High Country Home Improvements

We hired Ernest Crosby (High Country Home Improvements) to install a new, metal roof on our house in October 2020. He had some good reviews online, gave us a fair price, and was available immediately, whereas other roofers said it would be weeks or months before they could start. Since we had an active leak, we thought sooner would be better. We were told the job would take 2 days, or three at the most, as our house is pretty small. Ernest said he would be here to install the roof, that he had experience doing so, and that he had a crew of workers that would help him. We paid half the money up front so the metal could be special ordered.

The issues began on the first day of work when the crew did not arrive at 8:30 AM as promised, but instead came around 1:30 PM. This happened frequently, and when we asked Ernest he said they were busy at other jobs. We were told our roof would be a priority because it had an active leak, but that was not the case.

Most days, Ernest was not here to supervise the crew. Several mistakes were made during his absence. For instance, a rotten piece of plywood was exposed, but instead of replacing it, Ernest’s crew installed metal on top of it. We had to point this out and ask that the metal be removed and the rotten wood be replaced. Our concerns grew when we observed jaggedly cut metal, uneven edges, buckling metal, popped-up seams, and the absence of any sealant so we let Ernest know we’d be having the roof inspected after it was completed.

When the roof was nearly complete we were told that the metal company had not delivered all of the pieces and more metal would have to be ordered so the job could be finished. We are not sure why this wasn’t realized sooner as Ernest was here when the metal was delivered and he helped unload all the materials. The roof was finally completed after two weeks. We wanted to wait until the inspection was completed before making the final payment, but Ernest and his wife insisted we pay promptly, and so we did.

The first time it rained our roof leaked. The water came down through the boot (which wasn’t sealed), into the attic, and all the way down the wall into the basement. Our insulation and sheetrock were soaked and the ceiling and wall were stained. We had Ernest come out and seal around the boot that afternoon. He also dried up the water in the attic and said he’d be back to replace the insulation after it had a few days to dry, but he did not.

The licensed inspector came the next day and found additional problems. First and foremost, the metal manufacturer’s installation guidelines had not been followed. There was no bug/water barrier installed at the edge of the roof, the screws were spaced incorrectly (increasing the risk that strong winds could damage or completely blow off the metal), no sealant was used, the cap was not correctly installed, and there were several locations where water intrusion was likely (such as the valley and the cracked washers where screws were over-tightened).

We have emailed Ernest multiple times asking that he return and seal the boot (which continued to leak) and repair the issues addressed in the roof inspection, but he insists that he installed a good roof. Our last email has gone unanswered for over three weeks now.