The Servpro Roof Failure Case File

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Property

229 Lakewood Dr, Carrollton, GA 30117

Homeowner

Clint Phillips

Installer

Wilpro Enterprises, Inc., SERVPRO franchisee (Newnan, GA office, trading as SERVPRO of Carrollton)

Claim number

1393303-241115 (Progressive / American Strategic Insurance)

Job value

$224,000 whole-house rebuild after a fire (permit valuation); roof was phase one

Permit year

Permit 20180234, issued Aug 27, 2018; final inspection passed May 29, 2019

Servpro of Newnan, operating as Wilpro Enterprises, installed a new roof at 229 Lakewood Dr in late 2018 as phase one of a $224,000 fire rebuild under City of Carrollton permit 20180234 (issued August 27, 2018; final inspection passed May 29, 2019). By July 2024 the roof was visibly failing. A storm and tree strike triggered Progressive claim 1393303-241115. Progressive inspected, paid only the wind and tree portion ($5,239.07 net), and stated in its August 21, 2024 coverage letter that its investigation found damages not covered because 'the policy does not cover for improper installation of your roof.' Servpro has declined warranty coverage, arguing the roof was completed in 2018, the vendor was paid in full in August 2019, and the roof is therefore older than five years. The homeowner's position is that the warranty runs from completion of the whole job (final payment August 2019, reimbursement check January 2020), that the July 2024 claim falls inside the five-year window, and that both Progressive's report and Servpro's own on-site estimator identified improper installation as the root cause.

Timeline

1. Mar 6, 2018

   House fire

   Fire damages the home. National General Lender Services claim L18003950 is opened; independent adjuster Michael Pleasant's estimate of April 26, 2018 prices the rebuild at $194,729 replacement cost.

   Source: National General estimate PHILLIPS_CLINTON2, Apr 26 2018 (permit file)

2. Aug 27, 2018

   City of Carrollton issues building permit 20180234 to Wilpro

   Residential building permit 20180234 issued to contractor WILPRO ENTERPRISES-SERVPRO (10 East Gordon Rd, Newnan; state license RBQA002039) at a declared valuation of $224,000. Greg Marshall signs the application for Wilpro; the contractor signature is dated August 30, 2018. Work, including the roof, starts after this date.

   Source: City of Carrollton permit file, obtained Jul 2026

3. Fall 2018

   Rebuild in progress; roof phase installed

   Electrical permit issued October 10, 2018 (G&H Electrical); rough electrical inspection approved October 11, 2018; insulation cover-up inspection approved as noted November 26, 2018. The roof phase is installed during this period. The crew was assigned by Greg Marshall and led by a contractor named Michael.

   Source: City of Carrollton inspection records; Servpro job file per Michelle George email, Sep 4 2024

4. May 29, 2019

   Final inspection passed

   City of Carrollton final inspection: building and electrical approved (inspector Herman Bryant), with notes that door trim and floors still needed fixing. Georgia Power permanent reconnect had been approved March 6, 2019. This is the documented substantial-completion date for the permitted job.

   Source: City of Carrollton notice of inspection, May 29 2019 (permit file)

5. August 2019

   Roofing vendor paid in full

   Per Servpro's job file, the roofing vendor received final payment in August 2019. The homeowner's position is that the five-year warranty clock starts no earlier than this date.

   Source: Michelle George email, Sep 4 2024

6. January 2020

   Servpro issues $500 reimbursement check

   Servpro issued a $500.00 reimbursement check to the homeowner, evidence that the job was still being closed out into 2020 despite Servpro's claim that work completed prior to 2020.

   Source: Michelle George email, Sep 4 2024

7. July 2024

   Storm and tree strike; roof visibly failing

   A storm drops a tree on the house and knocks out power and internet. Shingles are coming off across the roof. Progressive claim 1393303-241115 is opened.

   Source: Claim correspondence, Jul-Aug 2024

8. Jul 19, 2024

   City of Carrollton declines to intervene

   Building Inspector Kyle Shepherd confirms the 2018 permit but says warranty concerns are a civil issue between the parties and directs the homeowner to the builder.

   Source: Kyle Shepherd email, Jul 19 2024

9. Aug 13, 2024

   Tree removed; 'whole roof appears to be coming off'

   Fernando's Tree Service removes the tree ($2,500 removal plus $500 disposal, $3,000 paid directly by homeowner; competing quotes totaled $3,500). Homeowner reports to Progressive that the whole roof appears to be coming off where the SeekNow inspector walked it.

