ORC was asked to inspect this new roof in Canby. This one done by a high priced high pressure company. They avoid returning to fix mistakes if at all possible. Instead they have a 'war chest / contingency fund' which they use to attempt to buy people off.  Here are the screwups on this one : 1) Using CDX at open overhangs. This is not a code issue but is an industry standard. At open overhangs you should use plywood with 1 good side such as AC or CCPTS. 2) 1 1/2" nails used for the ridge shingles over a ridge vent. These nails are too short and don't even reach the plywood roof deck!. 3) A large section with a 1 1/2 / 12 pitch had shingles installed. Only problem is that you cannot apply shingles on a slope less than 2/12. Period. No exceptions. Funny thing is, this information is printed on every shingle bundle wrapper by ALL shingle manufacturers.

ORC was asked to travel to Lynwood which is just north of Seattle to inspect this Nu-Ray 16" standing seam metal roof. At first glance it's a beautiful job however upon a more detailed inspection we found most detail work inconsistent such as mangled trim pieces that looked like they were installed with a backhoe and roof junctions totally relying on caulk instead of the mechanical. Ridge panels were installed against the wind instead of with the wind. The homeowner will request that his $60,000.00 new roof be reworked at these sloppy areas. He has leverage as he still owes them $40,000.00.

98% of the nails on this GAF 'Woodlands' roof were over-driven. Fortunately the shingles hadn't sealed yet so I looked at about 300 nails. The roofer agreed to come back and lift all shingles and essentially renail the entire roof. Sure seems to make more sense to just do it correctly the first time. After all, applying a nail really isn't that difficult. I've actually done it !

ORC was asked to assess this 8 year old roof on a home being sold.

The buyers had a 'roofer' look at it and he concluded the shingles were falling apart and there were soft spots all over the roof. The shingles are fine and should easily last 20 years. I found no soft spots. Objectivity is not always profitable.

I run in to this a lot. Roofers who flat out lie in an attempt to just make a sale.

One of the worst torch applied roofs ever! So bad it needs to be done again. There was considerable damage inside as the roof wasn't tarped and rain got in. The sheetrock flakes got texture all over the furniture that wasn't covered. The electrician - who wasn't a certified electrician - covered up switch plates and left bare wires within walls. Now several lights don't work. Oh, the shingle install was bad so the owner won't be paying for that either. It's astounding how much of this wreckless and fraudulant behavior I see.

Two days after our October 7th central Oregon road trip ORC was hired by State Farm Insurance to inspect this tile roof in Sunriver, central Oregon. So it was back over Mt Hood, through Warm Springs, Madras, Redmond, Bend then finally Sunriver. We combined this job with another inspection in Madras which is located just off Highway 26 on the way to the Bend - Sunriver area.

This roof was installed by someone with roofing experience but little or no tile experience. Numerous fundamental errors were made including using 15lb felt and putting the battens under the valley metal meaning the valley pieces are just laying there.

This home is for sale and the owner wanted an independent assessment of his $25K new roof.

1) Contract says new headwall flashing. This wasn't done - instead the original flashing was buried beneath the shingles.

2) Two of three pipe jacks were nicely installed and painted lead which is what you should use on a long-life roof. The pipe in back had a cheap 'no-caulk' pipe flashing. These don't last. For continuity all pipe flashings should match. This one was replaced with lead to match the others.

3) The continuous ridge vent was not continuous. See the two places where there are gaps. Never seen this trick before!

4) The wall flashing at this angled junction is incorrect. It should be similar to a headwall flashing - instead they reused the original flashings which are mangled, different colors, don't sit tight to the roof and each one accomodates two-three rows of shingles instead of the required one per row of shingles.

This roofer has had multiple CCB complaints and was even accused by one homeowner of making $8,000 in unauthorized charges to the homeowners credit card! Their scheme is to bid low, use high pressure sales tactics, give phony 'discounts', then once the job starts  show up with high dollar change orders that aren't necessary. They even tell whoppers such as " if we don't do it this way the manufacturer's warranty is void " which is total BS. I've inspected 7 of this company's roofs and all homeowners have described the same tactics. Buyer beware!

You name it and they ?%$#@!'d it up. This is definitely in the top 10 of all time. Please see the ORC summary report via this link.

Update :   9/19/17

This roof will be torn off and replaced.

ORC was asked to inspect this new roof on a home that will be sold.

The owner was concerned about all the large obvious gouges all over the roof and wondered what else could be wrong.

Indeed there were severe gouges all over the roof due to carelessness in hot weather. The 'roofers' didn't use toe boards and brackets! For access they directly nailed 2X4's into the new shingles. After removing the 2X4's they didn't replace the damaged shingles and didn't even caulk any of the holes in the new shingles made by the nails!

