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Hi everyone,
Does anyone have a good contract for re roofing a house that I can use to compare the one I just got?
I’m worried that the one I received is too short. For example it doesn’t include nails per shingle.
Also it’s not clear if a permit is required in the town of north Hempstead.
Standard preprinted roofing contracts won't specify nails per shingle because the requirements will vary according to the manufacturer's warranty specs for each product. For example, GAF specifies that for the maximum wind blow off coverage due to winds of a certain mph (like a hurricane), the shingles must have been fastened with six nails each. Anything less than six nails and they will deny warranty coverage because of improper installation per THOSE conditions. You need to read the fine print of the exact roofing warranty that you are getting for the exact shingles they will be installing, and then say you want that specified in the contract that you sign. Roofing manufacturers typically have different levels of warranty coverage depending on what the shingles are, etc etc.
This was the most recent roofing contract I have (one year ago)
1. Remove entire roofing down to existing wood sheathing. If plywood damage exists, will replace up to 15 sheet free with job if needed. Additional sheets will be at an additional cost of $75 per sheet, replacing with 1/2" CDX exterior grade plywood.
2. Install new GAF weatherwatch ice and water shield 6 ft on leading edge of lower roof sections, valley areas and perimeter of any existing skylights throughout roof area
3. Install prefabricated GAF white 8.5" drip edging under new shingles.
4. Install new GAF pro-start starter strip on eave/rake and at low edges.
5. Install new GAF Deck Armor premium breathable roof deck protection on entire roof area.
6. Install new vent pipe flashing where needed.
7. Install new GAF Timberline HD Charcoal shingles on entire area. Lifetime guarantee from manufacturer on material & 25 years on labor. Transferable warranty. GAF Golden Pledge Warranty.
8. Install new GAF Cobra ridge vent system on peak area, cutting both sides approx 2" to help prevent moisture buildup.
9. Install new GAF Timbertex ridge cap shingles.
10. Flash down existing vent pipes, rakes, chimneys and skylights with Karnak fabricated flashing.
11. INstall new prefabricated 1 cut valleys on each end of existing A frames.
12. Remove existing chimney flashing and install new copper flashing on base chimney, cutting riglet into existing mortar joint.
13. Remove existing gutters and leaders and install new seamless white baked enamel gutters and leaders, all gutters to be installed with inside hangers.
14. Install new overlap inside gutter for proper drainage
15. Clean and cart all debris.
There were additional items that were specific to my particular house/job that were additional cost but this is how their standard printed roofing contract reads.
On the back of the contract in the 27 items of fine print there is one that sort of pertains to permits:
"It is understood and agreed that if any labor or materials or plans or specifications are necessary by reason of Building Dept regulations, restrictions on property, or changes requiested by the undersigned [customer] then the undersigned agrees to pay for such additional labor, material, plans or specifications."
That's the closest the contract comes to referring to permit type stuff. Most of it states what the roofer is NOT responsible for, lol, such as any damage to the exterior or interior of the house as a result of the job.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 12-09-2018 at 12:28 PM..
Anything less than six nails and they will deny warranty coverage because of improper installation per THOSE conditions.
Right, this is when I decided to post here, because each brand may base their warranty policy based on local weather conditions. Long Island is a high wind area for them then?
Sorry, I may not have been clear. :-( Roof manufacturer warranties aren't different according to where you live; they're usually different according to the specific type of shingles you buy. For example, GAF offers four different kinds of warranties: Base, System Plus, Silver Pledge and Golden Pledge. The Golden Pledge warranty covers more things than the others do, and for a longer period of time.
For example here's what the Golden Pledge warranty says about nailing:
GAF warrants to you that your GAF shingles and ridge cap shingles will not fail to seal, blow off, or sustain damage from winds (including gusts) up to the applicable wind speed listed below after your shingles or ridge cap shingles should have sealed but did not due to a manufacturing defect or their misapplication. If your shingles or ridge cap shingles do fail to seal, blow off, or suffer wind damage, GAF will reimburse you for the reasonable costs of replacing the blown-off shingles or damaged shingles or ridge cap shingles and head-sealing any unsealed shingles or ridge cap shingles. Costs relating to metal work and flashings (other than Covered Flashings) are not included. GAF's maximum liability under this paragraph is to reimburse you for the cost of hand-sealing all of the shingles and ridge cap shingles on your roof.
