The bin is still in the driveway. One slope is finished, another is covered, and the contractor has missed two promised visits. Start with the roof's present condition, then the contract. You need to know whether the house is protected tonight before deciding who will finish the job.
A missed day can have an ordinary explanation. Repeated silence, uncertain temporary protection or an open roof needs a more deliberate response. Keep the distinction factual: dates promised, dates attended, areas completed and what you have actually observed.
The homeowner has spent the morning drafting an angry message. Mike asks to see the latest roof photograph first. "We can sort the wording out. What is keeping the rear bedroom dry tonight?" They shorten the message to the exposed area, the forecast and the missing attendance plan. The anger has a perfectly good case; the opening needs a faster answer.
Establish the Weather Protection
Contact the contractor in writing and ask which areas are permanently complete, which are temporary and what remains exposed. Request current photographs from safe professional access. A dark layer visible from the yard could be finished membrane, underlayment or temporary covering; appearance alone will not tell you how long it can remain exposed.
If water enters, keep clear of bulging ceilings and wet electrical equipment. Arrange suitable urgent help. Do not climb onto an unfinished roof to improve a cover or move materials. Our temporary protection guide explains the information a responding crew needs.
Have emergency work documented before and after, including the reason it could not wait. Keep the invoice separate from a later completion quotation. This helps distinguish damage limitation from a decision to replace the original contractor.
Send a Message That Can Be Answered
A useful message names the outstanding work, asks for a definite attendance plan and requests confirmation of the temporary protection. Include a reply date appropriate to the circumstances, without inventing a legal deadline. Save delivery records and replies.
For example: the rear slope remains under temporary covering; the chimney junction is unfinished; rain is forecast; please confirm its present protection and your completion plan. That gives the contractor something concrete to answer. A long argument about every disappointment may bury the urgent question.
The federal Office of Consumer Affairs renovation guide recommends a detailed written contract addressing the work and schedule. Use yours as the reference. Check notice, delay, dispute and termination terms rather than assuming that a missed visit automatically ends the agreement.
When a second crew visits, the first question is whether it can just carry on from where the other crew stopped. Dave points to the concealed junction. "We can price finishing it once we know what we are finishing." The inspection becomes a defined first step, rather than a promise to inherit whatever lies underneath.
Preserve What the Next Inspector Will Need
Keep the original quote, signed contract, approved changes, payment records, product details, photographs and messages together. Photograph materials and equipment from safe ground without moving or disposing of them. Ownership of stored materials or tools should not be guessed from whose driveway they occupy.
An independent inspection can distinguish incomplete work from defective completed work. Ask the report to identify specific locations, visible findings and areas that could not be assessed. The new crew needs more than the instruction to finish everything.
Suppose the front slope is sound but its ridge connection to the unfinished rear is unresolved. A completion scope may need to open that junction without replacing the whole front. Conversely, covering unseen work with new shingles can bury a defect the second contractor has never accepted. Agree on investigation and documentation before permanent concealment.
The replacement estimate arrives with investigation and permanent work on separate lines. That makes the uncertainty visible. Nobody particularly enjoys paying to look at something twice, but covering an unknown detail would make the third visit much more expensive to organise.
From Unfinished Roof to Clear Handover
Identify completed work, temporary covering and exposed areas.
Present condition
Identify completed work, temporary covering and exposed areas.
Immediate protection
Arrange safe urgent work with before-and-after records.
Contract review
Clarify notices, payments and authority for a permanent handover.
Completion scope
Separate inherited work from what the new crew will inspect and warrant.
Arrange the Handover Deliberately
Before terminating, withholding disputed payments or hiring permanent replacement work, get advice on the actual contract and applicable law. In Ontario, also identify any statutory holdback questions. Emergency protection and contractual termination are not interchangeable decisions.
A replacement quotation should separate inspection, temporary protection, removal of unsuitable work and completion. Ask what warranty the replacement contractor offers on its own work and what it excludes from the inherited roof. Nobody can responsibly promise the condition of an inaccessible assembly merely because they are taking over the job.
End with a documented condition, scope and contact person for each stage. If the original contractor returns with a credible plan, the same records help resume sensibly. If it does not, you have given the next crew a house to assess rather than a dispute to decipher.