ORC was asked by an insurance company to inspect roof issues which had caused significant water entry in this nice home.

Yes, from the ground the roof looks great however once up there and in the forensic mode it all changes. This is commonplace.

There were basic, fundamental, rudimentery installation screwups all over this roof as well as significant shingle damage from various vendors including 'roofers' who installed J hooks with the nails exposed not hidden. Chimney flashing looks lie an 8 year old did it. Oh, the shingles were installed with staples which were disallowed by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code on April 1st 2003. This roof was installed after that date. Ooooops! Even if staples were still allowed these were poorly applied meaning not parallel to the shingle with some nearly vertical meaning minimal holding power. I found rusted staples directly in shingle joints and also very near shingle joints. Can't do that. All over the roof staples are backing out and already coming up through the shingles. Another rodeo cowboy roof installation. Amazing!

This one looks like my 93 year old Mother did it. Sorry Mom.

Here we have no chimney counter flashing. Aww heck! Nobody will ever know! 75% of shingle nails over driven; shingles on a section too shallow for shingles; no ridge pieces on the hips - they just curled the shingles over the apex a bit; ridge made of cut up shingles; pipe flange buried under the shingles; back chimney already leaking - on a brand new roof!

This roof will have to be torn off and professionally installed. It is simply astounding how much of this BS ripoff fraudulant incompetent cowboy work I see on a regular basis. The roofing industry has been nearly destroyed by crooked bastards like this. 

Update : The owner has tried contacting this ripoff roofer several times and of course the clown isn't responding. A CCB complaint has been filed. My money says the crook won't show up for the mediation meeting. By then he will likely be belly up anyway. Good riddance.      

ORC was referred to this homeowner by a CCB mediator. See, the ‘roofer’ didn’t show up for the scheduled CCB mediation meeting. I can see why. This roof has multiple legitimate negative issues and cannot be repaired. Detail work, layout, valleys, chimney flashing all terribly done. The kicker on this one is that nails are too short. Field shingle nails penetrate no more than 1/8" into the deck. Ridge nails for ridge on top of the ridge vent are 1 1/4" long and don't even reach the deck by at least 1/4"! Amazing. The owner will be sending a demand letter asking for a full refund. It is just astonishing that people perpetrate this fraud on unsuspecting homeowners. I see this ALL the time.

ORC was asked to inspect this new roof on a 1899 building in Mt. Angel. This building has quite a local history. Everything is wrong with this roof. A manufacturer rep looked at this and said it was one of the worst he had ever seen. Roofing manufacturers never want to get in the middle of a pissing match between an owner and an incompetent ripoff cowboy roofer so they advised that an independent roofing consultant be contacted. 

Mt. Angel is a special place. Surrounded by many thousands of acres of farms. The town looks like a village in Germany. There are many German themed restaurants and other businesses. After looking at this monstrosity I tipped on down to the Glockenspiel for lunch then visited the Mt. Angel Sausage Company to get some yummy sausages to take home. A great day trip!

Read the report for yourself....

Mt. Angel New Roof Ripoff / Disaster Update    (Nov 09, 2018) 

Here we see the new roof being removed and done correctly. Nothing I mean nothing was correct on this roof. You name it and they screwed it up. Instead of the poly iso rigid insulation being 8X4 panels they used a hodge podge of various sizes and thicknesses. They also used tapered pieces. To elevate these tapered pieces they used small pieces of thin insulation thereby creating air pockets all over the roof which is why when walking on the roof it 'moved'. When the new roof was removed there were wet spots all over the plywood. So, this brand new roof had many leaks. I believe this install was intentionally done in a fraudulent manner. On purpose. Of course this incompetent ripoff roofer insisted that the roof "was well within industry standards and perfectly fine". Just the opposite is true. The owners' lawyer will have a field day with this one! I enjoy catching thieves like this one. Feels really good.

