once again the wind has removed select sections of my roof.

about 1.5 years ago i had a large section on one side of my roof blow off due to high winds (less than 50 MPH). i called the insurance company to send an adjuster to come out and look at it. they did and told me they would only replace the one side (1 of 4 sides) of the roof, as there was no issues w/ the rest of it. i told him that was BS, if one side blew off so easy, the rest was sure to follow. they would only pay for the one side. to replace the one side was just a couple hundred more than my deductible. so i told them to forget it. i had a roofer come out and replace the missing shingles for around $600. about 6 months after that it happened again on one of the sides the adjuster told me had no issues. once again it was less than 50 MPH winds. i was very pissed, but i didn't bother w/ calling anyone, i fixed it myself. now today it happened again on the same side as the 2nd time but in a completely unrelated area w/ about the same wind speed - less than 50 mph. i went ahead and fixed it today again.

the roof was new (new house) in Oct 99, so its less than 10 years old.
i blame this on a very poor installation. one major issue (i think its an issue) is they didn't peal the clear film off the back of the shingle covering the tar strip on any of the shingles. isn't this supposed to be pealed off to allow them to "glue" themselves together? the shingles are just ripping thru the roofing nails. do i have a leg to stand on here? in my eyes they should have replaced the whole thing the first time. I've called them and they are sending an adjuster out w/in 3 days. i had to fix it today due to the threat of rain on Thursday.
thoughts? feedback? questions?

I'm almost positive you are right about the plastic film having to be peeled off the shingles. I haven't done any roofing for a long time, but I'm almost positive about it. I would think you should have a chance at a claim (maybe even against the contractor that installed them originally) to have them replaced. I would make sure if you have an insurance adjuster out there again you point out the problem with the installation and ask them whether they would rather re-shingle the house or wait until you have water damage and pay for that claim.

You need to get the insurance company on your side. Ultimately, they can bend you over. Here are the 2 best options as I see them:

1) Call the installer of the roof and have them come out and inspect their work. It's been 10 years, so wear and tear won't count. But, it sounds like they were installed wrong, which will count. Advise them of the problems and ask them to fix the roof. If/when they balk at that, tell them that your next step is to talk with your insurance company. The tactic here is to use the insurance company to scare them into action. After all, while you may not have the resources or commitment to make them act, the insurance company does. Also tell them that, if they don't take the deal now, you will be requesting reimbursement for both prior fixes.

2) Call the insurance company out and have them inspect the roof. After all, if a major storm comes along with 50+mph winds, you could lose the whole roof. Then, they would have to pay. So, it is in their best financial interest to get the roof installed properly. Hopefully, they will go after the installer themselves, and you will get a new roof without having to do the leg work.

And here I thought he was driving too fast down the highway with a trailer...

and i thought it was his ttops.
good luck with the issue.

Uh, I lost a T-top at 80 mph, it did almost $2k in damage to the S10 blazer it landed on. I'm trying to avoid that again.

I beleive we always peeled the plastic strips off when I did my last roofing (it's been years), but I'm rusty on that subject. I'd definately get on the phone and make a few calls.

OK...you do not remove the plastic strip on the back of the shingle. IT CLEARLY STATES TO LEAVE IT ALONE ON THE PACKAGE. (I help a buddy roof 3 or 4 houses every year for brake pad money).

Second...I use to work for an insurance company and you have the wrong idea about how insurance works. You are looking for someone to pay for "warranty" of a bad shingle or poor installation. The insurance company is not going to replace your shingles until you have a claim and I'd be really surprised if they don't put a restriction on your policy to NOT PAY for any wind damage to your roof as it sounds like the shingles are done!

Where you live, I'd guess 10 years is about the life of a cheap shingle. You need to seriously consider having your home reroofed. It's not that difficult. Find a buddy whose done it, rent an air nailer, buy a couple boxes of coil nails, have your local lumberyard that delivers to the roof get them up there...then tear into it.

Or get some quotes. The hardest part and most time consuming is ripping off the old roof. Consider cashing in some favors and get 3 or 4 guys up there and tear it off before the roofers show up. This should really save on your total cost.

Good luck,

Sidney
Bloomington, IL

good advice. thanks.

If you have friends help, do not, I repeat, DO NOT give out beer until the job is completed. Or you will have friends peeing off the side of your house, staying on the ground because they're dizzy, falling off the roof, peeing in the gutters, throwing small pieces of shingles like frisbees, removing the ladder leaving the other guys on the roof. But do rent a dumpster to throw the old roofing into.

wow, a bad experiance?

Yeah, but I was the one "testing" the gutters, and tossing the little pieces of shingles into the woods. Worked my butt off, but the beer, (a keg), should have been left un-tapped until the roof was off. I was still sober enough to work, but no way would I have driven. And I was left on the roof by someone who WAS drunk, and didn't have the ability to put the ladder back up!

sorry to hear that dude. When I first starting reading I thought you were talking about your car and why in the hell you had shingles on the roof of your car lol. That is nuts how that is happening. It has to due with crappy install. My parents house went through all those hurricanes in 04 and 05 here in Florida and not one roof shingle flew off, just the screen enclosure for the pool.

Like the others have said get the insurance company on your side to fight against whoever did the roofing and it'll be much easier. Believe me I know how you feel, I've had to deal with my fair share of insurance adjusters this past year with one trans am getting hit by a semi going 70mph and the other getting the underside torn to pieces by 15lb boulders sitting the middle of a toll paid highway. Both times the adjusters wanted to give me way less than what the car or repair was worth.