From:  marson 
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair alt.building.construction misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Did I Get Screwed By an Incompetent Roofer? Need Advice
Date: Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:54:19 -0700
   posting-account=LZnEFg0AAAB9dX0e2gup88ovAKKo7Nuf

On Jun 3, 11:34 am, "Joseph Meehan" 
wrote:
> mg wrote:
> > I just had my house reroofed yesterday. It already had two layers of
> > shingles on it. So, it was necessary to remove all of the old asphalt
> > shingles before putting the new ones on. I have given the contractor
> > about half of the money as a deposit, but I haven't given him the
> > other half yet. The two issues I have with the job he did are:
>
> > 1. He roofed right over the swamp cooler legs instead of removing the
> > legs and then putting the roofing underneath them. Now I have little
> > teepee like or vulcano shaped mounds made out of bent shingles going
> > up around the legs along with gobs of some sort of roofing sealer
> > plastered all around legs. When the day comes that I have to replace
> > the swamp cooler, I'm obviously going to have to tear off part of the
> > shingles and then do some sort of a repair job. He also did the same
> > thing with my satellite dish antenna. So, I'm never going to be able
> > to get it off either without tearing off some shingles, etc.
>
> > 2. Removing the Shingles made a helluva mess in my yard. I did raise a
> > lot of Cain with those guys before they left in order to get most of
> > it picked up, but there is still some left and there are also pieces
> > of shingles in the rain gutters. The normal method of cleaning up was
> > obviously to use a rake and then any pieces that weren't picked up by
> > the rake were left for the homeowner. The problem is that this leaves
> > one helluva a lot of asphalt shingle pieces in my yard that range in
> > size from a dime to a dollar and even larger. In addition, there's no
> > way to be sure that all of the nails have been picked up. So, you
> > never know for sure if a child, for instance, could wind up with a
> > nail in his foot someday.
>
> > My two questions are, do I have legitimate complaints about the
> > workmanship and even if  the roofer lifts the legs of the swamp cooler
> > and takes the antenna off and does it right will the patchwork repair
> > job he does on the shingles be acceptable?
>
>     Cleanup is a matter of degree.  Any roof job is going to leave a few
> pieces of old and new roof as well as a number of nails around.  It is just
> part of that kind of work.  It sounds like yours was worse than it should
> have been.  As for the swamp cooler, I really don't know what good practice
> is for that kind of issue.  I have never had a house that had that kind of
> problem.
>
>     I suggest you start by reviewing any kind of contract you may have
> signed or they may have given you.  See what it says.
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
>
>  Dia 's Muire duit

As far as cleanup goes, most roofers in these parts will lay a tarp on
the lawn below the roof.  This is a better-faster-cheaper way to deal
with tear off mess.

Just running the shingles up the legs of the swamp cooler sounds
shoddy to me.  I guess in hindsight you should have asked him how he
would deal with it.  I would certainly think the best way would be to
get the new shingles under the legs, but I'm not familiar with them so
can't say what the standard practice is.