See our testimonial: KellyG: Testimonial (2020)

ORC was commissioned to inspect this new GAF roof by a concerned homeowner. Their concerns were well founded. First thing that I noticed was the black metals with a medium brown shingles. These metals are available in white, gray, black, and brown. The paperwork said 'metals will match/blend with shingle color'. In this writers’ opinion brown would match better than black. But that’s just me. What do I know. I’m just a jerk who harasses roofers. These professionals also used 16-year pipe jacks with a 50 year shingle. Plywood used as replacement at open overhangs was standard CDX. Typically, at open overhangs plywood with one finish side such as AC or CCPTS is commonly used. Not a code thing but an industry standard/ethical thing.  Also note the area with short rows, bumps and humps and overlapping shingles – above the front entry and VERY noticeable.

ORC was hired to inspect this new 64 square $55K GAF roof in Sunriver / Bend. The owner saw the website and said "You're just the guy I am looking for". So it was off to Central Oregon - our 14th trip there in the lat 2 years - over Mt Hood then through Warm Springs, Madras, Terrebonne, Redmond then Bend.

Let's see . . . . . . . where to start . . . . . nails used at overhangs were too short at 3/4". They penetrate the deck by no more than 1/8". That's not enough. Shingles here pulled up with zero effort. Plus, the contract called for 6 nails per full shingle. Many had 4 or five. A few had three ! Pipe falshings were the cheap ones with the rubber collar that fail in about 15 years. 15 year parts on a 50 year roof. Sure let's do it ! At sidewalls each shingle row must have its own step flashing. Here they had 2 rows of shingles per step flashing. Can't do that. Shingles at sidewalls were tight and already buckling due to no 'reveal'. Ice & Water shield incorrectly applied at roof to wall junctions. The homeowner isn't pleased - at all. So, he's not paying for the roof.

There goes that Oregon Roof Consulting busybody again. Harassing and picking apart beautiful roof installation by experienced, qualified, professional, roofing contractors. Anyway, it was a fun 2 day road trip. We love Central Oregon!

➲ See our Dispute Finalization - Bend, OR  (Nov. 9, 2019).

➲ See our 2019 Hall of Shame entry: Bend, OR - New Roof 2nd visit   (Mar 18, 2019).

Kent is just SE of Seattle, about a 3 1/2 hour drive. We travel a lot. We’ve been as far north as Edmonds, WA and as far south as Fresno, CA. Also the Bay Area, Sacramento, Reno, and central Oregon twelve times. All up and down the Oregon coast and the Long Beach Peninsula. We are the only company that does what we do, the way we do it and for the reasonable price we do it for. Virtually no competition. A niche thing. We travel a lot.
 
This owner found the website and hired ORC to inspect this new roof. The roof facets with plywood were fine but the areas with 2X6 ‘Select Deck’ were not prepared properly resulting in bumps and humps all over the roof surface which created cupping which creates standing water which will seep in. Underlayment was not brought all the way to the edge as required. Rotted boards that should have been replaced and wide voids between the barge rafters and ends of the 2X6.
 

ORC was asked to do a roof inspection and (if possible) a roof certification, as the owner was getting ready to sell. We’ve done hundreds of these and are the only "independent" consultant that does. The roof was fine and had at least eight-to-ten years left. When I told her this she looked at me funny. See, a couple cowboy ripoff roofers told her the roof is shot and is badly worn. See photos.

There is no shortage of predatory con artists & ripoffs. Egregious misrepresentation & prevarication abound. Beware.

ORC was hired to inspect the new roof on three buildings/twelve units for this HOA in Ocean Park Washington just around the corner from Oysterville. The property is beach front which provided commanding views of Long Beach which at twenty-six miles is the worlds longest beach.

Roofing: One building has 75% of nails overdriven. The other two buildings with 40%+- overdriven nails. Not a good thing right on the beach. They get a lot of high wind at the beach. Every year. I found nails right in shingle joints. Not a good thing on the beach. They get heavy rain there. Regularly. Ridge nails for ridge on top of ridge vent are too short. Perimeter repairs on two TPO dormers not close to being correct. Seams must be heat welded. They used adhesive. Also they didn't run the membrane over the edge before installing the rake and drip edge metal. There are many hundreds of badly scuffed / scarred / gouged shingles that look 35 years old. When they did a bunch of siding work they didn't protect the shingles from all that foot traffic.

