‘A nightmare’: Idaho family living without a roof after theirs was removed by a contractor they never hired

SPIRIT LAKE — A local family’s been living without a roof for more than 20 days after theirs was removed by a contractor they never hired.

It’s a sight Jessica Hotvedt never thought she’d come home to.

“This is a nightmare. This is absolutely the worst thing I could have imagined,” she said. “June 1, my daughter came home from school to find that people were removing the roof of our house.”

Their house is now covered in tarp with no explanation except a letter left by the contractor, which says there had been some miscommunication, and they were sent to the wrong address. She understands people mess up, but now no one’s taking blame for the issue.

“It was a mistake, a very costly mistake and it should have been fixed,” Hotvedt said. “It just should have been fixed, but no one will do it.”

D.R. Roofing LLC told the family their insurance would handle it. The claims the family has tried to file with the company’s insurance have been denied. In the latest letter, they say “the policy issued to D.R. Roofing contains an exclusion for property damage arising out of an open-roof condition.”

The recent rainstorms in the Inland Northwest only made the issue worse. Water seeped into the home, and parts of the floor had to be removed. There’s also lingering water damage to the carpet and drywall.

“It’s very, very stressful, mainly affecting the kids’ room,” she exclaimed. “The kids don’t want to sleep up there because of the moldy smell, mildew smell is just overwhelming for them.”

The price to fix this mess is also overwhelming. Bids from other companies to redo their metal roof are coming in at over $70,000.

Now, they’re worried about their five kids’ health and how long they’ll go living without a roof they never wanted removed.

“We want to be able to protect ourselves from the weather here, and hopefully we don’t go into fall without it,” Hotvedt concluded.

They’re asking if anyone has advice on what to do and how to deal with an issue like this. They’ve contacted both Idaho and Washington’s Attorney Generals, as well as the BBB. They say they’re starting to meet with lawyers about their next steps.

4 News Now did reach out to the contractor who removed this roof. He said over the phone he’s working on it but did not want to comment on camera.

This story was first published by fellow CNN affiliate KXLY.