   Source: Emails to Progressive, Aug 13-15 2024

10. Aug 16, 2024

    Progressive requests Servpro warranty documents; subrogation discussed

    Adjuster Mariah Cedars requests Fernando's contact information, the Servpro warranty and signed contract, and prior Servpro work documents, with subrogation against Servpro under discussion for the improperly installed shingles. (Progressive's July 20, 2026 records response later confirmed no formal subrogation demand was ultimately pursued, because the amounts Progressive actually paid were attributed to the covered wind event.)

    Source: Mariah Cedars email Aug 16 2024; subrogation thread Aug 16-17 2024

11. Aug 21, 2024

    Progressive coverage letter: 'improper installation of your roof' not covered

    Progressive issues its payment letter and repair estimate. The investigation found windblown shingles and water intrusion through the roof into the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom. Under 'damages that are not covered' the letter states: 'The policy does not cover for improper installation of your roof.' Payment covers only the wind and tree portion: $4,839.07 to the homeowner plus $400 to SeekNow for tarping, against a $7,917.06 replacement-cost estimate less a $2,500 deductible. The estimate's roofing category totals just $627.56 (about two squares of shingles under the tarps); tree removal accounts for $3,000 of the payment. The bulk of the roof was left to the homeowner because its failure was attributed to installation, not wind.

    Source: Progressive payment letter and estimate, Aug 21 2024 (exhibit on file)

12. Aug 23, 2024

    Progressive issues estimate, photos, and policy documents

    Progressive sends the repair estimate, inspection photos, and policy copy. The homeowner opens the warranty claim with Michelle George at Wilpro the same day, including background on the installation crew.

    Source: Progressive emails Aug 23 2024; warranty thread

13. Sep 4, 2024

    Core dispute exchange with Servpro

    Ten emails in one day. Homeowner: warranty runs from job completion (Aug 2019 payment, Jan 2020 check), claim filed July 2024 is inside five years, Progressive's report and Servpro's own estimator Brian Wright identify improper installation. Servpro (Michelle George): job file shows roof completed 2018, roof is older than five years, the report shows wind and tree damage that insurance paid, and asks when leaking started.

    Source: Warranty dispute thread, Sep 4 2024

14. Sep 9, 2024

    Servpro requests site inspection by Colby

    After meeting with the operations manager, Michelle George writes that Servpro cannot effectively determine liability from documents alone and asks to schedule a site visit by Colby.

    Source: Michelle George email, Sep 9 2024

15. Oct 15, 2024

    Homeowner offers any day for inspection; trail goes quiet

    Homeowner returns from travel and offers any day that week for Colby's visit. No recorded response follows.

    Source: Email Oct 15, 2024

16. Apr 4, 2026

    Dispute revived; forwarded to Rooftech Consulting

    Homeowner forwards the entire record to Scott at Rooftech Consulting for independent expert review.

    Source: Forwards and bounce notices, Apr 4 2026

17. Jul 19, 2026

    City permit file obtained

    Building Inspector Kyle Shepherd provides the complete 38-page permit file for permit 20180234: issued August 27, 2018 to Wilpro Enterprises-Servpro at a $224,000 valuation on an application signed by Greg Marshall, with the final inspection passed May 29, 2019. Establishes the documented substantial-completion date.

    Source: Kyle Shepherd email, Jul 19 2026; permit file exhibit

18. Jul 20, 2026

    Progressive answers the records request

    Adjuster Mariah Cedars resends the August 21, 2024 payment letter and repair estimate plus the inspection photos and SeekNow report, declines to release further work product, and confirms in writing that no formal subrogation demand was pursued because the amounts Progressive paid were attributed to the covered wind event. The payment letter itself, now on file, states the policy 'does not cover for improper installation of your roof.'

    Source: Mariah Cedars emails, Jul 20 2026

19. Jul 23, 2026

    Right to Repair notice mailed to Wilpro's CEO

    Formal notice of construction defect claim under the Georgia Right to Repair Act, O.C.G.A. 8-2-35 et seq., mailed by certified mail to Ricky Wilson, CEO and registered agent of Wilpro Enterprises, Inc., at 14861 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Villa Rica. USPS tracking 9589 0710 5270 3518 1481 93. Under O.C.G.A. 8-2-38 the company has 30 days from receipt to inspect, offer a remedy, offer settlement, or dispute the claim.

