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I was a licensed contractor in MA and probably ended up doing more roofs than anything else. When roofing up along cheek walls or around skylights, we always used Grace ice and water shield around skylights. We draped it in sections so that it would fold up from the roof sheathing, on to the skylight, one long piece covering the bottom, the side pieces overlapping the bottom piece, the top piece last, overlapping the sides. THEN, the shingles are lapped in between aluminum step flashing on the sides of the skylight so that water never has a chance to reach the sheathing. THEN the flashing kit that came with the skylight cover everything. Water obviously is going travel down the roof pitch, if everything is properly bituthened, flashed and counter-flashed, you won't have a problem. What you need to do is 1.) identify the area that is leaking (sounds like one side of the skylight and 2.) strip the entire row of shingles all the way up that side and use the formula above. Silicone caulking is a bandaid for what otherwise should be proper roofing technique. The contractor needs to bite the bullet and send someone over with skills and experience and make it right (not your dad). If this was a re-roof, the entire roof should have been stripped to the sheathing. If they added a 2nd layer of asphalt shingles without stripping the roof, they did it wrong. Full stop. You might have to say to the owner, "look. The roof wasn't stripped. I realize that a layover is legal and meets code (up to 3 layers typically), but the original problem remains. (maybe offer to pay for the materials, but honestly i don't know that this contractor is the best one to use, sounds like they are over their skis)

@dingbat

I own a construction company as a GC with a specialty in roofing. As someone who has personally installed near a thousand roofs and as a company now in the thousands, a roof is either done 100% correct and fails from material wear or its an improper install there is no in-between when it comes to roofing.

If its an asphalt shingle roof (composite laminate shingle) then what @clymer wrote here is correct with the exception that the entire roof facet should be replaced instead of "strip the entire row of shingles all the way up that side." for the area experiencing leaks. It is always best practice to assume the roof was done incorrectly and zip patching like this will cause leaks in the future where the patch work was done. If you are going to do a job, do it right so it doesn't have to be done again.

Again work should be whole face work. Bottom to top.


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- Tear off existing roof to subdeck. Inspect subdeck for dryrot and replace boards as needed. CDX is always better than OSB and well worth the difference which isn't much anyway.

- Install Drip edge/ Starter metal/ Eave and Rake Metal. This is the first item to install on a roof. If you have a roofer that installs ice and water membrane first they have no idea what they are doing and you'll have ice damning leaks which will cause window and door header leaks and rotten facia. Drip edge goes first, anyone who says otherwise is retarded even tho they may mean well. The sign of an experienced roofer is that they will gap the edge metal away from the facia so the gutters have room to be installed tucked properly and so that in winter you don't have an icebridge making a connection to the structure.

- Install Ice and water membrane around rakes and eaves. Brand name doesn't matter its all the same shit for ice and water. Most states require 24 inches past the inside warm wall. On a structure below 4/12 pitch install ice and water over the entire surface. For anything above a 4/12 pitch install two courses. The Membrane comes in 36" wide by 65ft long rolls but the length can vary, width is 99% always 36". So if you have a 12" soffit or less, you can technically get away with one course. As a company my SOP is for every roof to have two courses no matter what and to cover the entire surface under 4/12. I never want to see the roof again when i'm done with it.

- Install synthetic underlayment with capped roofing nails. NO STAPLES. Staples are the sign of a cheap crew and will cause massive issues on any roof over 8/12 or under 4/12. Just use capped nails and do the job right. Do not use tar/felt paper. Its trash these days. Not worth it. Nigger tier material. The Brand of the synthetic doesn't matter either its all the same shit. Some can be torn, others have nylon ripstop type weave. If you use capped nails its all fine. Metal roofs should have the high temp underlayment, presidential roofs go ahead and get the ripstop type underlayment.