Siding: Didn't use required stainless fasteners. Siding pieces tight together with no gap for expansion and drainage. Some siding rows 2 1/2" out of level in a 2 foot span! Siding a lesser grade than existing. Existing is 100% CVG ( Clear Vertical Grain ) with no knots. New siding has flat grain and knots. Many rows unfinished. If using staples as fasteners then fasteners must be hidden. They're not. On some rows they used scraps - the top parts of the cedar shingles as siding! That's as low rent and fraudulant as it gets. Lets just say the HOA isn't pleased.

ORC loves beach trips so we stayed an extra day and night. Before coming home I stopped at Oysterville Sea Farms and got 7 lbs of steamers and 6 dozen FRESH oysters in the shell. Taken out of the water that day and way cheaper than here in town. A great trip !

ORC was asked to look over this new roof in Sandy. The roof is a malarkey 'Highlander' shingle. Some aspects of this roof are nicely done. Some are not. There are 3 different pitches here : 4/12, 3/12, and 2/12. On the 2/12 and 3/12 areas the code and manufacturer require 2 layers of underlayment. Here there is one. Oooops! At many points of the rake/gable edges the top of the T-metal is visible. Some places up to a quarter inch. The top of any rake edge flashing should never be visible. Why? Because it will leak. Where sidewall step flashings are instead of going up under the siding they are exposed and installed on the exposed side of the siding. Can't do that either. Oh well, nobody will ever know . . . . . . . . . . .

ORC was asked to inspect these two new roofs for next door neighbors. Apparently the roofers showed up, unannounced, a week before the stated start date. That’s nice. One owner had a nice Chevy pickup in the driveway which, at the end, was covered with grit and nails. That’s nice, too. I guess the roofers forgot to cover the truck with a tarp. No big deal.

On one roof a majority of the shingle nails were over-driven. Garage attic vents were way off-kilter compared to the holes that (they) cut. On the other roof, a majority of shingle nails were under-driven, with a few nail heads already coming up through the roofing materials. This contract called for six nails per shingle. I found none with six. Most had five, a few had four, and one had three. Close enough. On one roof facet all shingle nails were 3/4” long – on an overlay. These nails don’t even reach the plywood!

On their website they talk of "clear, thorough, and thoughtful communication" and "We deliver the highest level of professional service from the moment we meet you until the end of the project." Talking the talk is always easier than walking the walk. On their website is a photo of shingles being installed on a slope too shallow for shingles - with a gun that shoots narrow crown plywood staples. What's wrong with this picture?!? About 80% of small businesses fail within the first 3 years. Roofers come and go about as frequently as the sun comes up. Recently a West Coast / Wyoming, Montana, Alaska rep for a major roofing manufacturer told me “The roofing industry has been destroyed." He was serious.

Update : 9/04/18

After multiple attempts by these two homeowners to contact / discuss these legitimate issues there has been no response from the roofer. Nothing. So much for "clear, thorough, and thoughtful communication". Both owners have filed complaints with the CCB.

Conclusion : 2/23/19

Both CCB mediation meetings went in the homeowners favor. No surprise there. One got their down payment back and the other got a full refund. Well, there's yet another roofer that wont be sending me a Christmas Card ! One condition is that the homeowners cannot tell anyone about their negative experience. I can get away with this because it's generic / anonymous. This roofer not long in business and already several complaints with the CCB. Now that (is) impressive !

This new roof had many positives including quality shingles, metal not plastic vents, metal valleys and lead pipe jacks. Chimney flashing and rake edge details also very nicely done. Then things went south. On a section in back the slope was too low for shingles at 1 1/2 in 12. Shingles can’t be put on below a 2 in 12 slope. One part of the torch applied membrane was just hanging there. None of the metal flashings were ‘sandwiched’ between plies of membrane which is a requirement – not an option – of all manufacturers. Also there were no exhaust vents above either bathroom. Code requires all utility vents to be fully and completely discharged outside. This roofer is a frequent offender. They still haven’t ever sent us a Christmas card.