When these cowboys showed up to start the job they had no ladder and no truck. For roof access they climbed up on the drop box and then the garage roof for access to the main roof. Now THAT'S innovation! These guys also used two different styles and colors of vents, did the ridges completely wrong, used drip edge flashing at some areas and not at other areas.

The 'roofer' has exempt status with the CCB meaning no employees. It's %@#&!*?'s like this who give a bad name to the industry and all the real roofers out there.

ORC was asked to inspect this new monstrosity...I mean roof, in Vancouver (The Coove). Here's the list:

• Bad nailing
• Vents and pipes not sealed
• CDX used at open overhangs
• On one side all the plywood was replaced and they started at the top and went downward. Trouble is they ended up putting a 3" strip of plywood at the eave. Note the results
• The big one is that 60% of the house is a 3/12 pitch. They didn't do this area with low slope underlayment install. It should have an ice & water shield (or) 2 layers of something. Instead, they put one standard ply of 15lb felt.

Civil suit is forthcoming!

See our Blog entry regarding the Washington Dept. of Labor & Industries - Important Notice To All Roofing Contractors

This is a poorly done GAF Grand Sequoia roof. The ridge nails don't even reach the plywood and they need to put another course of shingles on all around the house. This masterpiece was done by a long time home remodeler who recently added roofing to their offerings. They sub the work out and charge a high middleman fee. They have a lot to learn.

Update :  9/19/17

This roof was repaired. After the work was done the owner of the subcontracted roofing company had the nerve to walk up to the senior citizen homeowner and say to her - " You have cost me a lot of money ". Translation: No, you cost yourself a lot of money - you screwed up and got caught. Perhaps you should consider doing it right the 1st time?!? What a concept!!

ORC inspected this six-year-old roof and discovered that required stem vents were not used for the utility vents. The subsequent volume of water vapor that entered the attic warped the plywood, creating humps on the roof four feet apart, which created standing water and water entry via shingle seams. A double whammy here as not only did moisture enter from within the attic -  rain also leaked in due to the humps caused by the warped plywood!

Update :    9/19/17

When confronted the 'roofer' said : " The shingles are defective, the pitch is wrong, maybe the previous owner wouldn't allow us to replace the bad plywood, your inspector was probably just a home inspector and knows nothing about roofing ". Yawwwwwwwwwwwwnnn.....

➲ ​See New Roof Inspection - Carlton, OR   (May 26, 2018)

Here is a terrible flat roof install done by a company that brags on their radio ads that they're THE BEST! Uh huh. This company is a multi multi offender. Whenever I hear their name mentioned by a new client I automatically know it'll be a garbage job. This masterpiece took 4 - yes - FOUR hours to do, and it looks like it! Not only is this carelessly installed flat roof leaking, but they significantly damaged a lot of shingles in the process. That a roofer would leave a job with so many badly damaged shingles is just incomprehensible. Just look at the horrendous detail work. Cowboy roofing at its worst.

Update :    10/01/17
The homeowner filed a complaint with the CCB and ORC attended the mediation meeting - our 14th. We are now 14 for 14! Things seem to go well when facts are on your side. The 'roofer' forgave the entire contract and also wrote a check to the homeowner for $2,500.00. Another roofer who wont likely be sending ORC a Christmas card this year...........which is fine.

Update :    12/23/17
Here is the new roof (again) this time done professionally and correctly. Quite the difference! See all you cowboy roofers - it IS possible to do roofing correctly!

➲ ​See our testimonial from: Bonne B: Testimonial - NE Portland, OR  (Oct. 2017) for more details.

ORC was asked to inspect this four-year-old roof on a beautiful custom home right on the Deschutes River between Bend and Lapine. I took Highway 26 / 97 over Mt Hood and through Warm Springs, Madras, Redmond, Bend and Sunriver. Stayed 2 nights in Lapine.

There had been water intrusion the past two winters so the owner had what turned out to be legitimate concerns. Corners were cut, such as cheap pipe flashings that will fail long before the shingles do and entry level ice & water shield that is already seperating from the deck. No perimeter flashing was used. Nothing. I've seen chicken coops with perimeter flashing. This is a beautiful custom home and not a duck ranch. At sidewalls, instead of each shingle row having its own step flashing, they had two rows for each step flashing! Can't do that.

The main issue was that fastening was not to code. Staples were used which were disallowed by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code on April 1st 2003. And even if staples were still allowed, these were too short at only 3/4".

