Taves Roofing Fire

Since our company was started in 1985, everyone at Taves Roofing has been committed to providing all of our customers with top quality workmanship at a fair and honest price. As a family company, we know the value of setting an example for future generations, and have always made sure to maintain our reputation as a trustworthy company who pays close attention to detail on whatever type of roofing project we take on. Whether we are simply fixing a few shingles on a house, or laying down a brand-new roof on a commercial building, our team of fully licensed and skilled roofers will be sure to provide the highest level of customer service and workmanship, at a competitive price. Everyone at Taves Roofing works extremely hard to maintain this reputation, which is why we feel it is necessary to address some allegations recently directed at our company.

In early October 2013, one of our client’s properties, the E.L. Lewis building, located on the 600 block of Columbia Street in New Westminster was destroyed in a fire. Not only did this unfortunate event result in the displacement of several businesses that occupied the E.L. Lewis building, it also resulted in the complete loss of a beautiful and historic piece of architecture. Prior to the blaze, Taves Roofing was hired to lay a torch-on roof for the E.L. Lewis building, which we completed to the satisfaction of the building owner and the building occupant that hired us. The cause of the fire was never conclusively determined, and no charges were laid, leading us to believe the matter to be closed.

In 2015 however, two years after the investigation was closed, a civil lawsuit was filed against Taves Roofing, along with the building’s owner, William Evan Lewis and the business that hired us, Copps Shoes. This suit alleged that Taves Roofing acted negligently, hired unskilled workers, and failed to comply with building codes which would therefore make us responsible for the fire that destroyed the building. We would like to take this opportunity to address these allegations, and assure our customers and our local community that they are entirely false and have no basis whatsoever.

To date, after another two years, none of these allegations can be proven in court and they are strongly denied by Taves Roofing. The work done on this roof was low risk and properly performed by Taves Roofing exercising  their safety standards. It is our sincere hope that this unfortunate situation causes no permanent damage to the positive reputation our family business has spent more than 30 years building in Vancouver. We want to thank our customers and our community for the loyalty and support they’ve shown, and all of us at Taves Roofing look forward to putting this unfortunate issue behind us soon, so we can continue providing the quality work we are known for, at an honest price!