Getting a New Roof
First, I want to state that this is my experience and your experience may and will very likely differ.
We had a small leak in the Average family roof. The company that installed the roof some 20 years ago, just didn’t do a good job and about 10 years ago, a small leak started around the plumbing stack air vent. We started the process of obtaining estimates to replace the 20-year-old roof. One of the roofing companies stated that there is a ton of hail and wind damage to the roof and that they suggested that we get our homeowner’s insurance company involved.
Moving forward, we got an appointment on the books for both the roofer and the insurance company to look at the roof together. Sure enough, the adjuster stated that there is significant damage and wrote off the entire roof. This caught me and Mrs. Average off guard, but very pleased as we are going to save a ton of money. If you are not familiar with the costs of a new roof, the average house will run between $10K to $20K or more.
Now came the fun and games and there seemed to be a ton of games. We were told that by the end of August, we would have our new roof project completed, in fact, we were told 3-4 weeks. The insurance check arrived and was counter-signed and processed, and we wait. We placed phone calls and we wait and wait some more.
Finally, we have a date in the first half of September. We were given a date for the supplies to arrive, which was a Monday, the day before the roof gets replaced. That Saturday, I look out the window and find a large truck with a crane on it. I go outside and they tell me that they are delivering the new roof supplies and where I want them. I said I have no clue, I guess at the top of the driveway. I questioned why the crane and they said that they were supposed to put the supplies on the roof, however, they can’t due to the steep incline in my yard. I figured to myself, not my problem, as if the roofer wanted the supplies on the roof, he should have sent someone out with instructions.
Yeah, it is rather steep, just like many of the yards in Spotsylvania County, where the board of supervisors will allow a builder to put up a 21-home subdivision on a tiny parcel, so they can get more money. As a builder in Spotsylvania, you don’t even need to level anything, no need for a driveway, just drop stone, no need for a drainage system, just dig a ditch for the runoff. The board of supervisors doesn’t require many proffers either.
When we lived in Virginia Beach, the city required a ton of proffers in order to build. You had to augment the local schools or build new, you had to augment the local police and fire or build new and you often had to augment the other needs like traffic control and the like. Alright, I derailed and it is time to get back on track with the post.
On the day of the installation and they show up on time and get straight to work. No one told us that we would not be able to exit our house all day. The subcontractors that the building company hired, rolled tarps along the front and back of the house, which blocked off our doors and there was no way out. I had to push open the back door and yell so someone would pay attention and make it so daughter Average and wife Average could leave and go to work and do their errands. No one told us that they would make such a giant mess in my yard. No one told us that they would need two days to complete the project and no one told us that no one from the company that we hired would be onsite. As non of the workers spoke English, they couldn’t communicate well enough to inform us about what was going on. I’m not going to derail and jump on my soapbox and bitch about how, immigrants don’t speak the language, as this post is about a roof.
The very next day, they were there for about six hours and when they finished, they did a fairly decent job of cleaning. They left a mess from where they ate their lunches, they left Pepsi bottle caps buried in the dirt. They were supposed to make sure that they got all the nails, but when my wife and I scanned the yard with giant magnets, we both found several nails. I’m so glad we looked as I don’t want the Average dog to get hurt.
All said and done I would give the quality of the roof an “A”, and the overall experience a “C-“.