We were retained to inspect this one-year-old standing seam metal roof. Seems there is major water seepage that is staining and warping the 2x6 ‘Select Deck’ ceilings throughout the home. Vaulted ceilings, no attic, just 2x6 boards over large beams. Oh, and no insulation either. Roofer says “This type of roof doesn’t need insulation”. This is contrary to several parts of the Oregon Residential Specialty Code. It’s also contrary to the two conversations that I had – one with a State Of Oregon building official and one with a Marion County plan examiner. They were both astonished when I described this to them. There were also many bumps in the roof. These due to the ‘boxes’ of all light fixtures slightly raised above the top of the deck. The metal panels are laying directly on all light fixtures!! Other than that it’s a great job.

Here’s another new roof that has to be redone. It’s just astounding how much of this I see. Shingle nails used are 3/4”, which do not meet code or shingle manufacturer minimum penetration requirements. Per ORSC ( Oregon Residential Specialty Code ) R905.2.5, 'nails must be long enough to penetrate all roofing materials and at least 3/4" into the deck'. Game over. Add to this rake/gable flashing with up to 1/4" of the top of the flashing visible and the step flashing at dormer sidewall on, not behind, the siding. Shingles on plywood with no underlayment. Roofers openly urinating in the yard for three weeks. The neighbors noticed and boy, were they impressed!  "Roofers" also.....relieving themselves..... behind the shed in back on a regular basis. Still haven't heard if the so called "General Contractor" came by with his green plastic bag to collect it like folks at the beach with their dogs do. "Roofer" was sub-contracted by a "General Contractor" recommended by a "Realtor". All three dropped the ball here. Things like this lead me to believe that, regardless of their profession, a high percentage of people just plain suck at what they do. Just stumbling through life. Amazing. Just amazing.

➲ ​See our testimonial from: Kim H.  -  Testimonial (Jul 2018) for more details.

We were contacted by the owner of this five-plex for a new roof inspection. This request was prompted by multiple leaks after the first rain after the job was completed.  

I lifted dozens of shingles to check nailing and over 90% of nails were above the nailing line as well as over driven with many blown all the way through the shingle. Seems to me it’s just as easy to put the nail on the required nailing line as it is to put it 1"-2” above the nailing line. Also applying nails flush to the shingle surface isn’t really that challenging either. Back in my roofing days I applied millions of nails and I just don’t recall it being that difficult. 

The torch applied roof membrane was laughable. No cant strip; membrane not placed completely over parapet; inside corners way wrong; open seams everywhere; contract called for lead pipe jacks – there are none here, just mastic smeared around pipes; the roofing at parapets just hanging and not bonded at all to the base sheet, which is supposedly nailed to the wall ( manufacturer requires that the entire roll be heated / bonded). What the hell – close enough. Nobody will ever know. Mastic smeared all over many roof seams. Parts of this roof look like a 15 year old roof. Rain water will be 2"-3"-4” deep before it reaches the two drains. Other than that it’s a great job !!!

Really not much to say. This ISN'T how it's done.

**See 2nd Cowboy Roofer Theme Song 

ORC was asked to inspect this new roof in Astoria so we made a two-day beach trip out of it. This home is at the top of the hill and has a $2 million view.

A permit was pulled but a plywood installation inspection request was never made. Hmmmmmmmm.......'Roofer' attempted to convince homeowners that galvanized nails were just as good as stainless. Ugh, no they're not. Owners were told all flashings including valleys would be stainless. They're not.

Multiple legitimate issues: Nails for ridge too short and not stainless; No roof to wall flashing just caulk; Pipe jacks put in wrong; Valley cuts very crooked and uneven - guess they don't know what a chalk box is; Some rows too short exposure; Ridge laid IN to the wind - in Astoria - on top of the hill; Many roof facets one row short at the top. Other than that it's a great job!

