bad weather, no shingles, broken leg, bad luck

mobrien242000

15 years ago

Oh my goodness.

Our contractor, per say, (teacher in charge of the Building Trades Program) was trying to get tar paper on our roof this weekend before the winter storms hit this week. The winds have been horrible in Central IL all weekend! He fell off the roof and broke his leg and is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. Thank goodness he had his cell phone with him to call for help.

So now we are not sure where we go from here. We are trying to find someone to do the shingles as soon as possible, but this week's weather sounds blistery!

We thought we an outside contractor hired to get us under tar paper by the end of last week, but that didn't happen. They didn't get it done. The wind this weekend blew off most of the tar paper they put on and now the contractor tells us we still owe him $1200. I'm so frustrated. Do we really have to pay if he didn't finish the job he said he would do by the time he said he would do it? They also left a mess on the site....trash everywhere....boards everywhere.....mud everywhere.

I'm very frustrated.

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Comments (7)

davidandkasie
15 years ago
Do we really have to pay if he didn't finish the job he said he would do by the time he said he would do it?

yes, unfortunately you do have to pay him. BUT there is nothing forcing you to pay now. i would tell him when he gets it finished and the job cleaned up you will pay up.
worthy
15 years ago
I hope you have insurance if he comes after you for treatment and recovery from his injury.

You paid a contractor for putting on underlayment alone, not underlayment and shingles? It's not his fault they blew off. The good news is that, unless there's a local requirement for underlayment, you can forgo it altogether. But you must put on ice and weather shield for the first three feet of the roof.

{{gwi:1519959}}
Photo: Family Handyman Magazine

Your gc sounds less than ideal in both his capacity as roofer--he should have been harnessed and tied off--and as a gc. Maybe time to rethink your arrangements.
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mobrien242000
Original Author
15 years ago
The gc didn't finish his job, so the teacher was on the roof trying to get it finished. It is just a bad situation. I know we will have to pay the gc, but at least I will feel better about it AFTER he cleans up his mess.

As far as ideal situation goes, no....we are not in an ideal situation, but we knew that going into the deal. The experience the students get from building this house is priceless, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am disappointed that when we called in a local contractor to help out...........he was the one who didn't do what he said. He was doing the underlayment so the students could proceed with the shingles. Time is an issue since the students will be on Christmas Break after this week. The students only work a few hours a day, so by hiring a contractor to work 8 hours a day we were hoping to have the roof ready for the students to put on shingles.

I don't expect most of you to understand, it is a learning project and we benefit by only buying the materials for the most part. I just expect when someone tells me they will finish something by a certain date.....for that to be true. Had the contractor finished what he said he could do on time, the teacher wouldn't have been on the roof in the first place.

It will all work out. I just wanted a sympathetic ear, I guess.
worthy
15 years ago
I sincerely hope what you're saving by using student labour supervised by a teacher who doesn't practice elementary safety rules more than makes up for what it's costing you.
marthaelena
15 years ago
Mobrien,
Where in Central IL are you?
Are they Lincoln Land CC students?
sierraeast
15 years ago
Our high school has a residential course where the students work on habitat for humanity remodels as well as new builds. The instructor is a licensed builder.

Though the wind is no fault to either party, there are measures the contractor could have taken to prevent losing the underlayment such as using cap nails or lath strips to hold it down. I would only pay up after it is recovered and the site cleaned up.
megradek
15 years ago
Best of luck, Mobrien. This weather sucks. Hope the teacher is okay.

bad weather, no shingles, broken leg, bad luck

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davidandkasie

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bad weather, no shingles, broken leg, bad luck

Comments (7)

davidandkasie

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mobrien242000Original Author

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mobrien242000
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