Home Improvement Contractor - Licensed Contractors

Roofing contractor problems. Outraged. Didn't put in insulation?

I do not have much experience with roofing or carpentry in general, but this guy seemed very suspicious to me even before the 'incident' We have a 4 bedroom house, and the roofing was starting to fall of. But the main reason we wanted to redo it was because one section of the roof was sinking in, because of water leaking. So to redo the roofing, and reconstruct the sinking in part of the roof which is like half a bedrpoom size(where they would strip the roof, and reconstruct with new wood etc..), sand the wooden deck and add protective coat, he was asking for 12,000 dollars. This seemed like a lot to me. After about 2 weeks or so, they finished reconstructing the sinking in roof, and it seemed too cold, alot colder then usual. And I got this inkling that maybe this guy didn't put in insulation. And I was right, we carved up the ceiling in the room, and there was no insulation. I was outraged. He blamed his mexican workers for not putting it in, but the reason I suspected this was because, I never saw the materials. And the day we confronted him about it, he bought the insulation, cut small holes in the ceiling and stuffed it in. Is this standard? I do not know how long a job like this should take, but its been a month already and he is still not done. I worry that this guy may be skimping a lot here and there, and after he says that he is done, I would like to bring someone to come and inspect it. Who would I bring in this situation? Do I bring another contractor? Or do I bring a real estate/contruction lawyer? Also is the whole insulation problem enough to hire a lawyer? Yes he got a permit from Hoffman Estates, IL which is where our house is. There is no written contract, everything was verbal, the contractor is korean, he only works that way. We've paid 4,500 dollars in advance. So who am I supposed to contact in my city to come and inspect this? reply to chuck, the room is not necessarily an attic. its like a bedroom attached to another bedroom. the roof of this room always had insulation in it. when they stripped the roof to reconstruct it, they pulled out some of the old insulation, and only added it back to a small percentage of the roof. when the drywall was cut open, there were few areas which had insulation, and majority was bare. also we agreed that he would fix the sinking roof, well it sank because of water leaks, which lead to the drywall getting affected. by the looks of it, he had no intention of replacing the drywall. Since you guys say I have no proof of what we agreed to do because we have no contract, that means we have no contract stating how much we would pay. So what does this mean in terms of me having to pay this guy? reply to boy boy, yes we have a flat roof

Public Comments

1. If this is something that the contractor was supposed to do according to the contract, you should abide by what the contract states. If the contractor is shoving insulation into holes in your ceiling, then he probably isn't doing it right. He should either be blowing the insulation (cellulose) into the walls and ceiling, with a blower machine, which should only take a day- two at the most- or removing the drywall to install fiberglass, yellow or pink rolled insulation into the wall cavities. One good way to make your contractor walk the line is to call the city and ask them to come and inspect the job. Your contractor should have pulled a city permit in order to do the work.
2. You have enough misgivings now to stop the job. No, insulation is not installed this way. Did you get a signed contract? Have you had the work inspected by the building officials? Did he get a permit? Check him out with the BBB? Pay in advance? It is hard to do but stop here and regroup. Get a good contractor. It will cost less in the end.
3. He is in the right unless you specified for him to insulate the attic. He was hired to repair the roof of your house not insulate it. Unless you have it spelled out he doesn't have to do it. He pulled a permit and the building department will inspect the work the permit stipulates. If the permit says to repair the roof that is all they will inspect. If he removed insulation then he should have replaced it, but if he didn't touch it then it's not his problem. When getting a construction bid you need to spell out what work you want done, it's for the protection of both parties. To expect him to put insulation in your attic because he is fixing your roof is like expecting a plumber to root out your drains when he comes to repair a leaky faucet, they are 2 separate jobs. All a roof repair requires is that he put new plywood down if it's damaged and put the tar paper and shingles on. The attic insulation is part of the inside of the house and isn't done by the roofer.
4. Yes, I think you're being had! Call the city hall at Hoffman Estates and ask to speak with the building inspectors. If this guy skimped where you can see it he may have not built the frame to code either. You need an inspector to look at the structure, any wiring he may have done, and the insulation. Don't pay him another dime until you're sure it is sound construction. If it is not, ask for your money back and report him to the city and to the BBB. If it is to code and you want him to finish the job, write up an agreement describing what will be done to finish the job and when it will be done. If he won't sign it forget him and get another contractor to finish the job. Next time, get at least three bids and references you can contact. Check the contractor's reputation with the BBB. Be sure he has insurance so if one of his workers is injured on the job he can't sue you. Don't pay much up front and don't allow any work done without a signed agreement.
5. Check the permit. Does it say anything about any work besides the roof? If not, you will get no help from the inspection department. Since you have no contract, you have no way of proving he was supposed to do anything more than what he did, so a lawyer will not be able to easily solve this for you.
6. Chuck P is correct. What I would like to know is. Does Chuck P live in Laffeyett,Ca?
7. reading your question i think you have a flat roof ...as a builder in the uk the normal thing to do is install the insulation before you put on the decking ..its logical ..we have building inspectors over here who inspect the work for the local council and you must have a specification of what you are going to do before we start ...this protects the client and gets rid of the cowboys ..but as you live in the USA i still think you have a right to stop the job and get it done properly ...shame you did not get a reputable builder in the first place !
8. This is a two part dilemma one you have no contract. He should have given you an estimate with a break down in cost this is usually will suffice with any action you take on this as it should state insulation. Also if he is license in the state he has to abide by IBC codes which require insulation of exterior wall and would include your roof. Cost of expense and whether you should pay him the rest well that is the other dilemma. If pushed he could put you into a small claims court which takes up more of your time and money. If the cost seem inflated more than what is usual you have to understand that cost of materials sky rockets alot this year. My advise is request a copy of his contractors llicenseand report him to county officials and demand immediate repair. Also the act of cutting holes and stuffing the insulation in is NOT the way to resolve this issue sStandardpractice is to remove a layer and replace at his cost for negligence