The next day we took the long way home, stopping for beach walks at Gearhart, Manzanita, and Rockaway. Perfect weather and no crowds. Picked up some fresh steamers and rockfish in Manzanita then clam chowder and crab cakes in Rockaway. ORC loves beach trips!

A potential buyer of this home wanted an inspection of this new roof. You name it and it’s wrong. This roof must be torn off and done again.

Fasteners used were 3/4" X 3/8" staples. Roofing staples were disallowed by code 4/1/03. These aren't even roofing staples! They are too short to meet minimum penetration requirements and the crowns are too narrow. Note the buried flanges of the vents and pipe flashings and how about that beautiful chimney flashing details!

Here is the description of this 'work' by the honyock that did it...............

I used to work for a roofing contractor and, during this project, I consulted with him and two other roofing contractors to make sure I was doing everything right. Two of them commented that I was going overboard ( Total BS ) but I explained to them that I wanted this roof to last the rest of my life, as it was for me, because at the time I thought I would be living here forever.

As soon as I heard who did this roof I knew what I would see. Every one of these that we have looked at has had multiple, even tripliple, basic fundamental errors...lawyer retained. Owner will demand a new roof or full refund. A lot of folks in the local roofing scene wish that this contractor would just go away. They were shut down by the state of Washington so now they are in Oregon under a new name up to the same tricks.

Every possible corner to cut was cut on this 50 year shingle roof. No drip flashing, cheap plastic vents and rubber pipe flashings that don't last, 1-ply ridge that will fail decades before the shingles do. 15-20 year parts on a 50 year roof. Amazing.

How not to work with sheet metal.Cowboy roofin' at its best! No other words necessary on this one. **See 2nd Cowboy Roofer Theme Song 

ORC loves beach jobs so when this Seaview / Long Beach job came in we decided to stay a couple days and look around.

The roof is a new standing seam metal roof with a few issues such as 1) They installed over spaced sheathing - should be plywood. 2) Stainless fasteners should be used within 10 miles of the beach. This house is 1/4 mile from the beach. Stainless not used. 3) Some terrible detail work at the ends of the three lower hips. 4) For siding repair they used #2 cedar shingles instead of ribbed sidewall shakes. Plus, the cuts were uneven and unsightly. 5) There are some scratches that will need to be painted otherwise no material warranty. 6) At the lower roof drip edge they installed a 3X2 piece on top of the standing seams ( never seen that before )  to divert water down to the gutter instead of out over the gutter. Problem is this 'diverter' will catch tree debris. Access to clean gutters was made more difficult so when gutters need cleaning and accumulated tree debris requires removal care must be taked as there are now several metal edges that are sharp and without a hem. There is a cut risk here now. Would've been easier to just re hang the gutters.

The next day I drove up the peninsula to Ocean Park, turned right toward Willapa Bay then left on Sandridge Road toward historic Oysterville. Stopped at Port of Peninsula for some nice views of Willapa Bay. At Oysterville I walked around admiring the old homes from the mid 1,800's and the 135 year old Church. There are paths all around with benches bayside for relaxing and enjoying the views. Stopped by Oysterville Sea Farms for some FRESH steamers and oysters and roasted garlic butter to bring home. Yummy! After Oysterville Sea Farms purchases we stopped by the very old Oysterville cemetary to look around then west on Oysterville Road to beach access. This beach is 28 miles long and is touted as the world's longest. It's very wide and vehicles are allowed to drive on it which many do. The weather was nice with a light breeze so I went for a 6 mile beach walk and found 6 whole sand dollars! Also got very close to a large bald Eagle that was just chilling out on the top of a pole (see photo). What a great trip!

No words necessary on this one. **See 2nd Cowboy Roofer Theme Song 

➲ ​See Dispute Finalization - Bend, OR  (Nov. 9, 2019) for more details.