Staples are already backing out all over the roof! Fasteners must be long enough to penetrate roofing materials and at least 3/4" into the roof deck. If the deck is less than 3/4" thick, the fasteners must go all the way through the deck plus at least 1/8". 3/4" does not accomplish this. Same with the ridge nails. Too short, plus they aren't even roofing nails. Too small of a head. Nail heads must be at least 3/8" in diameter. These were half that!

The 'roofer' thinks code violations are not code violations. Just wing it. Apparently, lawyers get paid to parrot their skeezy clients without doing actual research. In architectural General Conditions, each trade reviews prior work and deems it acceptable before stating their own. If the roofer sees that roof geometry doesn't drain properly and shingles it anyway, it sort of becomes his problem, no?

This roof was mis-applied and not close to being compliant with local, state, and international codes. The owner is going to demand a new roof - done correctly and to code...like its supposed to be. Gee, do it right! What a concept!

ORC had several travel jobs come in at once.

Dayton-Salem-Eugene-Salem-Bend, so we hit the road for a week. This is a new Malarkey 'Windsor' roof in Salem. What was on the contract didn't quite match up with what was on the roof and we found several items that required rework.

Update :   9/19/17

The rework was done, I went back and inspected - at the roofers' expense - it passed and the homeowner also got a nice $$$ rebate.

This home in Eugene had no drip edge flashing s much of the OSB decking was rotted and crumbling several inches up the roof. While drip flashing is not required it's very rare you see a roof without it.

The roof was attached with staples which were disallowed by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code on April 1st 2003. This roof was installed in 2007. Oops!

Another rodeo job. Terrible nailing. Bad detail work. Ridge cap nails not long enough to even reach the deck! Didn't even bother to cut the opening for the continuous ridge vent.

Update - August 24th, 2017 :

ORC attended their 13th onsite CCB mediation meeting. The home owner prevailed. That's 13 out of 13 so far. If the roofer would have done this job properly it never would have come to this. That's an expensive lesson. Well, here is another contractor who won't be sending me a Christmas card. To quote the homeowner : "The mediator spoke very, very highly of you at the end of the day before leaving. About your expertise, generosity, and fine ethics. Thank you so much !" ......Aw schucks - twernt' nuthin.

➲ See the  Nicole C Testimonial (Aug. 27, 2017)

ORC was asked to inspect this new roof on a brand new home in Canby.

There are about 60 homes in this development, all with black roofs, which seems a bit odd. Whoever installed this roof was in a tremendous hurry: very bad nailing; row exposure varies from 5" to 6"; shingle end joints vary from even - off kilter - overlapping; Nails too high - misplaced - missing - in shingle joints - over driven - angle driven. At least they started at the bottom and worked upward!

Update 9/7/17:

This new roof will be torn off and done again.

ORC was asked to inspect this new Certainteed Landmark roof. There were many positives about this job however the negatives outweighed those positives.

Careless and sloppy detail work, siding removed but not replaced, nails in shingle joints, too short nails at ridge vent that didn't even reach the plywood,  roof to wall flashing that was beat on with a hammer, and no storm collar on a gas B vent pipe. Other than that - everything was just peachy!

Update :   9/19/17

Everything was fixed / reworked. Now the homeowner is happy.

Here's another brand new roof that must be torn off and done again.

They put shingles on a 1/12 pitch - shingles may not be installed on a slope under 2/12. PERIOD. They also used staples which were disallowed in 2003. By using staples the manufacturers wind warranty is now void.

Amazing!

ORC was asked to inspect this brand new roof as the owners were concerned it wasn't installed properly. Smart people! This roof is so bad it will have to be torn off and done again. Please see the attached report that I sent them. The name was changed to protect the victim.

The 'roofer's' CCB license was suspended 2 weeks after this roof was installed. He was on his 4th license number. His CCB rap sheet looks like a movie script. Multiple fines, complaints, and suspensions. He has 4 pending claims including this one. Just a total incompetent, ripoff  crook. There is no shortage of these frauds in our area so be careful when shopping for a new roof!

Click Icon to Review Report

A homeowner contacted Oregon Roof Consulting to look at this brand new roof. We observed severe leaking at both chimneys and significant ceiling and wall damage, not to mention soaking-wet fireplace bricks inside the house. In our opinion a new roof shouldn't be leaking! The roofer tried to blame the chimney restoration company, but the roofer was definitely at fault. The flashing and counter-flashing were so poorly done that all the roofing and flashing around both chimneys must be removed and done again.  Meanwhile this 82 year old widow has water pouring into her nice home every time it rains.

