My neighbor and I had decided to have both of our adjacent (semi-detached) flat roofs replaced earlier this summer. The contractor lined up to do the work in late May kept postponing due to heavy workload. The situation became more critical when a leak developed in one of the roofs, about the time that the long summer drought ended.
After two months of delays, our contractor was thoughtful enough to have his wife call to let us know that they were on the way to the airport for a 3-week vacation. So, teeth clenched, it was back to the drawing board for us...
So I checked the reviews on Homestars to locate a few roofing contractors to get estimates from. Fixer on the Roof replied within 2 days with a date and time for an appraisal. The other contractor had difficulty setting a particular time, and we were never able to find a time on the fly that worked for both of us.
After meeting with Fixer on the Roof's Luc, we were satisfied that (a) he knew what he was doing; (b) could be counted to get the job done at the time and in the manner promised; and (c) at a mutually acceptable price. We were happy to have the job scheduled within 10 days of our acceptance.
The crew showed up promptly, and removed an existing rooftop deck without any problem. The estimated 3 layers of old roof surface to be removed, however, turned out to be 5 layers, so it was a much longer (and back-breaking) job to remove over 100 years of roofing, and dispose of the debris.
You can learn a lot about a team by watching them work, and it was evident that these guys were experienced, and not afraid of hard work.
The torch work, eaves trough and copping were handled capably, and it was admirable that one of their workers came out immediately in a rainstorm over the holiday weekend to caulk a small leak where the work hadn't been completed.
We were happy with the clean-up, and a few small extras that the crew kindly looked after at our request. Communications were also handled well (I particularly liked how Linda used email for non-critical stuff, and the phone for the important things).
I'm not an expert on roofing, but I know good workmanship when I see it, and it was evident here in each stage of the job. Some might argue that we could have gotten the job done for less money, although I'm pretty sure the results would not match the quality job that was done. I'm confident that we won't have to worry about this roof for many years to come.
If you still disagree, I'd be glad to put you in touch with the first contractor, as soon as he's back from vacation!