Roof Blew Off

Rarely do we have a roof blow off but we had 20 SQRS of an 80SQR roof blow off in a windstorm last week. As you can see from the photo, our SPF roof was stuck like glue to the underlying BUR roof, but the BUR blew off. This is clearly excluded in our guarantee.

This would normally be a very clear cut insurance claim, but the owner has no insurance, and of course now he's trying to blame it on us. He says that when we removed the loose gravel and dirt (didn't spud) we removed the weight that was holding the roof down, which of course is bunk. He chose to take the risk and save the premiums, and now he wants me to accept the risk for him.

Our guarantee is a standard NRCA form and excludes windstorm. It also has an arbitration clause on it and the guarantee, which he has chosen to ignore. The owner is a senile ol' jackass - he told me "I have a lot of money and I can afford to break you in lawsuits."

I'm inclined to defend it and counter-sue, that is, should he find a way to get around the arbitration clause.

Btw, as you can see in the photo, the average thickness of our foam is 1-3/4". We quoted him 1".

Roofguy Said:

Old School Said: If he can bluff you and it works, he is not so senile! If you stomp on his testicles and he backs off, you just had a stronger hand.

LOL

Hes too old to beat up. Besides, my hands are registered lethal weapons. :-)

They are lethal, or arthritic, the line between the 2 seems blurry sometimes.

Old School Said: If he can bluff you and it works, he is not so senile! If you stomp on his testicles and he backs off, you just had a stronger hand.

LOL

He's too old to beat up. Besides, my hands are registered lethal weapons. :-)

If he can "bluff" you and it works, he is not so senile! If you stomp on his testicles and he backs off, you just had a stronger hand.

The SEAN Said: Tell him you will be getting the city building inspectors involved, and mention that you have no idea what else they may find in his building.

LOL I like the way you think!

Actually that is a great point. This roof is in Amarillo, arguably one of the toughest building inspection departments in the state. We took out a permit which included submitting and getting approved a Scope of Work report, preliminary inspection to make sure the roof was a candidate for what we spec'd, and a final inspection. Passed both on 1st try.

The guy is a wealthy senile old clown who is a money grubber and used to pushing his weight around. He barked up the wrong tree this time. There are about 4 different areas I can prevail. I think deep down he knows that, he's just hoping to bluff me.

Tell him you will be getting the city building inspectors involved, and mention that you have no idea what else they may find in his building.

wywoody Said: Maybe you should give the guy a free pmag. Send him a nice note with it. Include the picture of what you have in your back seat, but add the caption I call this one the arbitrator.

Lol! Perfect!

Maybe you should give the guy a free pmag. Send him a nice note with it. Include the picture of what you have in your back seat, but add the caption "I call this one 'the arbitrator'".

Alba Said: The gravel on a BUR is used to reflect the sun light and the heat not as a ballast.The extra weight of gravel will help with the wind resistance of the roof but thats not what the use of gravel is designed for. BURs get blown off mainly because of the poor anchorage to the roof deck especially around the edges of the roof .from the pic it seems like this one is a 3-4 ply anchored to a light weight concrete deck. the back of it should show if enough nails were used to keep the base sheet and the wood nailer down.

Exactly.

The building is a trucking terminal, meaning that one or more overhead doors may have been open during the high wind, inflating the building.

We had a roof blow off a similar building 3 times back in the 80's coz the owner kept leaving one overhead door open on the windward side duratduring ng spring storms. Last 2 times we had double the recommended fastener in the corners and perimeters and field. When the wind gets to 90+...

The gravel on a BUR is used to reflect the sun light and the heat not as a ballast.The extra weight of gravel will help with the wind resistance of the roof but that's not what the use of gravel is designed for. BURs get blown off mainly because of the poor anchorage to the roof deck especially around the edges of the roof .from the pic it seems like this one is a 3-4 ply anchored to a light weight concrete deck. the back of it should show if enough nails were used to keep the base sheet and the wood nailer down.