The roof is finished, and I'm very happy with it. I did have a small glitch, though. I overheard the men whispering up on the roof. My intuition and Lula, my dog warned me. I went out to check on things. They had blow torched the first layer, and already nailed it down into the wood. I noticed a piece of the original frame underneath that was old and tattered. It hadn't been replaced.
I pointed it out to one of the workers, and he acted like a teenager. "You want to talk to my boss?" he challenged me. "He's my boss," he continued, sarcastically cmotioning to another roofer with a big smile. I spoke with him, but he speaks mostly Spanish. We can have a conversation, but not at the level I needed to for this subject.
I was very concerned that it was almost too late, so I immediately called the woman who had booked the job with me at the office. I told her that they were laying the top covering over some old wood, and that I needed for the owner to come by immediately.
He wasn't available, but she called one of them on their cell phone. They stopped working and went home. She had to come back the next morning, which wasn't on the schedule. I don't know what she said to them, but it obviously worked.
It's so important to say something right away, and not to wait. I always try to contact the owner. That is who gave me the estimate for this job. The next day, they cut the nails, removed the bad piece of wood, and replaced it. I got up on a ladder and checked everything. I had a binder, my glasses, and pen, and paper. I went into ballet teacher mode. When you are spending several thousand dollars, you want things done right, the first time.
Has anything like this ever happened to you? How did you handle it?
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Well done on confronting them. We had the builders from hell build our conservatory. They picked on the wrong person when they tried to get away with a bad job. I told them I wouldn't pay them until the work was done properly. I also threatened to take a full page ad in our local newspaper cataloguing their shoddy work.
ReplyDeleteIt's always better to wait to pay until things are done correctly. It sounds like your workers did pick on the wrong person, Cherie.
DeleteMay I just say - you are awesome! There are sooo many who try to take advantage of folks who they think won't know or catch on. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, LL. It's a relief to have it fixed.
DeleteWe once had a painter try to get away with NOT painting the upper surface of a wooden pergola -the surface which was most likely to be damaged by weather -but which you could not see unless you got a ladder. Yep, it is shocking when this happens. We do need to be on the job to get it done right.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, emw. You see all kinds of things when you are up on the ladder.
DeleteExcellent...on your part! You have to supervise and it is providence that you happened to hear them and to look at their work! Andrea
ReplyDeleteYes, Andrea, and my sweet Lula girl. Dogs always know...
DeleteGood for you Stephenie! I’m so proud of you for speaking up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nil. A new roof is a huge investment.
DeleteI think it's important to check work that's been done because these types of short-cuts can end up costing so much money. When we built our home here, the painter did not seal underneath each and every wooden french door, of which there are five sets. When the first storm came, each door was water-damaged. We pursued this through a building authority here but, sadly, all that they ordered the painter to do was to paint over the timber. We were flabbergasted!
ReplyDeleteGreat that you were assertive and had the work done properly. Meg:)
Thanks, Meg. What a shame about that painter. With online reviews now. you can really check up on companies and their reputation.
DeleteOh, my word, good for you and shame on them. I hope they got a good ticking off and that their work and attitude is carefully monitored for the next while. How dare they get stroppy with you when it was their laziness that was at fault.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, that's a lot of money and you expect and want the job done 100% properly.
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Joy, The guy who gave me trouble could not look me in the eye the next day. It all worked out in the end, though.
DeleteWow, that was good that you checked on it and contacted the company! Well done for speaking up! People are always ready to pull one over us, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bless. I liked the owner and the woman who ran the business. She was so helpful on the phone.
DeleteGood for you, Stephenie, for standing up to them. I bet they didn't expect that, especially when you went up the ladder with pen and paper to make notes! The thought of their faces made me chuckle ;) At the last house we needed a repair to a dripping tap. The chap who came wanted to replace just one tap so the pair would have been mismatched. I told him what to do in no uncertain terms and the result was that he actually REPAIRED the tap even though he said it couldn't be done. The cost was a fraction of what new taps would have been and the repair was still good when we left 3 years later.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thing happen here with a faucet, PP. I went to a different plumber.
DeleteGood for you for confronting the workers and challenging them on their work. Calling the office was a smart move. I always try to remember to get the name and contact information of the owner or manager when I hire tradesmen. I had an unfortunate incident with a custom Murphy Bed I ordered which resulted in me threatening to go to the BBB. While everything was resolved finally in my favor, it was very stressful and unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got it worked out, Anita. I love Murphy beds.
DeleteWell done for speaking up. It's just a shame you needed to do so in the first place. Why does it often feel that, having paid good money for a service, we a being ripped off?
ReplyDeleteI think we have to stay on top of everything, Jules. (especially as we get older.)
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