Welcome to our blog. This page is important because many people in the roofing business have absolutely no business being in the roofing business. The huge amount of negative customer reviews on the Internet is mind boggling. You need to stay away from these folks (aka Cowboy Roofers*) and know how to get the best roofing job for the best price possible. This blog will help you do that with fun, informative, and educational factoids about all aspects of roofs and roofing.
*Cowboy Roofers are the folks you should avoid hiring because they put their interests above yours and are marginally to moderately skilled at best. Cowboy roofers give a bad name to the roofing trade and worse yet they give a bad name to the large number of quality-oriented roofing contractors out there. Check out our Hall of Shame for examples of what happens when cowboy roofers get on your roof.
If you have a question that you would like SuperRoofer Joe Sardotz to answer in his blog or FAQs, please complete the Ask SuperRoofer form. Visit Joe's Contact page if you would like Joe to provide roof consulting and inspection services for you.
Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) had a busy late Summer through early Winter 2014. Here is a summary of each job, with links to more details and picture galleries. (Dates are approximate, reflecting when we updated the website for projects completed.)
For details, please click the links and search for the title such as “SE Portland, Oregon - Flat Roof Mangled Metal (July 9, 2014)”.
SE Portland, Oregon - Flat Roof Mangled Metal (July 9, 2014) - New flat roof in SE Portland. The roofers removed the perimeter metal, mangled it all up, and then put it back on. The owner was furious. A few other items on the roof also needed rework. Another cowboy job. Thanks to ORC's help, the owner had $6,000 deducted from the bill.
SW Portland - Another Terrible Nailing Job (July 2014) - Terrible install in SW Portland, Oregon. Bad nailing, no starter course, terrible chimney flashing. A real cowboy job. The owner reached a favorable agreement with the roofer.
SW Portland - Another Terrible Nailing Job (October 2014) - Brand new 4000 sq ft roof in SW Portland, Oregon. Most nails were over driven. Roofer was very professional, sent three employees to lift all 2700 shingles, and place a new nail next to each bad nail. No lawyers. Owners were very happy with ORC's services, for which they were charged only $200.
Florence - Another Terrible Nailing Job (October 2014) - Brand-new roof at a veterinary clinic and animal hospital in Florence, Oregon. Not only was this a terrible install, the roofer tried to charge the owner for $10,000 for work that wasn't done. Lawyers are involved.
Wilsonville - Another Terrible Nailing Job (November 2014) - Brand new home in a 2500 home development in Wilsonville. The owner was very leery of the builder (for good reasons). Just about all nails were badly over driven. The builder agreed to do significant repairs including renailing the entire roof, adding a metal valley, extra vents, a 50 year material warranty, a 25 year labor warranty which is transferable, and more. No arguing. No lawyers. This is a huge housing development that has recently begun. Most roofs are likely as bad. I will be going back to look at more. Could be one heck of a can of worms. Stay tuned.
Beaverton - One of the Worst Roof Installs Ever (October 2014) - New CertainTeed Presidential roof in Beaverton. Roofer had no business installing a roof. The nailing was not remotely close to manufacturers specifications, and that was just for starters. The install wass incompetent, fraudulent, and border-line criminal. The owner retained a lawyer. The owner and roofer agreed that the owner will pay $2K (the cost of the tearoff and drop box) for a $19K roof. Roof will be torn off and re-done by a COMPETENT roofer. The homeowner was very grateful and pleased with ORC's efforts. My fee was $210.
Roof Inspection NE Portland (November 2014) - Commercial building with new, recently installed flat roof. Many basic rules were not followed, including layout and poor adhesion. The roofers also set fire to wiring at one of the exhaust fans. The perimeter metal was not replaced and the edges were left open to the weather. Improper pipe jacks were used and poorly installed.
Another Terrible Roof Install in Canby (November 2014) - Unqualified, unlicensed crew attempted to install a roof with numerous problems and terrible results. The new owner is calling the seller on this install. Lawyers are involved and ORC will be an expert at an arbitration hearing in February 2015.
Roof Inspection Clackamas (December 2014) - A woman was snookered by an unscrupulous roofer. This "roofer" broke the law and knowingly had employees do the install when he's 'exempt,' meaning he's not allowed to have employees. He's a ripoff thief. The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) has been notified. The resulting roof was terrible with numerous problems.
Another Terrible Roof Install in Milwaukie (December 2014) - A realtor's property buyer was concerned about the install of a new roof, which had numerous problems. The buyer has called the seller on this bad roof job and a lawyer has been retained. Stay tuned.
Cornelius, Oregon, Roof Inspection (July 12, 2014) - ORC inspected a home in Cornelius, Oregon. Homeowner had received many opinions on the roof and wanted an independent inspection from someone who wasn't selling anything. ORC told homeowner only very minor items needed attention and she could expect many years out of this roof. She was most happy with the report.
Vancouver, Washington, Creekside Village Apartments Roof Inspection (July 29, 2014) - ORC inspected an apartment complex in Vancouver, Washington, consisting of 20 buildings and the main office, rec room and swimming pool area. A national property management company was considering buying this property and sent a team to do due diligence. ORC inspected the roofs and provided photo and text documentation.
Port Townsend, Washington, Food Co-op Roof Inspection (August 13, 2014) - The Board of the Port Townsend Food Co-op wanted an independent third-party roof assessment done by a company that's not selling anything. ORC was hired, provided photo and text documentation, and found that the roof was in overall good condition, though a few items required attention. The Board was very pleased.
Roof Inspection SE Portland (December 2014) - ORC evaluated this roof for a regular client, a general contractor based in Vancouver, Washington. The pitched roof was in very good condition with no issues; however, the garage roof was shot and needed to be torn off and reroofed.
