Concern with roofer's work

Our HOA contracted to do several asphalt shingle roofs as part of a major multi-year re-roofing project for roofs at end of life. The contractor was apparently over-committed, and did not start until November, despite being contracted and deposit paid in early September. He stripped off the old shingles in late October/early November, and dried in with underlayment, then left the roofs sitting for a month of good weather, only to show up and install the shingles in the rain and snow of late November.

As a result, much of the work was done in the cold (below 40 degrees) and rain and snowfall. At various points, they were installing shingles in the rain and/or blizzards. The underlayment was laid down in sub-40 degree weather, often on top of cold and damp (from rain, light snow, or frost) decking, without priming. And then the shingles were stored outdoors bent over the rook peak in overnight freezing weather, and were often installed first thing in the morning in the sub-40 degree (or worse) cold and even rain. The overnight temperatures often dropped down to well below freezing. The roofers worked on and walked across the underlayment extensively (both the ice shield and synthetic felt), while it was dripping wet.

So... I am not an expert on roofs, I am a Board member. These practices are clearly in violation of both the shingle and the underlayment manufacturers' specs, as well as the consensus of all the best practices guides that I consulted. But I have no way of evaluating how important an issue this really is, and what are the possible consequences of these practices over the lives of the roofs.

I don't even know how we can accept the work now in December, since the shingles are all wavy and won't adhere at earliest until late spring.

Some of the Board members don't want to make a fuss. "Other contractors in our area shingle year round" they say. "Roofs are done in Seattle" they say. "It's a small town and we don't want to get a bad reputation with the few roofing companies" they say. In the process of spending a half million dollars of other people's money, I'd like to be more certain we can rely on the work and stand behind our due diligence.

I believe the products were WIP 100 ice shield, Grip-right synthetic underlayment, and GAP Timberline shingles. Our two-paragraph contract is no help, so our only recourse is via a warranty of workmanship.

Advice welcome. Thanks.

Thanks. These roofers are in fact reasonably reputable and have been around for a while. One upside of being in a rural area is the fly by night guys are easier to spot. I think the fact is the roofer got caught gambling on the weather. I also suspect that - as a class - roofers all cut corners unless you are watching their every move. Our big misstke was not putting the specs in the contract.

I, on the other hand, have found most roofers/roofing companies to be reliable.

More than most trades, they are at the mercy of the weather, and a need to be employed and profitable.

Saying most are “fly by night,”, is unfair and inaccurate.

At this point, the question I am most concerned with is how much do we protest and what do we ask for? Right now, with the roofs not yet inspected for acceptance, and half the payment still outstanding, now is the time to make our concerns clear. Which we intend to do. We have already done so in fact while the work was being done. But at that point, we had no choice, we needed the roofer to get the shingles on the roofs, regardless of the rain and cold.

The underlying question I need answered is whether I should make a stand on the question of strict compliance with published specs, or whether it is in fact true that most roofers routinely ignore those specs, and the roofs do just fine anyway.

And further, I need help understanding the likely risks: will we see a higher rate of failure in one year, ten years, or maybe not at all?

One other note: we are in a vert dry climate, so everyone is very blase about any incidental water intrusion.

I tend to agree. But what do they do in rainy and cold climates? I have come across some best practices: working in smaller segments, tarping the underlayment when exposed, priming and rolling. But do roofer actually follow that meticulously?

Has anyone complained of any leaks, shingles being loose, etc., since the work was done? Did you express your concerns to the contractor? If so, what did they say? Don’t worry about “making a fuss” – I suspect others have asked about doing roofing work in bad weather, and besides the Association is paying for this, so someone has to ensure you’re getting what you paid for. That said, I’m sure this isn’t the first time roofing work was required in bad weather and a good contractor will prepare for that – you said this one was reasonable reputable, so talk to him and see what happens.

You should also listen out for any complaints and make sure you get them to the contractor as soon as possible. If there are issues and the contractor can’t/won’t fix them, you might need to get another contractor to take a look at the work for his/her opinion as to whether the work was done properly.

Another lesson – any contract for home improvement repairs or replacement should specify list start and stop dates (you will need to allow for the weather because no one can control that) and contain written information on warranties (labor and materials). Go back and look at what your association got - if something needs to be clarified, you'll need to work with the contractor to get that in writing.