Roofing Horror Stories
Roofing Horror Stories
In the spirit of the season, we wanted to share some roofing horror stories. Some of them involved Mutual Roofing and others did not. (See if you can guess which one involved us!)
One thing is true: All these stories are real and have happened here locally.
House On Fire
Roofing is a dangerous profession. Crews have to climb up to sometimes very high and steep surfaces to remove and replace shingles.
Anything that would create more danger to the profession is usually discouraged.
Smoking is one of those dangers.
There was a case in Bennington a few years ago where it was determined that one of the roofing crew members had lit up a cigarette. This individual carelessly discarded the cigarette and it caught insulation on fire.
Pro Tip: Insulation catches on fire EASILY so do not do anything involving fire near insulation.
Thankfully no one was injured and only a part of the home was damaged, but the situation could have ended far worse.
Roofing Fraud/Creating False Damage
As a roofing company, we have a lot of close relationship with various insurance agents and adjusters in town.
An insurance agent once told us that they caught a roofing contractor purposely creating damage on a home to get the claim. One of the neighbors saw what was happening and called to report what was happening.
What this roofer also didn’t know was that another roofing company had been there the day BEFORE and had taken photos showing a clean roof. This roofer got some jail time and fines for attempting to commit insurance fraud.
In another instance, an insurance adjuster told us of a story where the homeowner tried to do the same thing. The problem is the homeowner only created false damage in one area of his home and one area of his windows.
Hail doesn’t discriminate and it was evident that this damage was manually created.
As of yet, the insurance carrier is now in a lawsuit with the homeowner.
Roofers Falling Through Your Kitchen
We wrote an article talking about how it’s important to properly ventilate your home. When you don’t, it creates moisture build up in your attic which can disintegrate the sheathing.
It begins to rot the underlayment of the roof (where the shingles rest on) and create soft areas in the roof. And this makes it VERY dangerous to walk on.
This is exactly what happened when we heard of a roofing contractor falling through the roof.
Not only did this roofer fall through the roof and drywall, they ended up in the kitchen of the home.
While neither the roofer or homeowner knew of the existing damage, the roofing company did end up paying to replace the insulation and drywall. (The insurance carrier paid for the underlayment)
Thankfully this roofer walked away only with bumps and bruises.
Pro Tip: This, again, is a case where it’s very important to pick a reputable roofing contractor. One that has workman’s comp (which is optional and not required) will help protect the homeowner from liability.
To learn more, check out the roofing contractor checklist.
Case of Mistaken Identity
Ever heard of a roofing company roofing the wrong house? It has definitely happened.
During a big hailstorm, the chances of roofing the wrong house increase.
Why? Many people your block are likely getting a new roof so there are always material delivery trucks coming and going.
This happened before near a home by Westroads mall. The address was the exact same, but one house was North of Dodge and the other house was South of Dodge.
The roofing crew began to tear off the roof and it wasn’t until 2 or 3 in the afternoon that they realized it was the wrong house. Oddly, this house was re-roofed within the last week with brand new shingles.
The roofing company made it right and paid to have a new roof put on the homeowners home.
Fortunately, they also found their way to the correct home and roofed that one.
Even the best of roofing companies can experience a lapse in communication and coordination, especially during the busyness of hail season.
Summary
Did you figure out which story was our first-hand account?
If you guessed the roofer falling through the roof then you’d be correct! Here is a picture of the actual roof that Brandon fell through while inspecting for hail damage.
Know of any other roofing horror stories? We want to know!
If you’re searching for a roofer, however, give us a call at (402) 889-3381 to schedule your FREE inspection.