- Install starter shingles on rakes and eaves. Not just the eaves, a cheap roofer does that. Some manufactures want to see multiple components of their product on the roof for different tiers of warranty so you may want to have this be one of them. Only certified companies can offer the higher tier warranty and they all lie and say they can. You can search them on any manufactures website to verify they actually can do it and you'll want to make sure they REGISTER the warranty.

- Now you can shingle. Nails must be installed in the common bond of the shingle otherwise it is an improper install. Paying for a proper crew to take their time to nail correctly is worth it. I always 5 nail any roof and start going to 6 nail at 7/12 or 8/12. If the nails are too close to the edge of the shingle it will fail. If the nails are below a vertical keyway entrance from the row above it will fail. Understanding proper nailing placement is something you'll only get out of a guy who has fucked up and fixed his mistakes in the past and understands the value of proper technique.

-Next is ridge vent. Always ridge vent. If you have a hip roof with inadequate ride line you may need to have powered exhaust installed. There must be air coming into the attic space from near the gutter line. Usually vented soffit, bird block or other. If there is no way to do standard intake you must install smart venting intake on the roof down low for air to come in. Not all ridge vent is equal you'll want the vertical column supported. Not the sponge. Not the horizontal supported. Vertical only. Brand name again doesn't matter just get the right type. DO NOT MIX TYPES OF EXHAUST. A fan next to ridge vent will fuck it up as the fan will cause the ridge to become intake.

BONUS: If the roof has valley's. ALWAYS valley metal. Anyone roofing with current era shit shingles MUST install valley metal unless they are a nigger tier craftsman with no care in the world. Valley metal is layed in with ice and water.

Cheek roofs aka Rakes that meet a roof must be ice and water and step flashed. Chimneys and stacks must be ice and watered and step flashed. Crickets should be installed where needed. This is all standard roofing protocol.

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Asphalt shingles are shit. Big lawsuit in 2011 because the oil content has been severely decreased across the board. Every manufacture advertises 50 year warranty but the fine print is 10. Extended warranties are a marketing scam. IF you do the roof right you'll get 20-25 years depending on sun exposure. Skip proper ventilation and its cut in half for lifespan.

If you want a 50 year roof go presidential shingle, which I prefer over metal due to denting and fade. If you do metal go internal clip standing seam. single or double mechanical lock is best.

Roofs under 2/12 pitch can not be shingled. Must be TPO, Membrane, or metal.

For asphalt shingles I recommend;

GAF Timberline HDZ- the best value you can get no contest. Anyone who says otherwise is retarded. (upgrade option Grand Sequoia or Grand Canyon)

Certainteed Landmark pro- Second best choice (Upgrade option Pres Shake or Pres Shake TL)

I avoid all other manufactures and I have extensive experience in all of them.
Owens Corning Duration is the worst shingle ever made. Malarky SBS roofs are shit to install in summer. Tamco is a joke. Pabco not far behind. IKO makes a decent shingle if you are retarded and want a nylon strip which does absolutely nothing but hey, at least its on the correct side of the shingle unlike Owens Corning duration which will cause premature failure.

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Find a high tier installer on the manufactures website. Certainteed 5 star shingle master, GAF presidents club or Gold.

Get 3-5 bids. Always. Never allow them to close you on the first visit. Avoid debella like the plague they are a scam company. All same day price deals are a scam. The price will be good for a week. Line up your bid appointments accordingly. The salesman that comes over wont know a thing.

Prices:

Asphalt roofing can be installed exactly as I described with ridge vent and valley metal and two courses ice and water membrane for $450-$550 per SQ. On a 4/12 pitch. Every pitch above 7/12 is an extra $20 per sq, every extra layer tear off is around $30-50 per sq. A roofers sq is 10ft x 10ft. Base perimeter, pitch (6/12 = 1.11) 15-25% waste factor depending on how many cuts.

Or just order your own Eagleview report for $25 to get a quick sq estimate or spend $60-100 and get the premium report. I'll hand measure a rambler but everything else i order a report. Keeps everyone honest.

