Builder Rips Up Wrong Roof

Roofers goofed, ripping the top off the wrong house.

Now, there’s a 20-by-6-foot hole in Maryann Pouget’s roof and contractor Chris Dyck refuses to put on a new roof, offering instead to plug up the hole with materials that may not match. Or he’ll replace the roof - for $4,700.

It all started Wednesday when workers from August Roofing, owned by Dyck, showed up to replace the roof at 948 Pons Court but mistakenly ripped off Pouget’s roof at 949 Pons Court. The modest Ventura County home is 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

“I believe it was an honest mistake,” Pouget said. “But I can’t stop worrying about my roof and my possessions inside.”

Dyck has balked at an offer by Tim Talan, Pouget’s son-in-law, to split the costs of materials to replace the roof if Dyck picks up the rest and provides the labor.

“I’m obligated to help her out because I made a mistake,” Dyck said. “But I’m not obligated to lose a lot of money because of this. We’re trying to work this out for everyone involved.”

Contractors’ State License Board spokesman Greg Armstrong said Dyck is liable for the damage. “If I’m the homeowner, I would definitely try to get a new roof out of them.”