    Source: Certified mail receipt, Jul 23 2026 (exhibit on file)

20. Jul 27, 2026

    Right to Repair notice delivered and signed for

    USPS delivered the certified notice at 12:17 PM in Villa Rica, GA 30180, left with an individual at Wilpro Enterprises' office. Full scan history: accepted at Carrollton 30117 on Jul 23 at 4:52 PM, departed Carrollton 5:50 PM, Atlanta distribution center Jul 23 and Jul 24, redelivery scheduled for the next business day on Jul 25 at 8:52 AM, delivered Jul 27 at 12:17 PM. Postal product First-Class Mail with the Certified Mail feature. Delivery starts the O.C.G.A. 8-2-38 clock: Wilpro has 30 days from receipt, through Aug 26, 2026, to serve a written response that either offers to inspect, offers a remedy or settlement, or disputes the claim. Silence past that date lets the homeowner proceed to suit without further notice.

    Source: USPS tracking 9589 0710 5270 3518 1481 93, delivery record

21. Aug 4, 2026

    Document request mailed to Wilpro's CEO

    Formal request for the warranty, signed contract, job file, roofing vendor invoices and payment records, and the notes and reports of Wilpro's own personnel (including estimator Brian Wright), mailed by Certified Mail with Return Receipt to Ricky Wilson at the Villa Rica office. Asks Wilpro to produce whatever documents support its asserted 2018 completion date. Certified tracking 9589 0710 5270 3518 1192 92; green card return receipt 9590 9402 0167 6110 8740 76. This request is separate from the Right to Repair notice and does not alter the August 26, 2026 response deadline.

    Source: Certified mail receipt, Aug 4 2026 (exhibit on file); letter of Aug 4 2026

22. Aug 5, 2026

    Wilpro agrees to inspect the roof

    Michelle George emails at 9:08 PM: she and a couple of project managers plan to stop by the next day, weather permitting, to look at the roof, exterior inspection, homeowner presence not required. She acknowledges receipt of a letter in the mail and recalls the homeowner meeting with Colby. She states Wilpro has no documentation of workmanship issues with the roof, that the project was permitted and inspected, and that by book records the roof is not under warranty, but agrees to come inspect and determine the issue. An offer to inspect is one of the responses O.C.G.A. 8-2-38 contemplates to a Right to Repair notice; a written response remains due by August 26, 2026. This is the first inspection Wilpro has actually undertaken since proposing one through Colby in September 2024.

    Source: Email, Michelle George to homeowner, Aug 5 2026, 9:08 PM

23. Aug 6, 2026

    Document request delivered to Wilpro's CEO

    USPS delivers the August 4 document request at 11:03 AM in Villa Rica, GA 30180, left with an individual, one day ahead of the estimate. The request asks Wilpro to produce the warranty, the signed contract, the job file, the roofing vendor's invoices and payment records, Brian Wright's on-site notes and estimates, and whatever documents support the asserted 2018 completion date, or to state in writing that a requested document does not exist. The signed green card return receipt (9590 9402 0167 6110 8740 76) mails back separately and becomes an exhibit on arrival. The same day this letter arrives, Wilpro's project managers inspect the roof and, by evening, Michelle George writes that a decision has been reached on what needs to be done.

    Source: USPS tracking 9589 0710 5270 3518 1192 92, delivered Aug 6 2026, 11:03 AM

24. Aug 6, 2026

    Wilpro inspects the roof and begins planning the repair

    Wilpro project managers are on site during the day to view the issues and take photos. At 7:51 PM Michelle George emails a status: lead project manager Johnny Butler (20 years with Servpro) has contacted their roofer, and the two will return the next day or early the following week. She writes that Colby vacated his position with Servpro unexpectedly, leaving this matter among his unresolved items, and that she (22 years with this Servpro division) and Butler will handle it personally. Most significantly: 'we all have reached a decision on what needs to be done,' pending the roofer confirming so 'we can all be on the same page.' Next steps she describes: the roofer provides a material list, Wilpro places the order with its supplier at ABC, and on a delivery date she will schedule a roll off container on site. Ordering materials and staging a roll off describes tear-off and replacement work, not a patch. The next step for the record is a written scope of work; the O.C.G.A. 8-2-38 written response remains due August 26, 2026.

