"After reviewing the installation business, we've decided it's right to wind down our roofing, siding, insulation and gutters," said a Home Depot representative. "(They are) just not going to be part of our focus moving forward."

According to the Home Depot website, the company “partners with installers and home service professionals who meet the highest standards for experience, know-how and customer service. These professionals are the ones who actually complete the job for the customer and ensure their satisfaction.”

The website also says the installation team has “a critical role within home services” and anyone representing Home Depot in installation must have “top-notch skills.”

As Roofing Contractor reported in 2003, Home Depot took a big leap into the roofing installation market with its purchase of Tampa, Fla.-based Installed Products USA LLC. Installed Products (IPUSA) had been a contractor with Home Depot since 1997.

“The acquisition of IPUSA will provide a stronger platform for home Depot’s expansion into roofing installation and other installation services,” said Joe Izganics, president of Home Depot’s At-Home Services division, at the time of the acquisition.

The move also prompted one contributor to Roofing Contractor to write about the potential impact of the acquisition on other contractors. 

Early reports did not indicate why Home Depot is now winding down the installation businesses.

However, a Home Depot representative reportedly told WTVJ-TV, an NBC-TV affiliate serving south Florida, that “a shortage of labor and products have been a problem.”

WTVJ-TV obtained the information as part of an investigative segment about an area resident who had paid $30,000 for a new roof from Home Depot last year but still is waiting for the job to be completed.

“Less than 1,000” are reportedly going to be affected by the layoffs nationwide. A thread on TheLayoff, a website where laid-off workers discuss developments, indicates people have been affected in California, Florida, George, New England and Wisconsin.