Only the underlayment has been installed on my roof and it rained last night. Now, the underlayment is wrinkled. Does it have to be replaced?

If the wrinkling isn’t severe enough to affect the shingle installation (i.e., the wrinkling won’t telegraph through the shingles and they won’t appear buckled or wavy once installed), the underlayment probably can remain in place. The effects of wrinkling also will be minimized by using heavier weight shingles.

During the reroofing of my house, the contractor left one side of the roof unprotected and when it rained, water entered the house and my ceiling and walls are damaged. Who is responsible for repairing the interior of my house?

Before signing a contract, make sure that it contains language addressing who is responsible for any damage that occurs as a result of the roofing work. All items of concern and work to be done should be included in the contract.

My contractor re-used the existing flashings on my roof and after he finished installing the new shingles, he left! I’ve left several messages with the company and no one will come back to install new flashings. Shouldn’t that be included in the work?

If the contract didn’t specify the installation of new flashings, it wasn’t included in the original scope of work. Be sure that all items of work to be done are included in the contract before signing it.

My contractor just started working on my roof and it’s the middle of winter! At what temperature is it too cold to install asphalt shingles?

There are no specific temperature guidelines regarding when it is too cold to install asphalt shingles. However, we generally do not perform work on roofs when outside temperatures are below 40 degree Fahrenheit. Asphalt shingles do become brittle in cold temperatures, with fiberglass shingles more likely to break than organic shingles. Breakage can be minimized or eliminated if the shingles are stored in a warm area and loaded onto the roof a few bundles at a time. Another concern is that the self-sealing strips will not seal or bond sufficiently in cold temperatures.