The roof is a mess

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Q. We renovated our home and added a partial second floor last year, and we thought we selected the right contractor for our project. Now we’re so upset, and we’re hoping you can advise us, since we keep getting conflicting opinions about what will stop our roof leaks and make our new generator work. Our second-story, three-bedroom addition added to our existing second floor with two bedrooms and a roof that our roofer keeps calling an A-frame next to a flat roof. There’s a sticky-back rubber sheet roof that another roofer told us is only supposed to go under shingles, not actually be the roof. Our contractor says it isn’t the problem, but where the three roofs come together at our front stucco wall, there are more leaks. I think all the snow created even more. We’re down the street from homes that were flooded, and even though we weren’t, our insurance company looked at our stucco, said it was done without drainage, and dropped us. Our new generator has never worked, and the generator company says it’s our home electrical system and our electrician’s fault. Our electrician says it’s the generator hookup or their “panel,” not the electrical panel in the house. Nobody wants to take responsibility, and we are beyond upset. What can you suggest?

A. Not taking responsibility has been a common theme I’ve observed throughout my career. Most won’t sign anything, fix anything or even come back to look at problems they contributed to. Your roof sounds like a mess. The “A-frame” you described is probably a gable roof, forming a point. Leaking usually happens at joints. Where your sloped and flat roof come together, special attention to redundant overlapping of the roofing is critical.

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