Legal Question in Construction Law in Colorado

Roofing Contractor Problem

I recently had my roof re-shingled. The day the job was performed something happened to my electrical system in my bathroom and garage. When we left for work in the morning everything worked, when we came home we had no lights in the bathroom or garage. I contacted the roofer and he brought a friend electrician over to troubleshoot. He came to the conclusion that a wire in the ceiling had been pierced by a nail. The roofer stated he is not responsible for repairs because a wire should not be close enough to the roof for a nail to puncture it. We did not find the wire or nail as that would have required pulling up all the new shingles and roof. We decided that re-wiring the bathroom and garage would be easier. Is the contractor responsible for this cost, since his employees caused the problem? Will his insurance cover something like this? Isn't this the reason contractors have insurance? Please let me know. I don't feel I should be responsible for something they did. The contractor feel he is not responsible.

Thank You, Pat Zadow


Asked on 10/04/08, 12:41 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mark Cohen The Cohen Law Group, A Professional Corporation

Re: Roofing Contractor Problem

I think it comes down to whether your roofer was negligent, and I don't know enough about roofing or wiring to answer that. I don't know how much you spent to re-wire the bathroom, but I'm guessing it wasn't that much and you don't want to pay a lawyer $250 an hour for very many hours. If you have not made a written demand on the roofer, you should. If the roofer does not pay and you still want to pursue it, it sounds like something that should be resolved in small claims court. If there was a written contract, there may be language in it that limits the roofer's liability or requires arbitration. These are just my thoughts based on what you have stated; this does not create any attorney/client relationship between us.

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Answered on 10/04/08, 2:18 pm


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