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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon DAMAGE: Residents want to see roofs replaced Continued from page 5 to the design drawings, basi- cally,” Milstead said. The item most at issue is the apparent absence of ice shield on the roofs of the units. Sean Palagyi made a Better Business Bureau com- plaint regarding the lack of ice shield, and Hayden Homes responded that, “Your home was constructed in accordance with all building codes and requirements that applied on the date of con- struction… Neither the City of (Sisters) nor (Deschutes County) required the instal- lation of an ice barrier when your home was constructed in 2013.” As far as the residents are concerned, Hayden is dodg- ing the issue. Plans are clearly stamped “ice shield required for severe climate.” “It doesn’t matter what the code says,” Milstead argues. “If the architect draws it, you put it in the way the architect and engineers had it.” “If they had just put the ice guard down when they built the houses in the first place, we wouldn’t be sitting here with the problems of today,” Palagyi said. The homeowners acknowledge that last winter was exceptionally bad, and leakage has been a problem for homeowners across the region. But they emphasize the scale of the damage to their individual units and to the development as a whole. “It was just complete intrusion of water every- where,” Burton said. The walls of many rooms in her home remain torn out. In response to Palagyi’s complaint, Hayden noted that, “During severe cold weather and snow storms, snow may build up on the roof and cause ice dams. Ice dams are naturally occurring due to extreme weather as snow ... melts over a roof sur- face that exceeds 32°F. As the melting snow flows down the roof and it reaches the por- tion of the roof that is below 32°F (the eave), it freezes and begins to cause ice buildup, especially at gutters and val- leys. The ice dam then traps water which is then forced through the shingles and into the attic and living space. “While this can be a very disconcerting situation, it is the responsibility of the HOA and homeowner to main- tain and clear any snow and ice from the roofs to prevent ice dams. Ice dams will not occur if the snow is removed promptly, and are not covered under the Hayden Homes warranty. Insulation is not required on the underside of the roof. The attic insulation is blown in and is at a depth that meets or exceeds code.” While single-family homeowners are responsible for removing snow from their roofs, in the case of the town- homes, that responsibility falls to the HOA. The home- owners told The Nugget that they had little luck getting action on removal. DON’T MISS OUT on this week’s inserts in the Nugget: DESCHUTES PUBLIC LIBRARY: Check out all the fun off erings for kids and adults this June and July at the Sisters Library! RAY’S FOOD PLACE: It’s a Mega Meat & Produce Sale, Friday through Sunday, June 2-4! Take advantage of great deals! LIFE LINE SCREENING: Stay stroke free! Life Line Screening will be in Sisters on Monday June 12; check the details! “They didn’t come to clear the snow off,” Burton said. “We were calling and beg- ging them.” The homeowners say their quality of life has been sig- nificantly impacted. Turner, Burton, and Palagyi are using only a portion of their homes. Pepples has gone ahead and had repair work done, but the retired airline pilot is wor- ried about leaving his home to travel — which is why he purchased a townhome in the first place. “I cannot leave my house now because I’m afraid I’ll have more leaks,” he said. “It’s totally disrupted my plans for retirement.” Turner said he and Lorrie are concerned about what happens next — or if they try to sell. “We’re certainly wor- ried about the future of our home,” Bill said. Burton says that she has talked to an attorney twice about the situation, but the homeowners don’t really want to lawyer up and take legal action. They simply want to be made whole. The report commissioned by the homeowners con- cludes, “A harsh winter like this past one is hard to build for. However, paying closer 25 PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS Damage to the interior of homes has been extensive. attention to standard con- struction practices, being consistent, and following the construction plans and city- approved drawings would have helped reduce or elimi- nate the damage caused by ice dams.” The homeowners’ prior- ity is simple: They want their homes retrofitted so that they won’t have to go through what they experienced last winter again. “I want them to tear off the roof and put ice shield down the way they said they were going to do in their plans,” said Palagyi. SISTERS DENTURE DENTURES: Partial, Full or Implants for all ages. 541-549-0929 — 35 years experience — LOCALLY OWNED Sisters Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING
