January 11, 2015 AsktheBuilder Alert

It's Sunday and I'm not taking a break from work because there's much to do.

READ THE WORDING IN RED at the bottom of this announcement even if you do NOT have an interest in this lawsuit.

It's hard to keep up with the constant inflow of information and this just caught my eye.

GAF, a major shingle manufacturer, has been named in a serious class-action lawsuit.

You may have these shingles on your home.

If so, you need to get up to speed.

Here are a few helpful links for you:

opens in a new windowLaw360 Article

opens in a new windowLawsuit Description

opens in a new windowDETAILED Lawsuit Information

It's NOT EASY to determine if you have these shingles on your home. Many shingles look the same, even high-priced specialty shingles with long warranties.

I'm in a similar mess with my own roof installed by the builder that constructed my home here in NH.

I did NOT build the home I live in right now.

My roof is covered with DEFECTIVE IKO shingles that are very similar to the GAF shingles that are in question. I'll be replacing my roof in the spring.

The only way you might know what shingles are on your home are:

• you have a receipt from your roofer calling out the brand and type
• you know a roofer that can identify the shingle
• your local supply houses feature GAF shingles
• you have a brochure from the roofer showing your shingles
• you took the time to get this information and SAVE IT when you built or re-roofed your home
• the shingle brand/type is called out on your plans or in your written specifications

Simply looking at the shingles from the ground is not going to tell you anything. The manufacturers don't stamp their name on the underside of the shingles to identify them.

I'll continue to update you with other class action lawsuits as I become aware of them.

What's the takeaway from the above bullet point list?

You need to always know EXACTLY what's installed in and on your home be it siding, doors, windows, roofing, composite decking, paint, drywall, flooring, tile, etc.

Many products are NOT STAMPED so you can identify what they are years after they're installed. ALWAYS KEEP THESE RECORDS and get and keep PRODUCT BROCHURES, even if they're just electronic PDF files.

Tim Carter