    Source: Email, Michelle George to homeowner, Aug 6 2026, 7:51 PM

25. Aug 7, 2026

    Wilpro commits in writing to a written scope and schedule

    The homeowner replies to Michelle George's status update, confirming the described plan back in writing and asking for the scope of work in writing (the material list plus what is being torn off and replaced) and a timeline once the delivery date is set. Michelle George answers within half an hour: the roofer is planning to stop by that morning, and 'Yes I will have the list of materials and a scope of what he is doing once he visits. As soon as the material order is placed I will update you with the schedule.' The homeowner also flags rotted soffit and fascia around the gutters, water damage from the same leaks, for inclusion in the same scope while the roofer is on site.

    Source: Email exchange, homeowner and Michelle George, Aug 7 2026, 7:53 AM and 8:15 AM

26. Aug 7, 2026

    Wilpro delivers the roofer's material list: a full tear-off and replacement

    At 9:03 PM Michelle George sends the material list from the roofer's same-day visit: 45 squares of roofing (4,500 square feet of shingles), 4 bundles of starter strips, 11 bundles of ridge cap, 3 rolls of ice and water shield, 5 rolls of synthetic underlayment (roughly 50 squares of coverage), 3 pipe boots, 10 sections of ridge vent, fasteners, and NP1 sealant. Full-coverage underlayment, new starters at every eave and rake, and new ridge caps and ventilation describe re-roofing the entire house, not repairing leak points. She adds: 'After he removes roof he will update me on the decking,' confirming a complete tear-off with the decking to be evaluated and addressed once exposed, and commits to sending the schedule the following week. Open scope questions carried forward in writing: the soffit and fascia flagged that morning, shingle brand and color, and drip edge.

    Source: Email, Michelle George to homeowner, Aug 7 2026, 9:03 PM

27. Aug 11, 2026

    Wilpro sets the schedule: materials Aug 12-13, roofer starts Thursday Aug 13

    At 8:09 AM Michelle George delivers the schedule promised the prior week: 'Roll off and Materials will arrive between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Roofer will be onsite Thursday to get started.' That places the roll off container and the full material order on site August 12-13 and puts the roofer starting the tear-off Thursday, August 13, 2026. This is the first concrete work date Wilpro has committed to since the roof was installed in 2018-2019. Scope questions still awaiting written answers: soffit and fascia inclusion, shingle brand and color, and drip edge.

    Source: Email, Michelle George to homeowner, Aug 11 2026, 8:09 AM

28. Aug 12, 2026

    Materials delivered on schedule: GAF Timberline NS architectural shingles

    ABC Supply (Carrollton) delivers the roofing materials to the property, on the schedule Michelle George gave August 11. Delivered and photographed: GAF Timberline NS architectural shingles in Charcoal (manufacture date February 2026, StainGuard algae protection), matching GAF Seal-A-Ridge hip and ridge caps, Tarco LeakBarrier ice and water shield, and synthetic underlayment. The delivery matches the August 7 material list and answers the shingle-spec question in the homeowner's favor: name-brand architectural shingles from the largest roofing manufacturer in North America, consistent with a full replacement done to current standards.

    Source: Delivery photographed by homeowner, Aug 12 2026

29. Aug 13, 2026

    Tear-off begins, and the stripped roof shows how the 2018 job was built

    The roofing crew arrives on the schedule Michelle George set and strips the roof to bare decking. What comes off documents the 2018-2019 installation in a way no ground-level look ever could: at the rake edges, the field shingles were simply folded down over the edge of the roof in place of drip edge metal, an improvised edge with bare OSB behind it. The crew doing the tear-off, Wilpro's own subcontractors, tell the homeowner it is the worst installation they have seen. Both conditions are photographed before the new underlayment goes down. The rake treatment matters beyond workmanship: drip edge was one of the three scope questions the homeowner had been asking Wilpro to confirm in writing since August 7.

    Source: Tear-off photographs, Aug 13 2026 (exhibits on file); statements of the roofing crew on site

30. Aug 13, 2026

    The chimney: homeowner asks Wilpro to restore what the 2018 crew removed

    With the roof open, the homeowner raises the last piece of the 2018 job in writing, at 8:29 AM with before and after photos attached. Before the fire rebuild the house had a chimney: pre-rebuild real estate listing photos show a framed chase with lap siding and a metal flue cap, no masonry. During the 2018 roof work the crew could not stop the roof from leaking at the chimney, and the chimney was cut off instead of being flashed correctly. It was never rebuilt. Since then the furnace has vented through a bare pipe and the fireplace has been unusable. Two phone calls follow the email. Michelle George calls to say Wilpro cannot rebuild the chimney but will have its HVAC contractor replace the furnace vent pipe. Then lead project manager Johnny Butler calls from the job and says the vent needs the chimney structure to be done right, and asks whether the homeowner could pay to have the chimney built. The homeowner confirms both calls back in writing the same morning: he cannot fund it, and the pre-rebuild photos show that putting the chase back is framing, siding, a cap, and flashing, the same trades already on site.

