Toronto Roofing Industries Ltd

This roof job was a major and costly undertaking and it is very difficult to find competent slate roofers, but Toronto Roofing Industries did a first rate job. Their workers were professional, hard working and careful. Follow-up was excellent. We had a couple of minor issues after the main job was completed and TRI was always willing to come back and find the right solutions. Even now, 6 years after the main job, any time I call them with a follow-up issue (such as adding additional features) they respond immediately. I have no hesitation in recommending TRI to friends and family.

I joined Homestars just so I could review this company since I read others' reviews before I hired them. They came recommended by a friend who'd had some roofing done. From start to finish they were thoroughly professional and from what I can tell (2+ months after the work was completed) did a great job. Their estimator (Russ) was prompt, provided a detailed estimate with an upgrade option for the shingles. When I called with a couple of followup questions his answers were clear. By the way, the quote was modest in comparison to some other contractors who were, in my opinion, proposing very over-engineered solutions. The work was scheduled - no deposit, required, payment after the job was complete - and as it approached the projected start date I called to check on the schedule. I happened to mention we had a small bare patch where racoons had peeled away the old shingles and I wanted to make sure the work was done before some recent snowfall melted. The person on the phone offered to send someone over to tarp the bare patch until the shingles arrived which, to me,was service above and beyond the call. I got a 2-3 day notice before the work started. The crew (Kirk and a couple of others) were there on time. They introduced themselves and got to work. Very nice guys - polite, well-spoken. And they were hard workers - it was early January, they started at 8 and worked until 6 - well after dark. Cleaned up at the end of each day. The roof and siding look fantastic. I did call after the job was complete because I'd noticed an icycle where there hadn't been one before and someone was over a day or two later to make an adjustment. Overall it was a totally positive experience and I'd have no hesitation recommending them.

When I contacted this company for a roofing job, I asked them to take pictures of the top of the roof, you know, “Before” and “After” pictures. I can’t get to the top of my flat roof and I wanted to get some pics, which in the age of cell phones should have been super-easy to do. They sent me four pictures in total: 2 of the front and back of my house taken off the street days after the job was finished (after I insisted on getting the pics) and 2 close-up pictures of wood off a stripped roof. My roof? Someone else’s roof? Who knows? When I said to them that these pics don’t really show what the job looked like before and after (no pictures of the top of the flat roof), instead of owning up to it right away, Tim proceeded give me these half-apologies: He was sorry but in in 30 years they never were asked to do this, what did I want the pictures for, etc. After ten minutes of conversation where I was just getting increasingly angry at him not taking responsibility, he finally admitted that, yes, they did not do what I had asked. Then he offered to give me pictures of my roof from Google Earth. Really? You go on their website and it’s all this stuff about how the customer is king but when they make a mistake they don’t own up to it right away – they try to make you feel that you were at fault for even requesting it. The pics should have been ready right after the job was done if they had indeed had been done. Not taken days later off the street. Obviously, the workers did not take them then and there and the company was trying to cover their tracks. When people are honest and they have nothing to hide, they are usually plain-spoken and upfront. Not being upfront makes me question the company and other areas where stuff was not done. Hopefully, the roofing job will be okay but only time will tell. There are plenty of roofers here with 10/10 ratings – go with them.

They have not finished the job and they left garbage in my driveway. They did come back and correct some errors, and some omissions (did not apply ice shield) but after almost 2 months I am still hoping they will finish the job and clean up.

We had shingles missing on our roof and bare wood was showing. Toronto Roofing Industries Ltd responded to my email quickly, provided a quote over the phone and via email and sent someone over a short time later. They repaired the roof and advised us about some other work that needs to be done on our chimney. They were helpful to see the extent of the damage caused by rain and then to show us how the damage was repaired. We were very pleased with the work.

falling tree branch damaged the ridge of one section of our roof.
Toronto roofing had done other, very successful, work for us, so we called them and they responded quickly with clear informative estimates for two approaches to the work. neat, speedy work followed with good followup.

Initially I was very pleased with the professionalism given me over the phone and during my initial consultation. However, once the crew arrived (different people), it all fell to pieces.

It was as straight-forward a roofing gig as it could be, with the only complication being that we had a skylight. Otherwise, it is a small 1000sqft fully detached home with good access at front and back.

