fair treatment for a dis-honest cntrctr
Hi All-
Its been a while since i’ve posted here, but i always find good advice in this forum, and i’m hoping to find it again…
last summer i had my roof and gutters replaced by a small to medium sized local outfit who’s been around for a while. since the installation, i’ve had ongoing problems with the gutters. in the course of addressing these problems the contractor has demonstrated that he will say just about anything to avoid additional work and that the only way to get things done right is through persistent followup, complaints to the BBB, and refusal to accept incorrect installation methods.
my outstanding problem at this point is the rear gutter on the 2nd story. the first time it started pulling out, the roofer denied there was a problem until 2 weeks later when a whole section came loose. he came back and re-attached it about a month ago, but i recently noticed it is hanging loose again. This time i climbed up to take a closer look, and the reason for the tear out was pretty obvious: the fascia was being split apart by several of the gutter nails (Note: the house is 1929 era. i was able to pull loose a piece of the fascia… it definitely was not rotten, however it did seem pretty dry/brittle).
in the course of my inspection i uncovered an additional problem. the J-channel on teh siding where the first story breakfast nook meets the second story exterior wall was extremely loose. i didn’t disassemble it, but near as i could tell there was only one or two anchor points on either side of the gable, and neither seemed very strong. my guess is that they peeled pack the siding during the breakfast nook roof install to put up new flashing, then got lazy about putting the whole thing back together.
so- what to do?
1. The J channel seems cut and dried… put it back together the right way, and thats that – right? or am i missing something.
2. The fascia question has me stumped. is it splitting b/c he was too lazy to pre-drill, and he screwed up a perfectly good fascia? if thats the case, then it seems clear cut that he owes me a new fascia…
3. but what if the fascia really is shot? if that seems possible, then i’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and pay a reasonable unit cost for new fascia – maybe 4 or 5 bucks per lineal foot (the rafters are 2 x 6s, so the fasci ought to be 1x 8 i’m guessing)? of course the cost to come back out, take down the gutter and put it back up would be born by the contractor – right?
4. but with a contractor this problematic, should i just find a new guy to come out and do it right, then chalk up the cost to “lessons learned”
sorry this is such a complicated post… really would appreciate anybody’s input and thanks in advance!
Replies
1929?!!!!!!
Sometimes old wood splits.
I'm glad I'm not your chosen contractor.
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hey i get it... old wood splits. thats why i solicited input on BT. i want to be fair to the guy, but i just don't trust him. he lost credibility when he tried to convince me that when his crew installed two 18" lengths of downspout to tie in the front porch gutter to the main downspouts that it wasn't done wrong. problem was, that his tie-in downspouts ran dead-level and were therefore leaking like a sieve. he ultmiately fixed it, but only after first denying there was a problem at all, then trying to fix it with caulk... meanwhile every other porch in my neighborhood with the same detail has the tie in installed at no less than a 30 degree angle, and most closer to 45...
so, i'm totally off base about teh fascia... no problem. how about the j-channel? it was floating pretty loose. not a concern either?
i'm trying to avoid being a nightmare customer, but i don't wanna get taken either. i really do appreciate the input here...
I don't do much vinyl.But from my POV, it is supposed to be loose and flimsy.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
POV....
isn't that Privately Owened Vehicile???
you planning unassing the AO???
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Hi All- HI....
Its been a while since i've posted here, but i always find good advice in this forum, and i'm hoping to find it again...
last summer i had my roof and gutters replaced by a small to medium sized local outfit who's been around for a while. since the installation, i've had ongoing problems with the gutters. in the course of addressing these problems the contractor has demonstrated that he will say just about anything to avoid additional work and that the only way to get things done right is through persistent followup, complaints to the BBB, and refusal to accept incorrect installation methods. Did you have a written contract with the contractor? If not, you more than likely won't have much leverage to lean on him some. If you do have a contract check out what kind of warrantee is contracted for and how long it's good for. Most reputable contractors offer some sort of warrantee. Mine states that I warrantee my work for one year and any problems in that time I will come back at no charge to fix it. I've never had a call back. But it's in my contract. It appears from your post that this work happened last summer 07? I hope that's not the case. If your contract states other wise and your within your aggreed upon warantee period and he's not performing his part of the bargain....well.......that's why they make lawyers.
my outstanding problem at this point is the rear gutter on the 2nd story. the first time it started pulling out, the roofer denied there was a problem until 2 weeks later when a whole section came loose. he came back and re-attached it about a month ago, but i recently noticed it is hanging loose again. This time i climbed up to take a closer look, and the reason for the tear out was pretty obvious: the fascia was being split apart by several of the gutter nails (Note: the house is 1929 era. i was able to pull loose a piece of the fascia... it definitely was not rotten, however it did seem pretty dry/brittle).
in the course of my inspection i uncovered an additional problem. the J-channel on teh siding where the first story breakfast nook meets the second story exterior wall was extremely loose. i didn't disassemble it, but near as i could tell there was only one or two anchor points on either side of the gable, and neither seemed very strong. my guess is that they peeled pack the siding during the breakfast nook roof install to put up new flashing, then got lazy about putting the whole thing back together.
so- what to do?
1. The J channel seems cut and dried... put it back together the right way, and thats that - right? or am i missing something.
2. The fascia question has me stumped. is it splitting b/c he was too lazy to pre-drill, and he screwed up a perfectly good fascia? if thats the case, then it seems clear cut that he owes me a new fascia...
3. but what if the fascia really is shot? if that seems possible, then i'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and pay a reasonable unit cost for new fascia - maybe 4 or 5 bucks per lineal foot (the rafters are 2 x 6s, so the fasci ought to be 1x 8 i'm guessing)? of course the cost to come back out, take down the gutter and put it back up would be born by the contractor - right?
4. but with a contractor this problematic, should i just find a new guy to come out and do it right, then chalk up the cost to "lessons learned"
sorry this is such a complicated post... really would appreciate anybody's input and thanks in advance!
If you can afford it, I would chalk it up to experience and get someone else. If it is like pulling teeth to get him to deal with stuff, why prolong the agony? Is he in the wrong? Sure, but I'd put a price tag on how much you would pay to never have to see the guy again, and if it's anywhere close to what having the work fixed by someone you like? well...