Another Winnipeg homeowner complains of roof problems

Another Winnipeg homeowner has come forward with concerns about the roof on his new house, after two residents whose homes were built by the same company told CBC News their roofs were not properly installed.

The CBC I-Team reported on Thursday that shingles were coming off the roofs of two homes, which were built recently in Winnipeg's Arrowwood development by Kensington Homes.

In both cases, the homeowners said they were surprised to find shingles on their lawns.

One resident called in a roofer, who found a number of problems with both houses.

In the latest case, James Bolegoh said he and his partner Maria bought a home — also built by Kensington — in the Bridgwater Forest development in the summer of 2010.

Within a week of moving in, he found shingles on his lawn, he said.

"I thought it was a small problem that would only happen once, and it's continued to happen since," Bolegoh said Friday.

In all three cases, the houses came with a one-year builder's warranty from Kensington Homes.

Roof patched up 3 times

Bolegoh said he emailed the company in August 2010, and a roofer was sent in to patch up the affected area, but then he found shingles on his lawn again three months later.

"I am seeing exposed wood on my roof where the shingles should be," Bolegoh wrote in an email to Kensington Homes in November 2010.

"I think something needs to be done about my roof today or it may cause some interior damage … I feel some urgency given what I see up there."

Kensington patched up the roof again, but Bolegoh said the shingles were sliding off his roof once again this May.

Knowing that his one-year builder's warranty had expired by then, Bolegoh said he submitted a photograph of the roof to the company.

A Kensington staff member confirmed that Bolegoh's warranty had expired on July 2011 and noted that "shingles can come detached and blow off in high winds or inclement weather."

However, the company said the roof would be fixed one last time as a courtesy.

Bigger problem?

Still, Bolegoh said he still wonders if there is a bigger problem associated with the roof issues.

Greg Graham, who has been working with the Manitoba government to develop better rules for the roofing industry, said he noticed the shingles were not sealed.

"If it's blowing off, it's blowing off for a reason," Graham said.

Officials with Kensington Homes told CBC News that Bolegoh should file a claim.

Despite what Bolegoh was told in an email from the company, an official said Kensington will inspect Bolegoh's roof.

Kensington Homes will stand by its products and use trades people and shingle manufacturers with many years of experience, the official said.

At the same time, the company admits that it does not go up onto every roof it builds to inspect it.