roofer does not wish to stand behind his work. Do you really think another "expert" telling him the roof leaks will change his attitude?

The feeling I got from the inquiry is that the person making the inquiry feels the roof is bad but wants a *professional* and *expert opinion* that it is, in fact, as bad as that person feels it is.

*Then* they would commence with the chase and set the hounds lose after the fox.

However, from the lack of posts made, I am presuming there are no 'experts' in the NJ area ... ???

[Steven Turetsky]

Well perhaps I misread you and thought the roof had already been evaluated, and did not understand the need for an additional evaluation before taking action. So not only do I agree that he needs a full evaluation of the roof (cover), but it should also should include an evaluation of the extent of the damage to the structure.

In the past 2 weeks we have had 9" of rain with more on the way and are expected to break long standing records.