The shingles above are not acceptable.  That’s a flunk.

I don’t specialize in roofing.  I specialize in customer service, doing what the individual customer needs.  Operating that way, I’ve worked on everything from foundations to roofs and most of what’s in between.  When the homeowner is happy, then I’ve done my job.

Many years ago, with only a little experience fixing leaking roofs, I got my first tear-off & re-roof job.  A couple customers of mine that I had helped finish a $50,000 bathroom for, needed their family’s beach house re-roofed.  I ordered the dumpster and materials to be delivered.  When the materials arrived, I read the directions on the shingles.  Unfortunately, that puts me out in front of many people who specialize in roofing.

The science behind roofing & flashing is the same science we studied in high school.  Gravity and wind move water around.  Water works its way into any opening it can find, and travels where it wants to.  Such activity gives us the Grand Canyon but it also gives us water-stained ceilings & walls and structurally-damaged houses.

The picture above is from a house in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  I wasn’t hired to fix the crooked lines in the shingles; I was hired to fix the leak apparently coming from a skylight.  The skylight was improperly flashed, so it was absorbing some moisture, but that was not the source of the leak.  The leak came from the crappy old pipe boot that the roofers had re-used when they put a new roof on 5 years prior; a $10 item they didn’t bother to replace.  The crooked lines may or may not have been the result of alcohol consumption on the job, but we can be sure the company that did that roof did not have a Quality Control Division in operation.

Most roofing companies will do a decent job, but I think a whole lot of campaigning has been going on to convince people that roofing is “hard work.”  Anything is easy if you have the right tools and techniques.

If you need your roof inspected, repaired or replaced, just leave a comment below, “Please contact me about my roof.”  Your post won’t show up; that just gives me your email address.  That’s how I get around spam.  I will email you my phone # and we’ll work it out.

Mike

Looking around for a home remodeling contractor?  Know your rights!

This is my own adaptation of the U.S. Bill of Rights, for Homeowners, with some additional thoughts of mine:

1. Freedom of Speech.
Your opinions matter.  You do not deserve to hear, “Listen Lady (or Pal), I’m the Professional!”  You deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.  (Easy for me, since 80% of people are easy to get along with, and I don’t work for the other 20%.)

2. The right NOT to Bear Arms.
You should not be on guard when workers are around.  Each worker should be somebody you are happy to have in your Home.  (I personally only hire workers I am happy to have over for dinner.)

3. No Accommodations for Workers.
You are not required to supply food, drinks or any other accommodations for workers.  Hired hands work for You.  (And let’s just not have your Home and premises get cluttered up with soda cans, sandwich wrappers or cigarette butts as a job progresses, okay?)

4. Freedom from Unreasonable Searches and Seizures.
You deserve security that workers will not disturb your spaces and belongings, whether you are at Home or not.  (Why hire somebody you don’t trust?  Don’t bother.  Keep looking.)

5. Right to Due Process.
You are due full disclosure of all job conditions and details of what your money is buying BEFORE you make a deposit, draw payment or final payment.  (You should be as happy paying your home remodeling contractor as you are when you are paying for a great meal at your favorite restaurant.)

6. Right to a Speedy and Quality-Inspected Job.
There should be no unknown gaps in service or undue waits for quality inspections.  (“Do it right.  Do it fast.  Make it look easy.”  A favorite slogan of mine, drummed into me by one of my mentors.)

7. Right of Trial by Jury.
You, your Architect and the local Building Inspector are the judge and jury.  You have full right to require any substandard work be remedied.  (When you treat each customer like a close friend, you plan on being on that deck you’re building, at their son’s graduation party or whatnot.  A certain quality control sets in when that mindset is established at the beginning of any job.)

8. Freedom from Excessive Charges, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
You should not be paying for, or be subject to a Contractor’s unfortunate experience with a previous Customer.  (Check your potential home improvement contractor over.  Does he/she like what they do?  Ask what problems they have had on other jobs or with other customers.  I think people who are bitter about their jobs should change careers, not spread their misery or overcharge their customers to make up for losses on a previous job.)

9. Other Rights.
You have the right to hire or fire any Contractor as you see fit.  (Shop around, find somebody you like, and stick with them as long as they are servicing you well.)

10. Right to a Licensed, Insured Contractor.
You have the right to know the local and/or state requirements for Contractors.  (Your local Building Department will be able to tell you whether a particular repair or improvement requires a license or can be done by any handyman.  You may even be able to get a Homeowner’s Permit to do a portion of a job yourself, if you care to participate in the project.  Some Contractors will warn you against doing so.  I say it’s your Home; do whatever you want!  But if you hire me for your home remodeling project, or any portion of it, I retain the right to direct that project to its full, professional completion.  Okay?)

Your comments are welcome.

Please let me explain.

This shot is from my friends Duncan and Sallee’s back deck, on the “almost island” of Nahant, in the Massachusetts Bay.  Duncan and Sallee had me drive out from Michigan, when I lived there in 2005, to replace a rotted entry door, a window, and some of the exterior trim around the house.

Their little beach cottage gets hammered by the Atlantic Ocean, and they weren’t going to hear that their house was too far away for me to work on it.  Quality of work matters to them.  Duncan and Sallee are still very good friends of mine.

Other friends of mine currently have me scheduled to do projects for them in Wilmette, Illinois; Dune Acres, Indiana; and back in Buffalo, New York.

Now that I have moved from Buffalo to Dublin, Ohio, I am putting up this new website, so you and I have a chance to meet.  Whether you need your porch, bathroom or kitchen remodeled, your basement finished, your insulation upgraded to spray-foam so you can save money every winter, or whatever, I’ve made many friends out of new customers doing just about everything that can be done to a house.

Talk to your friends.  Find out if they had a contractor that treated them well.  If you’ve already done that and you’re still searching, look over my blog.  See if you think I’m the right person to work on your place.  Then, leave a comment for me and I’ll contact you via email to arrange to meet.  Before you know it, you’ll be meeting my wife Teri and we’ll be having dinners together.  I’ll help you with your home or other properties.  It’s really easy.

Even if you and I don’t end up working together, I’d love to hear about your positive or negative experiences working with contractors; this is simply a survey point that will help me streamline my own service delivery.  Please post what you liked or didn’t like about working with a particular contractor.  The comment won’t show up until I get a chance to reply, so come back soon!

Thanks, Mike