    Source: Emails, homeowner to Michelle George, Aug 13 2026, 8:29 AM and 9:53 AM; phone calls of Aug 13 2026

31. Aug 13, 2026

    Wilpro's written answer: you must have agreed to lose the chimney

    Michelle George replies at 10:00 AM: the repairs were completed in 2018-2019 and 'only carr[y] a 5 year warranty,' the roof replacement is 'good faith,' and, on the chimney: 'We do not have the information on why you would have done away with the chimney in 2018.' Wilpro 'will put the roof back as it was when you signed off and accepted the project in final docs in 2019,' and 'can only redo the roof.' The homeowner answers that Wilpro was the general contractor of record on permit 20180234 ($224,000, application signed by Greg Marshall), that a homeowner does not remove his own chimney mid-restoration, and that no change order or written authorization for the removal exists, which her email itself confirms; the warranty document and signed final docs she cites remain unproduced three weeks after the August 4 written request. At 10:20 AM her position hardens: 'Clearly there was some communication where you agreed to the removal of the chimney,' with a demand that the homeowner produce written complaints from the 2018-2019 job. The homeowner's reply notes that Wilpro's file went from 'no information' to 'clearly you agreed' in twenty minutes with no document in between, that change orders are the contractor's records to create and keep, and that the same 2019 sign-off Wilpro invokes also approved the shingles found wrapped over the rake edges that morning. The chimney now stands as the open item for Wilpro's written Right to Repair response due August 26, 2026.

    Source: Email exchange, Michelle George and homeowner, Aug 13 2026, 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM

32. Aug 13, 2026

    Independent roofing consultant on site: the missing drip edge was a code violation

    In the afternoon, a consultant from Rooftech Consulting visits the property while the roof is stripped and attributes the rotted fascia and eave-edge damage to the absence of drip edge, which the tear-off confirmed the 2018-2019 installation never had, at eaves or rakes. Drip edge has been mandatory in Georgia since January 1, 2014, when the state adopted the 2012 International Residential Code as its minimum residential code; section R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at the eaves and rakes of shingle roofs. The 2018 roof was permitted in August 2018, more than four years after the requirement took effect. A member of the roofing crew separately identifies an improperly installed starter course as a major source of the leaks: without a correctly installed starter, the first row of shingles has no sealed bond at the roof edge. The replacement roof going on this week includes the drip edge the 2018 roof omitted. The same day, photographs from the crawlspace document the furnace and the base of the flue riser that runs up through the entire house to the roof, the run the 2018 crew left without its chimney at the top, and the new underlayment goes down with openings cut for both the fireplace chimney pipe and the furnace vent, which the homeowner had asked in writing that morning not to be sealed over.

    Source: Site visit and statements, Rooftech Consulting, Aug 13 2026; tear-off and attic photographs (exhibits on file); Georgia State Minimum Standard One and Two Family Dwelling Code (IRC 2012 as adopted eff. Jan 1, 2014), R905.2.8.5

33. Aug 20, 2026

    The new roof is complete, and the chimney chase is back on the house

    The replacement roof is finished: GAF Timberline NS architectural shingles in Charcoal over new underlayment, with the drip edge the 2018-2019 installation omitted, installed by H and R Roofing, whose crew worked professionally throughout. And standing on the new roof is a rebuilt chimney chase, framed, sided, and trimmed by the carpenter on Wilpro's crew. One week earlier Wilpro's written position was that it 'can only redo the roof' and that the homeowner must have agreed to the chimney's removal. The chase its 2018 crew cut off has now been put back at Wilpro's direction, without further dispute and without cost to the homeowner. What remains is the venting the chase exists to serve: per the carpenter who built it, the chimney contractor still needs to bring the pipe collar, chimney cap, and pipe cap, and the HVAC contractor the vent pipe, collar, and pipe cap, both runs passing through the chase. The homeowner emailed Michelle George the same day thanking Wilpro and the crew for the quality of the work and asking when the two trades will be scheduled to finish the chase piping.

    Source: Completion photographs, Aug 20 2026 (exhibit on file); statement of the carpenter who built the chase; email, homeowner to Michelle George, Aug 20 2026

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