Only 90+% of nails blown through on this one! As soon as I knew this job (including tearoff) only took two days, I knew what I'd find and sure enough, that's what I found! Slap it on and get the hell out. The yellow chalk lines indicate incorrectly installed nails. Of course, with thousands of nails on any roof - about 7,800 here, a few mis-applied nails are to be expected. However if such a high percentage of nails are not remotely close to shingle manufacturer specs and the Oregon Residential Specialty Code, then the manufacturer's wind warranty is void; and the fastening is not to code - not even close. Nailing guidelines are available online, in technical manuals, and are printed on every shingle bundle wrapper by every manufacturer. In other words, not difficult to access.

I've seen disclaimers before and even written a couple. This company's disclaimer read like a 3" thick novel. 57 lenghty paragraphs! Damaged gutters? Not our problem. Damaged siding? Ditto & nope. Damaged paint, yard, flower beds, windows, deck? Nahhh. We are not responsible for any mistakes or carelessness. The owner of this company used to work for one of the most notoriously BAD roofers ever in our region. Seems like they picked up some of their bad habits.........

ORC was asked to inspect this new roof in January and we found several fundamental errors including too long nails blowing through all open overhangs and a high percentage of nails over-driven and/or angle-driven and/or misplaced, including right in the shingle joints. The ridge product was different - and cheaper than what the signed contract called for.

The job was done by a contractor who subcontracted the roof work out to a completely inept and incompetent 'roofer'. Of course, the left hand never knew what the right hand was doing and quality control ?!? What's that ? There was significant water entry during the roofing process which created significant interior ceiling, wall, insulation, and paint damage.

The homeowners held payment back and as time passed the contractor changed his attitude from treating the homeowners like long lost relations to downright rude, threatening, and very unprofessional. Just as low rent and smarmy as it comes. Sure is funny how that works.

ORC was asked by the homeowners to attend a meeting with the contractor and his  wise ass sidekick. The owners wanted me there for moral support, as a translator, and to help them avoid getting wooed by some fast talking contractor. The contractor and his wise ass sidekick of course talked down to me, were dismissive, rude, and condescending - as if it was my fault they botched this roof job. They got caught so ORC is the bad guy. Twice I had to advise them to not get smart with me.

Here's the kicker on this fiasco, The contractor and his wise ass sidekick blatantly lied to the homeowners by telling them that they had  the shingle manufacturer do an inspection of the roof to ensure that it was a quality install. The owners were told that manufacturer's west coast field rep inspected their roof on November 29th. As soon as I heard this I knew it was BS. 1) Manufacturer only inspects material defect claims. They don't want to be involved in a conflict between homeowners and their contractor. If someone asks manufacturer to inspect an installation they tell the owners to call an independent roofing consultant such as Oregon Roof Consulting & Inspection. 2) I spoke at length with the manufacturer's field inspector / rep named by the solar guy and his wise ass sidekick and I was told that he never inspected this roof and had never been on the property. As a matter of fact on November 29th when the rep supposedly made this inspection in Camas Washington he was actually putting gas in his car in Sacramento California during a road trip to Montana then to Michigan then back to Sacramento California via Nevada. From early November to mid December the field rep was always many hundreds of miles away from Camas Washington. The contractor and his wise ass sidekick also told the homeowners that the manufacturer rep told them that the roof was inspected by the manufacturer field rep on November 29th. This never happened either!

Once the contractor and his wise ass sidekick were informed that no inspection ever took place the contractor was quiet however his wise ass sidekick sent 13 - count 'em - 13 late night alcohol induced  texts to the homeowners threatening to " take the gloves off, file a defamation of character lawsuit, file a lien the next day, see you in court. " Blah-Blah-Blah. Not what would be considered professional behavior. The next day when the contractor and his wise ass sidekick realized what really happened the wise ass sidekick who all of a sudden became 3" tall sent an apologetic text saying he was emotional and removing himself from the project. More likely 'been removed'. The contractor called the owners and was very apologetic and said he'd write off the cost of the new roof. That's a start however the owners still have a defective roof. Things still have to be finalized but the contractor has had a sudden change of attitude and his wise ass sidekick is still hiding under his bed. This one is especially gratifying because of the contractor and his wise ass sidekick's attitude, communication demeanor, and total lack of professionalism.

