Archive for July, 2012
Roof Repair Contracts Beware
Of course a contractual agreement is always a smart idea when it comes to receiving services for home or roof repair. However, not all contracts are created equal and many may contain hidden terms or conditions that could result in unfavorable consequences.
Read and Review
As one of them most costly repairs to your home, a roofing job comes with many considerations. First, homeowners should know that roof repair contracts come in many forms. Some are to authorize inspections, and some for repair or replacement work. What you may not even suspect to be a legal binding contract can be snuck into your paperwork and hold you accountable for unknown conditions. For example, there have been cases in which a roofer asks the homeowner to sign a paper allowing them to inspect the roof. Unfortunately, this paper also contained language that states the homeowner agrees to hire the company for the job, leaving the homeowner legally bound into a service contract unknowingly.
While the majority of roof contractors are high quality companies that uphold the highest ethical standards, there are a fair number who are operating under unprofessional conduct. Rather than carry a general attitude of distrust, homeowners should stick to applying a thorough mindset for any services they receive by always reading a contract before signing it. In general, homeowners should look for:
- A detailed description of services rendered
- An outlined cost of the services to be received
- A specific date of when the service is to be performed
- A specific date of when the payment is to be made
- A summary of liability held by the company
Neighbors Pitch In For New Roof
Kathy Hanson of Gardiner Maine arrived home Friday afternoon to find her neighbors had installed new shingles on her ailing roof.
Next door neighbor Stephen Ahearn who owns Ahearn’s Express, and living down the road Don Mansir owner or Mansir’s Roofing and Siding LLC got together and decided to help out their neighbor.
Mansir Roofing, Ahearn’s Express and Ainslies’s Market donated labor and bought approximately $2,600 worth of materials for the new roof.
Homeowner Could Not Afford New Roof
Hanson previously asked Mansir Roofing for a quote for the roof repair but as a part time worker was unable to pay for a new roof.
Mansir said “I kept watching and it kept getting worse and worse. It was in real bad shape. The shingles were deteriorating.”
When Hanson left for her job at Sam’s club on Friday morning, the volunteers got busy and completed the new roof and clean up by Friday afternoon. Hanson’s son called her and asked her to come home saying her cat was stuck on her roof.
When she arrived home and saw the new roof she hugged the volunteers and thanked them over and over. She said “I got home and I could have cried right there, I got the best neighbors, you couldn’t ask for any better, they’re great.”
Old Brick Cottage gets New Roof
Whitford Pony Club in Auckland New Zealand is getting a new roof for the orange-brick cottage that sits on their land. Local historian says the cottage is more than 100 years old.
In recent years the roof has fallen into disarray and become dangerous. The corrugated iron has been falling off the building and created a hazard. Club Vice President Wendy MacKenzie said they have been trying to raise money to get the building restored since 2001.
Metalcraft Roofing and sister company Akarana Timber supplied the materials and labor for free to repair the ailing roof.
Cost over $10,000 to repair
Jasper Campbell, Metalcraft manager said “I live out in Beachlands, so I drive past it twice a day and our general manager has an association with the Whitford Pony Club apparently years ago with his children who used to ride there.”
Howick historian Alan La Roche said the cottage is “a very important landmark in Whitford. It’s probably the last brickwork laborer’s cottage in Auckland.”
La Roche said the cottage was part of a brickworks founded on a 640 acre block of land by John Granger in 1898 and employed more than 20 workers.
Mrs. Mackenzie said as soon as the roof repair is complete, the club will restore the windows to weather seal the cottage.
Hail Resistant Concrete Roof Tile
California based Boral Roofing introduces the highest rated hail performance certified roofing tile. The concrete roof tile is Class 4 Hail Rated; it is a weather and impact resistant tile designed for high performance in hail storms.
The Boral Roofing Storm Series roofing solution also provides energy efficiency benefits and may lower your homeowners insurance. According to John Renowden, Technology VP of Boral Roofing “Tile roofs may help you qualify for insurance reductions in hail regions.”
Testing of the roof tile proved to be able to withstand 2 inch ice balls hurled consecutively at speeds up to 104 ft. per second.
The class 4 tiles are currently available in the Heartland, Texas and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States were hail storms are common and tend to do a lot of damage to a home.
Concrete Tiles Could Cut Energy Costs
Concrete roof tiles help reduce your energy bills by reducing the demand for heating and air conditioning. The Concrete maintains the inner temperature of the home. The combined effect of the roof tiles, air space and decking allow for better air circulation and reducing heat transfer.
According to a study of National Association of Home Builders, concrete tile, copper and clay tile are the only 3 roofing materials that will last a lifetime.
Boral Roofing also makes a “smog eating tile” for residential and commercial buildings.
London Aquatic Center Water Shaped Roof
Waves of aluminum supported by 3,000 tons of steel and timber cover the center where the Olympic swimmers will be on Saturday. The double curvature structure visually appears to be a rolling wave.
According to the designers Zaha Hadid Architects the shape is “inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion.”
The steel frame is held together with 70,000 bolts. The steel is unable to provide the curvature needed so they encased Red Lauro timber in aluminum. Only 2 concrete pillars on the north side and a wall at the south end support the massive roof.
To keep costs down, the majority of the aluminum work was done with standard sheets, only about 2% needed specialized cuts. The timber also did not require pre-curving and was cut from flat sheets.
Fascinating Time Lapse Video Captures the Roof Construction
The framework was built on temporary structures and then lifted up to the permanent supports. The span of the new roof is 90 meters and 160 meters in the opposite direction. You can watch a time lapse video of the construction at http://www.london2012.com/venue/aquatics-centre/construction-video.