Update: 3/30/17

After showing skepticism of our findings the roofer conducted a water 'flood' test. The roofer will be returning to remove all roofing and flashing around both chimneys and doing it over. Once it is determined that the chimneys are no longer leaking then the interior repairs will be done. One of these days..........just for the sake of fairness..........perhaps ORC will make an incorrect assessment.

Once this brand new roof began leaking (only when it rains, of course), the homeowner hired Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to perform an inspection to find the source of the leak, and to determine if there were other legitimate problems. There were. Our report provided details on eight separate issues ORC documented during our inspection.

With those problem points clearly identified, the homeowner immediately contacted the contractor and secured a work agreement. The scope of work quotes, almost verbatim, the eight issues ORC identified in our report. The homeowner then requested that ORC verify the contractor's repairs.

Hey Joe,
Hope you are well. I wanted to give you an update/hopefully follow up on having you come back out to verify my roofer's repair work next week. I've attached the work agreement we negotiated, which is largely based on the findings in your report ... [w]e're hoping to get lucky next Wednesday (the 15th). Would you be available to come out for an inspection that day?

Update: 3/29/17

All issues corrected and now this qualifies as a well done roof. Better than most.

Here's another brand new roof with issues.The homebuilder built several homes in this new development. The 2 low slope areas in front did not have proper low slope underlayment and had to be torn off and done again, and several shingles up on top blew off and the area was left open for over a week during record February rains including one day with 1.83 inches! All matters have been addressed.

Not only is there no shortage of unscrupulous roofers, but there are some 'interesting' home builders out there, too. This Certainteed Presidential Shake roof is only six years old, but it was not professionally installed and now needs thousands of dollars in repairs.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) was contacted by a general contractor in Redmond, Washington who wanted an independent assessment of this $117,000 Nu Ray standing seam metal roof in North Bend, 30 miles southeast of Seattle. ORC consulted a technical expert at Nu Ray regarding proper installation. There are so many issues with this roof it's mind-boggling, including but not limited to:

• valleys laid crooked and cuts too close to the valley centers;
• sidewall flashing not under siding such that the wall plywood was exposed;
• drip edge at various reveals from 5/8" to 2-1/2" instead of a consistent 1";
• panel turn-ups at various angles;
• tops of panels laid on top of existing back wall flashing;
• panels not going all the way up in alcoves, thus exposing the plywood decking;
• short pieces of rake trim between full length pieces;
• dents, gouges, and deep scratches all over the roof;
• gutter screens torn from the roof and gutters severely mangled from snow because snow retention accessories were not installed;
• ridge pieces (12/12) not the same pitch as the roof (4/12);
• mangled and compressed pipe boots;
• lawn burned from panels lying on it in the sun, requiring that the lawn be replaced;
• sloppy and careless detail work throughout;

The owner will demand the roof be torn off and done again. Lawyers are involved. It's just amazing what these guys try to get away with. Stay tuned!

Yet another brand new roof that must be done again. This one was through a big box store who sub-contracted the job to someone who sub-contracted to someone else. The tear-off was not properly tarped and there was significant water damage to the ceilings, hardwood floors, and carpet. Detail work was terrible throughout. Shingles all over the roof were badly scuffed. Some nails were placed too low on the shingles and the heads were exposed. Other nails were placed too high, some were over-driven, angle-driven, under-driven, you name it. The ridge was spaced at 7" to 7-1/2" instead of 5-5/8" so the nails didn't also catch the top of the preceding ridge piece, as required.

Here is another brand new roof that must be torn off and done again. The roofer laid shingles over very lumpy felt, and cut the shingles even with, and back from, the rake edge metal, exposing the top of the flashing in many places. The nailing was terrible with many, many nails that were under-driven and poking through the shingles all over the roof. Other nails were OVER-driven completely through the shingles, angle driven, and misplaced. The owner will demand a new roof... again. Stay tuned!

Oregon Roof Consulting inspected this brand new Pabco premium quality roof. The roofer didn't give the required documents prior to starting the job regarding liens, etc. They used two kinds of ridge, installed shingles on a FLAT section, used nails on ridges that were too short and therefore pull out easily, and were inconsistent on many other details. When informed of the issues, the roofer became defensive and confrontational, saying "I've been roofing 35 years!!". Yessir, roofing 35 years and still doesn't know the rules. A different roofer will be hired to rework all the screw ups. The first roofer will be given whatever money is left over.

Oregon Roof Consulting was asked to inspect this new roof, which was part of a real estate transaction. It looks great from the street, but the fastening is not close to industry standards. The buyer demanded satisfaction and the roofer agreed to lift every shingle and essentially re-nail the entire roof.