Hurricane Ian bulldozed its way past the Tampa area last September and left a tree on Michelle Arevelo's Brandon home.
Their insurer determined the entire roof needed to be replaced. The Arevelos hired a contractor referred by their insurance company to do the work.
The company finished the roof in November, and Arevelo said the new roof started leaking almost immediately.
“The very first time it rained after the new roof, which was the first rain after Thanksgiving, we had leaks all throughout the house,” Arevelo said.
The water intrusion stained the ceilings in the living room and a bathroom. The couple said the contractor, Neumann Construction, returned to make repairs, but the leaks persisted. Then, in June, the company placed a tarp over parts of the roof to protect the home from any further damage.
Arevelo said workers have shown up since then, but they’ve never repaired the roof where it leaks.
ABC Action News asked former home inspector and licensed contractor Ted Bociek to examine the roof. He uncovered problems, including holes in the chimney.
“As they were drilling through it, they cracked the brick that went around it, which then allowed the water behind the brick to come in and cause the damage,” Bociek explained.
Another problem Bociek found was that some of the nails for the shingles weren't hammered in at the correct angle, which could allow water to seep in.
ABC Action News emailed the roofer’s operations manager, who then contacted Arevelo. The roofer confirmed they would return and make repairs within one week. She said the company told her it took them longer than expected to find bricks to match the couple’s chimney.
We asked the company for a comment, but a manager would only tell us they plan to repair the roof. The Arevelos said workers have returned twice to make repairs and are expected to finish the job this week.