Once the 2012 Olympic Games are over, two wings of additional seating will be removed making it easier to maintain. The Aquatic Center will still be used for international swimming competitions and a family changing area and café will be added.
2 Arrested in Wake Forest Roofing Scam
In Wake Forest North Carolina, two men were arrested for damaging a man’s roof and then requesting payment to repair it.
28 year old Charles Ray Barnes Jr. and 27 year old Travis Kevin Tyndall were arrested at Mockingbird Lane and charged with obtaining property by false pretenses, conspiracy and injury to real property.
In the warrant Officer D.L. Hess wrote, the two men tried to get $525 by making “a representation about a future event, to repair false roof damages.” Officer Hess went on to say “Mr. Barnes Jr. climbed the roof and used a cutting instrument to cut a hole in it.”
Not this Offenders First Time For Roofing Scam
Tyndall was also served a warrant from Raleigh police charging him with an earlier incident where he is accused of taking $1,482.17 for materials and labor for a home repair and skipping out.
Roofing scams are unfortunately becoming a common occurrence. Protect yourself and your property by being diligent about checking out would-be contractors. A common ruse is to knock on a homeowner’s door and say they could see damage on the homeowner’s roof (from the street, from a neighbor’s house etc.) and offer to repair it. Unless you see a legitimate roofing crew working on your neighbor’s home, this is probably a scam.
Do not let strangers on your roof unless you specifically call a roofing company and ask for an estimate. Best practice is to get 2 or 3 estimates and check with the Better Business Bureau in your area for any complaints about the roofing company or contractor.
Historic City Hall gets new Roof Tiles
Atascadero City Administration Building will be getting new and refurbished tiles for the earthquake damaged dome. The 2003 the Simeon earthquake severely damaged the historic building.
Monday workers began reinstalling roof tiles on the upper dome. As part of the restoration, all of the tiles were removed from the dome. Broken and damaged tiles were discarded, some tiles were repaired and approximately 3,000 new tiles were built for the project and 5,800 old tiles will be used.
Historian Verifies Consistency
Dan Huff, Bernards Construction Superintendent said the new tiles were designed to be indistinguishable from the old ones.
The project is expected to take 6 weeks to complete. Huff intends to keep the roofing crew small for safety and quality. While waiting for the tiles, the roofers made heavy duty structural additions to the dome.
The building was built in 1918 by Atascadero founder E.G. Lewis and later sold to Frank Moran in 1927 and turned into a junior college.
Repairs to the building will cost approximately $42 million. Just short of half of that will be paid by the federal government and the city will pay for the rest. You can follow along with the process at www.atascadero.org scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the building.
Man Ordered To Remove His Roof
An Aspen judge ordered Glenn Bear of Thomasville to tear down his illegally built roof or the county has the authority to come out and remove it. Judge Nichols of Pitkin County District Court ruled that he must remove the tin roof by November 1st or winters first snow fall, whichever comes first.
Bear put the new roof up last summer on a mobile home that he rents out on his property. In court Bear said “I went by Colorado state law, they refused me a permit, your honor. That roof oughta hold.”
Proof that Roof can Withstand Snow Load
Assistant county attorney Chris Seldin, chief building official Brian Pawl and code enforcement officer Carrington Brown proved that the roof needed a permit and Bear did not obtain one. They said Bear should have shown that the load bearing paths were properly designed with approved drawings from an engineer.
In June 2011 Bear came into the community development department after he received a notice of violation. Voices were raised and disagreements due to Bear not having approved drawings for his roof, and that he did not apply for a building permit.
Bears argument is that his neighbors have similar roofs and said there are hundreds of mobile homes with added roofs in the valley. “I did everything I could to make that place safe, I thought I did everything the right way.”
Roof Contractor Sues Courthouse
In Beatrice Nebraska, Gage County Board of Supervisors hired Omaha based Scott Enterprises to replace the historic courthouse roof. According to court documents Scott Enterprises Inc., states the county did not pay the full amount agreed upon. They are suing the county for $59,271 for the remainder due on the contract.
From April 2009 to December 2010, the roofing contractor replaced the asphalt roof of the courthouse with Vermont green slate. The county initiated 12 change orders from the original contract of $392,399 increasing the cost of the project to $519,968.04. The county paid $460,700 and states the new roof is functional and does not need any further repair.
County “Disagreed” With the Payment
Chief Deputy Attorney Rich Schreiner of Gage County said the decision was made about the amount of the final payment after consulting with Berggren Architects. Schreiner said “We disagreed the way some of the work was performed and adjusted our payments accordingly.”
The $2.9 million bond to renovate the courthouse included replacing the asphalt roof to the Vermont green slate shingles to look more like the original roof from 1892.
New Roof for Montacute Orangery
Montacute House was built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips. The orangery was added to the property in the 1840’s to cover and protect the winter orange trees.
The orangery roof was reconfigured shortly after construction but little was spent on the orangery during the years. The oak rafters, beams and hips had begun to rot and the weight of the snow for two consecutive years caused the old roof to collapse.
National Trust now runs the property and raised £10,000 through raffles to pay for the roof repair. Each glass pane was recorded and carefully removed when the roof was dismantled. 2,380 panes of glass had to be restored, replaced and cleaned before being refitted in their lead casing.
Visitors Watching the Restoration
Visitors are able to climb a platform on the scaffolding and watch the restoration work being done on the Montacute House Orangery.
Edward Phelips had acquired enough wealth through his inheritance, legal work and role at court to build the house in his home village. William Arnold, a master mason was appointed to oversee the building of the house. The house was designed as it was built, estimated cost to build Montacute was £20,000.