Then below this paragraph is a table listing the different kinds of shingles they make and the wind speed coverages under the warranty. Their top grade shingles (Lifetime Designer and Timberline Lifetime) are covered for winds up to 110 mph if they were installed "without special installation."
But if the shingles were installed via what GAF calls "special installation" the warranty covers wind speeds up to 130 mph. GAF defines special installation this way:
Your shingles will be covered up to the maximum wind speed shown above (130 mph) ONLY if your shingles are installed using 6 nails per shingle AND you have GAF starter strip products installed at the eaves AND rakes.
The lower grade shingles only offer wind speed coverage depending on what shingles they are. Royal Sovereign (lowest grade) is covered only up to 60 mph winds. Marquis Weathermax only up to 80 mph winds. The extra coverage for "special installation" isn't applicable to those shingle products.
Now, is your house likely to be hit by even 110 mph winds or gusts? Maybe, if you're south of 27A on the south shore in a hurricane. By 130 mph wind gusts? Hardly likely here on Long Island. But along the south shore or on the east end, 60 mph gusts are definitely a possibility and so I wouldn't bother using their two lower grade shingles.
More important is the misapplication coverage because that covers you for problems caused by faulty installation work. The Golden Pledge warranty covers this for 25 years. The Silver Pledge covers this for 10 years. The Base and System Plus warranties do not cover faulty installations.
So how many nails? According to GAF's instructions for their Lifetime shingles, the "standard nailing pattern" is 5 nails per shingle. The special/enhanced nailing pattern, required for maximum wind speed coverage, is 6 nails per shingle. If the roofer installs using only 4 nails per shingle and you get blow-offs, it should still be covered up to 110 mph under the Misapplication coverage IF you have either the Silver or Gold level warranty.
If I were you I'd find out what product and what manufacturer's warranty (if any) they are offering you on your job. Then read it to find out what it covers; it'll be on the roof manufacturer's website somewhere. Also the Installation Guidelines, which are usually in the section for Contractors/Professionals rather than the section for Homeowners. That will tell you the mfg's nailing pattern specs.
Right, this is when I decided to post here, because each brand may base their warranty policy based on local weather conditions. Long Island is a high wind area for them then?
Depends where you live on LI.....what town do you live in?
The idea is to have it in the contract so that if the homeowner does have to ever put in a roof warranty claim, and the manufacturer's rep comes out and finds the roofer didn't install it as per contract (less than spec'd) the responsibility/cost is on the roofer. Especially if there's no misapplication coverage in the customer's warranty.
If the roofer promised to use X number of nails per shingle in the contract, but used less than that on the job, the homeowner can sue for whatever costs the manufacturer will refuse to cover under the warranty because of that.
You can bet your life that the first thing the manufacturer's rep will do in the event of a claim is to check things like how many nails per shingle were used.
And actually GAF used to do random spot checks of completed jobs done under their Silver and Gold warranties. I don't know if they still do, but it's there in the materials they provide to customers. Other roof manufacturers may do that as well.
KB, you don't agree that the roofer/homeowner should be following the manufacturer's nailing pattern as per the installation specs?
For example, if I'm working for GAF and inspecting a roof for a blow-off claim that's been affixed with 4 nails per shingle even though the material specs say 5 per shingle for a standard installation, I'm going to use that as a loophole to deny the blow-off warranty coverage.
Certainteed even has different nailing patterns as per slope of roof. For example their nailing pattern for their Landmark shingles on a normal or low slope roof is 4 nails per, but on a steep slope for the same shingle it's 6 nails. The reason I know this is because I had a roof warranty claim denied on a previous house for exactly that reason: the installer didn't follow the nailing pattern for the shingles/slope combo and Certainteed refused to cover it under the warranty for that reason.
Landmark TL shingle installation specs even require a certain minimum nail length. Certainteed is even more picky than GAF is about installation (probably so that they can deny as many warranty claims as possible, LOL)
Once burned, twice shy.
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