Is it normal for a contractor to frame a deck roof directly over existing shingles?

Rafters sitting directly on top of old asphalt shingles is a massive red flag and a recipe for rot and structural failure. In any professional roof tie-in, you have to strip the shingles back to the sheathing so the new framing can be properly fastened and flashed. If they just toe-nailed into the existing roof through the shingles, they've created a leak point that will destroy your house's exterior wall and your new deck framing within a few seasons. There should absolutely be metal flashing and a water-tight transition at that junction, not just wood sitting on grit. Notching vertical supports is another area where DIY crews often fail. If those notches are over-cut or sloppy, they've compromised the load-bearing capacity of the post. Structural wood needs clean, precise seats for beams to transfer weight correctly. Combine that with a 6x6 that was visibly out of plumb, and you're looking at a structure that might not even support its own dead load, let alone a heavy snow load or a crowd of people. Stop the work immediately before they put more materials over thier mistakes. You need to call your local building department and ask for a **field inspection** or at least verify that a permit was actually pulled. Most jurisdictions require a footing and framing inspection for a project this size. If they didn't pull permits, they are likely dodging code requirements because they don't know them. The fact that the project manager is getting defensive is a classic sign that he's over his head and knows he can't defend the technical aspects of the build.

Don't let them continue just because you're already weeks behind. It is much cheaper to fire a bad crew now and hire a real carpenter to fix the framing than it is to tear down a finished, leaking roof in two years. This isn't just about aesthetics; it's about the **structural integrity** of your home. If that ledger isn't flashed and bolted correctly, the whole deck could pull away from the house. Get a real pro out there to do a walkthrough and document every code violation before you pay them another dime.

I’ve been building since we used hand saws and galvanized nails, and this makes my teeth ache. Putting rafters over shingles is amateur hour; back in the day, we’d strip to the deck and run a proper sleeper or header to tie it in right. If they can't even get a 6x6 plumb with a level, they sure as heck aren't checking thier loads. Check those notches too—if they overcut the 'meat' of the post, it's junk. I once saw a guy try to shim a sloppy notch with cedar shakes; the whole deck settled three inches by spring. These boys are winging it. Stop the check and get an old-school framer out there to look at those joints.

That sounds like a total nightmare. If you end up firing them and starting over, you need to make sure the next crew uses Simpson Strong-Tie connectors for those post-to-beam transitions. It sounds like they’re just hacking away at the wood, but a few BC40 or AC6 caps whould have solved that notch issue and kept everthing structural. If the ledger is allready looking splintered, I’d bet they aren't using proper DTT2Z tension ties either. Don't let them hide that mess behind trim; get some real hardware in there so your deck doesn't pull away from the house during the first big wind storm.