➲ ​See our testimonial from: Sarah C. - Testimonial (Mar, 2018) for more details.

ORC was asked to inspect a cedar shake roof in Beaverton and I noticed that many of the neighbors' newer roofs were the heavyweight 50 year variety. I also noticed these cheap rubber pipe flashings that will fail decades before the shingles do. See, these flaky roofers don't care about the homeowners or putting up a quality roof. They cut corners to put more $$$ in their pockets. By using these 'no-caulk' pipe flashings these varmints save perhaps $100 per roof. If they do 100 roofs in a year that's $10,000 more in their pocket! That's the Cowboy Roofer mentality and I see it all the time.

ORC was hired to inspect this 5 year old IB - PVC roof in Lincoln City. The weather was nice so I made a day of it. Stopped at the Drift Creek covered bridge, circa 1914 3 miles east of Otis then to venerable Otis Cafe for breakfast. Picked up a peach pie, a loaf of Otis wheat bread and a quart of chowder. The job was at the Roads End area of Lincoln City - up on the hill with a commanding view of the ocean.

The roof had many basic fundamental negatives and has been leaking which has caused interior water damage. The local 'roofer' was shut down by the State CCB in 2015 for 'Disciniplary Reasons'. The owners will send a demand letter to the belly up roofer and his former insurance company. You name it, they did it wrong: Bad seams; inconsistent field layout; no clamps at pipes; poor adhesion; terrible chimney & skylight details; elevation transition incorrect; perimeter flashing detail not remotely close to being correct. I see this stuff all the time and I mean all the time.

After the inspection i went for a 4 mile beach walk. Hardly anyone there and zero wind. It was sunny and 56 degrees. Drove down to Depoe Bay to look around and get some chowder to take home. Stopped at Kyllos Restaurant in Lincoln City for a bowl of chowder for lunch. Then back to the job where I brought a plastic chair up on the roof and sat and looked at the ocean for an hour. I love beach trips !

A bonus from this job was that two gentlemen approached Ol' Red and asked for a business card. One at the Depoe Bay post office and one at Otis Cafe.

➲ ​See our testimonial from: Joanne N. - Testimonial (Feb 15, 2018) for more details.

This is a 2-1/2 year old roof. In other words, new. A scam artist told the owner there was wind damage and offered to put up a tarp. The scammer prodded the owner to file an insurance claim. The scammer was so confident that a claim would be processed that he ordered new roofing material stocked on this roof - without telling the owner or getting the owners permission! I pulled up the tarp and guess what?
No wind damage! Nothing! I STRONGLY advised the owner to turn this &%@!?&^ in to the State Insurance Commission, Better Business Bureau, and the Washington Department of Labor and Industries. This crook is perpetuating fraud. Fraud is a crime.
 

This one is in the top 10 rodeo ripoff of all time. The 'roofer' bragged he's been at it 43 years. 43 years and still not a clue
Read the report for yourself....

Update :   February 2018

The roofer did the honorable thing and forgave the remaining balance which was about 90% of the contract. For this the roofer is to be commended. Most of the time these guys jump up and down and call me names. Heck, I'm just the messenger here.

ORC participated in our 15th onsite CCB mediation meeting in McMinnville. This was the first time we were on the roofers' side. ORC is actually & truly unbiased, and will give a fair assessment of any job, regardless of who the complainant is.

A homeowner - in our opinion - was trying to avoid paying their bill by making ridiculous accusations and telling a bunch of..........mis truths. They were griping about tiny insignificant dimples on older gutters and a couple of superficial scratches on the siding. The hypocricy here is that the back yard, side yard and garage was piled high with mountains of trash, debris, and rubbish which had obviously been there a long time, a real pig sty, yet they were outraged at insignificant 'damage'. Just a bit disingenuous. This win was particularly pleasing as the homeowner was a complete %#@&!?. Rude and loud. Obnoxious and interruptive. Same with the daughter. The apple never falls far from the tree. They called me a liar and doubted my credibility which infuriated me. He who laughs last laughs best.

