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Hello Debbie, I would ask how that was determined. I think that fact that the question was brought up in the first place really raises a red flag. In my experience, if there was a question about changing the laod on a structure an engineer should have been consulted. I would ask the contractor to make things right based off the advise of an engineer. Note-If this contractor is a roofer, I would not think that would be a good fit for the repairs.
We wish you the best,
This is a strange situation. I wonder what type of roofing material was used? It would be very unusual for an asphalt shingle to be too heavy for a roof. So was the roof framing undersized in the first place? Were there existing deficiences which were not corrected, that should have been corrected prior to re-roofing? Indeed, you may need a lawyer to sort this out. Good luck.
In twenty years it only came up once. It was an old house and the owner knew it was substandard. It is taken for granted by most people that a house was built to code and still in sound condition. It would seem logical then if you put the same riding material on the house everything should be alright. There not enough inclination here to even guess what went wrong but you need to get a licensed, or at least certified inspector, and another reputable roofer to evaluate the installing and structure to determine Weiss at fault.
Did you do diligence to see who you were dealing with? Was the roofer licensed or required to be by the state or local unit of governement? ? Was a permit pulled and the job inspected by a building officia/ when completed? If not call your local building official and have them come out to look at the job? The roofer may be in violation of the bullding codes and be subject to disciplinary action by the state. I would check all these things before you proceed with a lawyer. Last if that contractor is not established, he won't have the money to fix it. But if he is insured you may be able to go after his insurance company. So aways ask to see a license, insurance and work comp certificate when dealing with any company and find out how long they have been in business prior to signing any contracts.