Unfortunately, roofing contractors are a dime a dozen. The average roofing contractor lasts two to three years before going out of business. One of the ways roofing contractors try to stay afloat is by providing a price point much lower than a reputable company. In fact, the workers for these companies are paid by the square, not the hour, which further incentives completing the job as fast as possible.
If the difference between completing two and three jobs in one day is the difference between feeding or not feeding your family, you’re going to do everything you can to complete three jobs in a day. Even if that means cutting corners or providing a faulty completed product.
Today I’ll show you a great example of what a typical shyster roofing contractor does and why it’s undetectable to the homeowner.
SCRIPT
Patrick Morin, June 8th 2010, we’re on a 20 year old shake roof on Murry Hill, and I want to talk about what happened two years ago. The homeowner told us that a roof maintenance contractor, so to speak, helped them with their roof. I want to show down here, this is a repair they did, looks pretty good, the spacing is good, and as you go up to the top where they blended it into the original roof they’ve top nailed everything. Which is not code, it needs to be blind nailed where the fasteners are underneath this row and then this repair is right underneath this area. This area was like this two years ago, this was just left up here, and sprayed over not thinking anything about it. It’s just basically shot. This roof should have been replaced two years ago. Instead, it was pressure washed and slightly repaired, leaving the homeowner to believe it’s all repaired, and then stained. Another clue, that some of you out there in the greater Portland area will know is whenever a roofing contractor suggests to replace all of the ridge caps, generally you’ll know he’s a shyster. On this roof all of the ridge caps have been replaced so that when the homeowner got home they thought, “Oh, wow that looks wonderful.” But, in reality where the water flows the main body of the roof he left this kind of stuff. So now the homeowner spent all that money and now has to replace the roof just two years later. At Roof Life of Oregon this will not happen. We will not suggest or do anything that won’t help move your roof forward saving you money and time. Allowing you to put your house on the market and get it sold, if that’s what you choose to do, in the middle of our warranty period.
Since 1983, we’ve provided Portland Oregon quality roofing they can count on. At Roof Life of Oregon, you get a dependable, knowledgeable, warranty backed roofing contractor that wont cut corners or pay our employees by the square (we pay by the hour). Don’t take a chance on the low priced shyster roofing contractor. Choose the best, choose Roof Life of Oregon.
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Your information is incorrect. Code calls for “blind nailing” as you refer to it, but only in cases of original (new) installation. For shake repair 1) it is acceptable to “top nail” and is in accordance with the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau, and 2) there is no other way to repair downslope shakes unless upslope shakes are removed to the ridge line or by making use of the top nailing approach.
With regard to the deteriorated shakes above, they may or may not have been there two years ago. And, no, a 20 year shake roof does not need to be replaced, as it should last 30 +/- years. If they were in place “two years” ago, then yes they should have been replaced, but that still does not suggest the roof is shot – as you should know, it is the felt underneath that is the primary waterproof barrier, and unless that was shot, the roof is okay.
Finally, with regard to the cap shingles, a roofing installer suggesting they be replaced is not a “shyster”, but acting from experience – water enters the ridge line like anywhere else on a roof, but if caps are bad, water will travel to more areas downslope than if entering from other damaged areas on the roof. Additionally, if the ridge line was devoid felt strips, water intrusion will be a problem. Replacing caps is an easy procedure, but servers to lengthen the service life of the roof.
I take issue anyone who feeds unsuspecting homeowners false information as if spewing from the mouth of an expert, when in actuality, the information is being provided in order to make a buck. The majority of roof systems are warrantied for 20 to 30 +/- years. This is because the materials only LAST 20 to 30 years before deterioration sets in. By stating you can extend a 20 year roof system by “10 or even 15″ years is very misleading and is like saying you can furbish the moon with air – it just ain’t going to happen.
Please give it up before you get yourselves into trouble by those that really do know what they are talking about.
You took some broad strokes with your comments. From what I can see you have missed the mark on what Roof Life does. Roofs that are neglected do not last as long as roofs that are maintained.
The blind nailing method is the only way to install a shake in an existing roof. Top nailing will leak in 5 years as the metal expands and contracts it makes a hole bigger than itself and the water is now your homeowners new best friend.
Ridge caps are the least likely place to get a leak as there is no flow of water. Replacing the entire ridge line on a 5 year remaining roof is criminal. I believe that is what the comment was about.
So, if you are ever in the Portland area, let me know and we will spend a hour or so showing you what I have clarified here in my response.
Patrick D. Morin
Roof Life of Oregon