Roof shingles falling off new Winnipeg houses

At least two Winnipeg homeowners say they're shocked to find shingles falling off the roofs of their new houses, both of which were built by Kensington Homes and came with a one-year builder's warranty.

The houses are located in Arrowwood, a new residential development in northeast Winnipeg.

April McKnight said she moved her family into one of the homes in March 2010.

Within a month of moving in, McKnight said she found a big surprise: some shingles on her lawn.

"I thought it's impossible for a brand new house to have a roof problem," McKnight told CBC News.

McKnight's next-door neighbour told CBC News he also encountered shingles falling off the roof of his house, so he called Pete Pazerniuk of Pistol Roofing to check it out.

"I went up there, looked at it and went, 'Uh, wow, this is pretty bad,'" Pazerniuk said.

"There were just too many mistakes."

Pazerniuk said the situation at McKnight's home was even worse, and both houses had "maybe a thousand nails that were visibly sticking up."

A closer inspection revealed areas with missing flashing and damaged shingles, he added.

"It looked like the person didn't know what they were doing," said Pazerniuk, who is advising the McKnights to get a new roof.

McKnight's neighbour, who has shelled out money to get his roof fixed, said one should expect "a little more" with a brand-new house, especially one that comes with a warranty.

McKnight said she understands that her one-year warranty with Kensington has expired, but she feels it's up to the company to fix the roof.

Tony Balaz, Kensington Homes' manager in Winnipeg, told CBC News that on four occasions within the past two years, the company has covered the cost of a new roof after the one-year warranty expired.

If any of the trades crews did the work improperly, the company will make it right, Balaz said.

"As a builder, we're part of this community. We don't always draw a line in the sand and say, 'You're past your one year, you don't get anything.' That's not how we operate," he said.

Balaz said the company is waiting for a formal request from McKnight before it can assess the problem.