Therefore a 3 layer roof at 12/12 pitch would be $650-750 per sq

4/12 single layer tear off, $450-550. (i've seen as high as $900 which is robbery)

Presidential asphalt roofs are $750-$850 per SQ. Labor over 8/12 pitch is around $30 more per sq per pitch above 7/12 (I've seen as high as $1800 which is robbery)

Metal roofing:

External fastened. ~600-800 per sq dont do it
Internal fastened. ~800-1500 per sq (I've seen up to $2,000 and honestly depending on if its double mechanical fastened and crimped over eaves and 24G this price isn't that bad)


Flat roofing TPO: ~$800 per sq Give or take. This material price is dynamic and you want a crew who knows what they are doing. Over 100SQ project the price will go down.

This is one of those scenarios where business and friends/family mixing can go wrong.

The best thing to do is the right thing to do. The contractor has to make good on the install and/or do a completely new install, like what was agreed on (I'm assuming here). A good business man will own up to the poor/improper install and WANT to make it right.

Are you dealing with a licensed and insured contractor?

Professionals usually go apeshit over roof leaks because of the potential to damage everything in the house below. They’re liable for it.

It may be a simple matter of writing them a letter asking if their their insurance company will pay for current and future damage to the flooring. Include photos.

The fact that they are recommending an independent roofer may be an attempt to avoid liability.

Also, call a lawyer. I’m just a dumb ass.

Generally roofing companies either do a complete tear off of the roof (correct option) and start from scratch or they overlay the existing shingles with new ones (lazy fuck option). Overlaying is cheaper (because no demo work), but causes a lot of issues most of the time.

This remark

Makes me believe they overlayed. Overlaying allows heat to get trapped under the new shingles reducing their lifespan by at least half. It also puts tons of weight on the trusses on your roof, which is not good for structural longevity (even though I've seen houses have 4-5 layers thick of shingles). It sounds like the new overlayed shingles are diverting water incorrectly (easy for them to do since they're sitting on other shingles)-- hence it coming into your house.

IMO, having water in your house is unacceptable, period. I would get a full-refund, one-way or another. Then pay a real roofing company to do a full tear off and lay new shingles. But I am a scorched earth kind of guy when it comes to fuck-ups done by others.

For obvious reasons, as mentioned, do not mix family/favors/friends/etc, when real shit needs to get done. It just causes more stress and unnecessary drama when things go wrong. In the future, learn to say no to family.

There's always the possibility that the lackey is a bullshit artist and that the owner doesn't know the whole story.

I'd call the owner directly and invite him over for a beer & a look at the job.

If it's anything like it is up here for trades, most business owners right now are just content to have staff, good employees are a huge bonus.

One of the greatest things I ever learned in life was to NEVER try to save money on roofing

Sometimes a pro just can't make what he thought was the best solution work. The problem is admitting to a homeowner that you fucked up - it usually doesn't go well.

So you give them an out.

Gather evidence, research, show why it was the wrong solution and then say something like "I like that you're staying on it, trying, and you had a novel solution and I want this to be handled. I want you to handle it. So let's get this done, done right, so I don't to resort to other ways of fixing this that will be... problematic." And leave it at that. Don't elaborate on what "problematic" means.

Unless your pro is a complete piece of shit, he'll get it fixed right.

I've never had this approach fail.

He's telling you he has no idea what he's doing, yet this is the guy the contractor sends. Sounds like another case of "good deal" for a reason.

At this point, getting a real roofer to fix the problem is probably your best option to get it done right. Who pays for that depends on your willingness to demand correct installation and your willingness to file a lawsuit.

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The friends and family deal can work, but not when it's used as a crutch to pay less for less competence.

I manage over 1000 real estate units and let me tell you that I've seen a lot, including roofs that are leaking after being done new.

The rule is that you get what you pay for. There was a reason your father got a good deal. Reason being is that the guy who did it was learning on the job.