The roofer  prevailed and ORC is now 15 for 15 when participating in these CCB meetings.

Update 3/7/19 :  The homeowner filed a $10,000 small claims suit and I participated in the trial at the Yamhill County Courthouse in McMinnville. Before entering the courtroom I told the roofer what was going to happen and sure enough. This arrogant obnoxious loud rude 'person' dug their own grave by continuing their erratic behavior - in a courtroom - in front of a judge who they were attempting to convince / persuade to award them $10,000. If someone insists on making a complete fool of themselves just get the hell out of the way. The roofer won and the homeowner got nothing. I could tell as the trial proceeded that the judge was tiring of the behavior. The judge warned the homeowner several times, once saying " you are not helping yourself here ". I laughed and chortled all the way home. Still chortling too. This one felt really good!

ORC was asked to monitor and then do a final inspection on this CertainTeed 'Presidential TL' heavyweight shingle roof. For the most part it was OK. Nothing special, just OK. The roofing bar is set mighty low here.

The main legitimate issue was the sidewall detail. With any shingle each row MUST have its own step flashing. This is Roofing 101 stuff, folks. At some sidewalls they did one for one but at many others it is two rows of shingles per one step flashing. Can't do that. Why a professional roofer would do that is beyond my realm of comprehension.

They left the original step flashings with 10" exposure to accomodate the previous cedar shake roof. Used those. Lazy. Now, they're going to have to come back - rip all this out - and do it again. At their expense!

This 'roofer' is notorious for bidding low, then presenting a huge change order for work that's usually not necessary. In other words 'fraud'. Here they tried one of their most famous tricks - tell the owners they must install OSB (waferboard) over the plywood...for $10,000! Didn't get away with it this time.
 

I inspected this 10 year-old GAF Grand Sequoia roof and boy oh boy...

You name it, they screwed it up:

1.  Incorrect starter. One-ply, not the required two.
2.  Top of rake metal showing.
3.  Both bathroom utility fans venting into the attic for ten years.This may account for all the black mold.
4.   All over the roof another course of shingles is necessary at the ridge.
5.  About thirty shingle joints in one area are visible. Shingle joints should not be visible.
6.  At a long sidewall they used the 10" step flashing that was for the old shake roof. They had two rows of shingles per each step flashing.
Can't do that. Each row must have its own step flashing.

Cowboy Roofin' at its Rodeo finest!
 

ORC was asked to look at this large roof in Banks as the ownere were experiencing multiple leaks. The plywood was coming up all over the roof, forming 'humps' which created standing water which seeped inside. The top of much of the rake metal was exposed thereby allowing water inside. To compound this problem the underlayment terminated inches back from the edge of the plywood and many nails were severely rusted, with many nail heads completely rusted away. No drip flashing was used and starter course was incorrect.
 

ORC was contacted by a homeowner in McMinnville whose seven-year-old roof was leaking and causing interior damage. There were multiple issues with this roof including :

1) No permit pulled.
2) Staples used to fasten shingles. Staples were disallowed by code on April 1st, 2003. Staples were backing out all over this roof. Even if staples were allowed these are too short at 3/4". Code and all manufacturers require that fasteners be long enough to penetrate minimum of 3/4" into the deck.
3) Underlayment at 2-3" above the bottom edge of the deck. The deck should be completely covered with underlayment.
4) At the sidewall no step flashings used - just a continuous piece of metal!
5) No drip edge flashing.
6) They shingled over shiplap. Should have installed plywood over the ship lap.
When confronted with this information the roofer actually said everything was done correctly. When told we had spoken to local and state building officials he said they were wrong. When offered my spec list to redo the roof properly he crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the homeowner's kitchen sink! In front of her!!!

Update :

The roofer gave the homeowner a full refund and a correctly installed roof was put on by a real roofer.

➲ ​See our testimonial from: Rachel E. - Testimonial (Feb 12, 2018) for more details.

Click to See ORC Roof Inspection Report