The best you can get!…read more
We wanted to replace our roof. We called about 16 contractors, knowing that the rate of callback is not that high. We got estimates from "big box" stores (you can guess), and we got estimates from roofers who scored very high on ServiceMagic in our area. Well, hiring a roofer is a big eye-opener. Some over-measured (not sure if that is a game to overcharge you for tiles you are never going to use), some didn't measure and eyeballed it or used aerial photos and calculated from that. Lots of them push "roof systems" - which are wonderful and do guarantee you peace of mind but boy do you pay for it. Some told us we couldn't have a ridge vent on our roof, and some could (because of the particular style roof we have). Some played games with pricing if we signed right away, or used scare tactics to make us feel anxious that we needed to sign immediately. We could not get straight answers from anyone. The levels of knowledge and BS varied from company to company.
We were very frustrated during the whole process, and alot of the salesmen knew that we were not dummies, and couldn't pull the wood over our eyes. We were chatting with a neighbor, who said he got a list of local roofers from the lumber store nearby. He gave us the name of the one he wanted to use himself.
Well, we hit the jackpot. Joe is an all around good guy. No frills, nothing fancy, just good hard honest work. He's down to earth, genuine, and what you see is what you get. It's a two man team, they work very well together. Joe has been in the business for 25 years. You are not going to get a huge team of guys rolling up in a truck, banging out a new roof in a day. The two of them work at their own pace, sometimes take a lunch, sometimes it's a long day, sometimes it's a shorter day. They never leave your roof exposed to the elements, in case of rain. They have their own system, and they do it the way they like it. As long as you don't have a deadline to get the roof done - and you have patience, you will be rewarded. Of course, if you have an emergency, he will hustle right over with a prompt response and fix whatever needs to be done. They have a cleaning team that comes in every day and cleans up immaculately. There's no website, you get a handwritten quote, and Joe does not answer the phone if he is up on a roof, but leave him a message. It may take him a few days to get back to you, but you will be very pleased with the quote, and the quality of work. We were shocked at how reasonable his quote was. I guarantee you that no larger roofer company who employs a team of salespeople and has multiple trucks out across the state with teams of men, can match the quote you will get from Joe. He also did some minor fixes and repairs of little things while he was up on the roof for us. His buddy also hung all new shutters to match the new roof for a reasonable price. The house looks really handsome now, and the roof is so nice. We were glad to use a local business and support the local economy.
Call your town, know what's required. Educate yourself before calling any roofer for an estimate. If you have any questions, go to the NRCA website: http://www.nrca.net/, there is a lot of information for the average consumer, and you can call them (I did) and they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Call a few other contractors, and get your quote, but don't sign anything. Then, call Joe. I know you will be using him.