Just cut your losses and invest the money you would have saved into somebody else who can fix it.

Sucks, but I have seen way worse situations. Next time don't cheap out on roofing, electricity or plumbing. Anything else can be done by anyone, but not those three.

Tell your dad he is either not doing his job or he is money-gouging you. Get another set of eyes on it that doesn't have relations to you, they'll feel more inclined and responsible to get the job done.

And watch what they do, investigate with them. It's your house, you can watch the work and ask questions if you want. Another set of eyes untrained might help. Try to find the source yourself in the meantime, grab a ladder and get dirty to see if you can figure it out.

Want something done right, you have to pay for it.

Thank your dad for the help, but you will need to take point on this. This contractor is not your dads friend or family. Its pure business now.

File a better business claim and have them handle mediation. You need an independent 3rd party before you sue. Just state the facts and that you do not accept a leaking skylight. They can fix it with one more visit or they will be made to pay for a proper installers cost

If mediation fails, take them to court. Also update their social media with all your documentation Objective Facts Only, no faggot emotional rants

Does my heart good seeing so many intelligent & thoughtful replies to this.

I used to work for a wood floor co.

The owner sent me to help his cousin install an engineered floor in his wealthy father in laws waterfront home.

The cousin was a HUGE pothead that refused to function until he was stoned to the gills.

We laid down 3/4" plywood as subfloor on concrete then nailed 3/4 wood floor to it

The problem was he was using 2" nails that were going through and hitting concrete.

I told him this and he basically told me to "shut up and do your job". Fine bitch.

It would have taken 45 minutes to go to the right nails.

Well what do you know?
2 weeks later the entire floor is popping up because the nails rebounded off the concrete and didn't bite.

Now the owner looks like an incompetent asshole to his father in law who didn't like him to begin with.

I told him about the wrong nails when he told me about the problem.

His pothead cousin was always doing shit like that.

Skylights can leak. It sounds like they didn’t strip the old roof off and start with bare plywood.
The plastic flashing fin around the new skylight has to be on barewood and the perimeters sealed with Grace Ice and Water shield. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY

Tar, silicone, etc are not going to fix it.

If its a sunroom addition (meaning its not the whole house roof) its not unreasonably expensive to strip the shingles and do it again properly.

If you dont care about having a skylight then its cheap to pull it and patch that hole permanently.

When i had this problem i pulled the skylight and my dad patched the gaping hole. No more leaks. A carpenter will weave in new shingles and install 1/4 drywall to ceiling inside. Mud, tape, samd, and paint

I'm not a contractor so I can't advise on the business end, but I've done roofing. Caulk and tar should be used sparingly on a skylight. It is a system and thing have to be put together correctly and in the correct order or it will leak regardless of how much crap you cake on it. It needs to be torn out, inspected for physical damage (cracked flange, etc), and reinstalled the right way.

Do not let them attempt anymore stopgap repairs. Make them do it again.

I'd say mostly you should talk to the owner yourself, but because it is you dad's relationship that you should just double check with him first.

Don't let up for sure. People were hired to have working roof on your house and you are going to have a working roof on your house even if they have to do the whole thing a second time. Period.

The seam where they join needs a slope. Then lay shingles along the seam. Any part that is concave and flat, even a line, will cause problems.

"I wanted to leave an excellent review on Yelp for you, but this work and delays are not acceptable." That can light a fire under a business owner.

Here's the bottom line...whatever the "contract" states re conditions, obligations of contractor, service(s) supplied, unforseen variables, warranty guarantee, exemptions, rates and terms of payment and indemnity, is what determines the outcome...no contract no recourse...that is unless you're a member of a bike gang and is into breaking legs.

Get another roofer and sue the first one.

“I will be referring this matter to my lawyer” - you

The second you mention legal action is the same second your contractor will become intensely concerned with your satisfaction.

"I figure this is the best place to go" ! "Gentlemen"!

This is Voat!