CassieNov 17, 2023
So this week our doorknob neighbour finally had his roof redone. For reference, this was the before state of the roof, shingles peeling and missing, cladding coming off the sides, more shingles flying off any time there is strong wind (often hitting our house in the process), just in bad shape. We can see it through our sunroof in our bathroom and it was stressful to look at.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
We're on the barest level of friendliness with this guy because he's a doorknob neighbour and pretty inconsiderate but to his credit he did let us know a couple of months ago that he would be having roofers come and asked if it would be okay if they had some stuff in our laneway and we said yup, obviously fine, thanks for checking.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
So Wednesday morning we get up and I go to brush my teeth and notice MEN on the ROOF next door, who can clearly see into our bathroom. This is a problem because our only shower is in that bathroom and I am very much a morning shower person or else I cannot function. However, I figured out that as long as we undressed IN the shower itself, which isn't visible from the roof, it was doable, so it was fine, though inconvenient.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
So the day continues and once we're downstairs we hear periodic thunking noises - figuring out that the roofing guys are CHUCKING the old shingles down and they are hitting our house and windows, pretty hard. Jeff goes outside to ask if they could not do that because it could break our windows and they say yup and keep doing it. The laneway is absolutely covered with old shingles.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023

Anyway, so they keep hurling shingles down at our house and Jeff goes out to look - turns out that they have hit our house with so much force in some spots that they have dented our siding and in some cases broken through it.

Jeff points this out to one of the workers, who says "Oh yeah your siding is aluminum, right. I'll talk to the boss about it." We go about our day, figuring they'll come talk to us at some point - they don't. We figure they'll be back tomorrow, but they aren't.

Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
Ironically and luckily, earlier in the day we had looked them up because we are having a heck of a time trying to get someone to install eavestroughs on our house and thought we could ask if they'd be interested in throwing that job into their day if they had extra time, so luckily we had their name. Jeff called their administration to let the know what happened and seek compensation for the damage they caused to our house.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
The person he talked to said they'd look into it, though on our side I'm not even sure what compensation we should seek, since we don't have any of that siding left over from when it was redone by previous owners to replace any portions and we have no current intention of repainting or residing our house. It's kind of bullshit that we have to figure this out.
Show threadCassieNov 17, 2023
And of course - of course! - they left a mess in our laneway that needs to be cleaned up and were apparently so thorough that they stapled wrapping plastic into the shingles on the roof. Gorgeous.
Show threadCassieNov 19, 2023
Update on this saga is that they called us back and left a message and then came by yesterday to assess the damage. They were both super horrified by what the workers had done and apologetic about it - they said that the workers were supposed to have scaffolding set up to avoid this. They asked how they can make it right and will start by cleaning it to see if it's as damaged as it looks and we'll go from there.
Show threadJustin Derrick
@casseagull Once they've cleaned it and you've assessed the damage, call three siding companies, and ask for two quotes - one for repair, and another for a complete re-cladding of the house. Present both to your neighbour's vendor, and settle for a number somewhere inbetween. Negotiate strictly based on the numbers, and see if there's a number that will make you happy. If you can't come to a satisfactory number on your own, offer the threat of legal action to pry open their wallet some more.
Nov 19, 2023 at 4:29pmWeb