What Happened

Lisa did everything right when she needed to replace her roof after a windstorm. She searched for vetted contractors on Directorii and other review sites. She met with three different companies to get estimates. The contractor she picked checked all the boxes: they used quality materials, showed expertise in their presentation, were willing to work with her insurance adjuster, and– they were covered under Directorii’s $20,000 guarantee.

After a couple months of back and forth with Lisa’s insurance company, the job moved forward. She was a little concerned to see that the owner was not on site the entire time like he’d promised, but brushed it off. After the work was finished, the contractor informed Lisa they had decided not to install plywood sheathing as planned, even though it was covered by her insurance. Again, she brushed it off. But a few weeks later, the gutters clogged.

Lisa’s husband used a ladder to look at the roof for the first time since it had been replaced, and found a disaster. The gutters were filled with nails, shingles and other debris. When they walked on the roof, they could feel soft spots where the home’s original barnwood planks were rotting, causing wavy and dipped slopes. The shingles were not aligned straight, and several of them were curling up with nails poking through. There were gaps in the roof and underlayment, exposing wood beneath. The drip edge was not secured to the house in several areas–to the point that the entire sections of roof could be lifted from the house. And there were a few sections where no repairs had been made at all, or left unfinished.

Lisa was horrified and sent photos to her contractor, who agreed to come out and personally finish the incomplete sections. He did visit once, but was unable to finish and told her he would come back. Then, he stopped responding. After several weeks, and speaking with an attorney, Lisa hired another contractor to come out and access the damage. What they found was even worse than she’d thought. Not only had the first contractor used the wrong brand of shingles–the roof would have to be completely torn off, plywood sheathing installed and re-roofed. It was at this point that Lisa made a call to Directorii.

The Directorii team assessed the damage she had documented, and reached out to her contractor. He eventually conceded that he needed to make things right. However, Lisa was no longer comfortable with him working on her home. Instead, Directorii connected Lisa with a new contractor and refunded the cost of the replacement– which totalled over $8,000.

Homeowner Statement

“[When we contacted Directorii] we were beyond frustrated, and quite honestly at the end of our rope. Every dime we had to spend to get our roof replaced was gone, our trust had been broken, and we were going into winter with a roof that was subpar at best.

This is not something that a homeowner should ever have to experience. All we were asking was to receive what we were promised. We didn’t want a new roof that was slapped together and repaired because it wasn’t done correctly. We had been extremely patient as we tried to work through it, hoping for a positive outcome, but it didn’t seem to get us anything but more stress and aggravation…

I cannot thank [Directorii] enough for working towards this resolution for me. I’m sure you can understand how stressful this situation has been, and I am extremely thankful and beyond appreciative for your efforts. This is a weight off my shoulders!”

Lisa, New York

HDM Builders