I had about six companies quote on the job. TRI weren't the cheapest, but I felt most comfortable with them, and they were one of only a couple who said they could do the job without removing the skylight.

I took the day off to work from home during the construction so I could be of service if there were any issues that required my attention.
It's just as well I did. The trouble started with the demolition of the existing roof, when I heard a crash right at the window I was working next to. They had failed to protect an exterior light, and threw old shingles down that broke it right off. They later reinstalled it, but it is permanently bent. Later on, I hear what sounds like rain in the hallway. I poke my head out to see that they have removed the skylight (despite the explicit agreement not to), separating the drywall inside. The rain sound was the drywall flaking down. I called the owner and told him of this, and he acknowledged their mistake and offered to re-drywall the interior. Knowing that such a patch-up would never result in a like-new look, we agreed that he would replace a section of flashing on another part of the house instead at no cost. I was pleased with the trade in cost, but still upset that it even came to this... there is still a very visible crack all around the skylight where it was separated from the drywall. Also, while the skylight was off, they dripped roofing tar into my hallway permanently staining my railing... an issue I did not bother taking up with them at that time. (I had work of my own to do that day as well)

Finally, and most disturbingly, I glanced out the window to see how things were going, and noticed that the crew was installing shingles directly on top of 100yr old wooden roof boards without any underlayment!!! In addition to this, they were using standard roof felt only at the bottom of the roof (nothing above) instead of the ice and water shield! I couldn't believe that they would cut this corner. This is basic stuff! I paid specifically for a particular underlayment and ice and water shield, and they simply weren't installing it. This is classic how-not-to-install-shingles. Inexcusable! I went out side to point it out. The crew boss went red in the face and tried to tell me that it was okay. I told him he wasn't going to pull that one over on me, and that I knew how shingles are to be installed, and an underlayment is critical (especially over a roof with air gaps between the boards. He then had to admit that he had cut corners because they ran out of material, and it was the end of the day. I said that it was unacceptable, and they agreed to come back the following day with the correct materials and redo that portion of roof.

I took the evening as an opportunity to check to see what else they had skimped on, and notice that they didn't install ice and water shield on another section of roof too! I guess they figure how many people are going to look under the shingles... so let's swindle them out of what they paid for and install a product that will leak... who cares right? I DO! I had them remove all of their work and begin again with the correct materials.

In the end, the final product seems to be quite good, and there have been no issues with leaking thus far (2 yrs now). However, if I hadn't been home, or hadn't looked out the window at the right time, or hadn't taken the time to get up on a ladder and peak under the shingles, I would have been left with a terribly installed roof.

I can only hope that their mistakes were due to a lack of experience, rather than a malicious intent to save a few bucks and a bit of time at my expense. If it was a lack of experience, the crews should be supervised by someone who will notice these issues, rather than relying on the homeowner to get lucky and catch them by fluke.

On a final note, 2 years later, and I'm still finding roofing nails in my garden. It's called a magnet sweep! For the safety of your future clients children, I hope that TRI learns to properly contain their roof waste, and sweep up the nails at the end of the job carefully.

To be fair, it is possible that it was just one terrible crew, and maybe those individuals are long gone, and there are no longer any concerns of this sort with TRI. But, the experience is still so frustrating to me, I feel it warrants a post here.

Toronto Roofing Industries has replaced about 10 roofs for Riverdale Co-op in the past four years, ranging from small shingled porches to large flat roofs. Their pricing is always fair, delivering a high quality installation with a friendly and professional attitude. It's great to have them in the community, and I highly recommend their work.

Rod Layman
Riverdale Co-op Project Manager

On short notice, I needed to have the shared flat garage roof redone on my home in the Beach area. There had been only one small leak so the crew replaced wood only where needed. I liked that because we were able to preserve the original planks. The roofers were helpful and polite, especially having to deal with two owners. The owner of the other section of the garage roof was pleased with the job as well as the price, since she had received other quotes.
When Tim came to do the initial inspection on the garage roof, I asked him to check the roof on the house. Good time to have a roof inspection done! Thank you to Toronto Roofing Industries for a job well done, and quickly organized.

I contacted Steve with TRI Ltd to quote me on a flat roof job I needed don e. He assessed the situation and gave me a quote immediately. The job was completed 2 weeks later. As an added bonus, they noticed squirrels had created a hole in some fascia board and replaced it. I found the installers efficient and detail oriented. i would definitely use them again.