We've owned our house in East Boca Raton for 10.5 years, and while the roof was in excellent, albeit not new, condition when we purchased it, there was a flat roof section which had to have repairs done in 2008. I've always feared there were problems with the flat roof, as I occasionally would see water leaking through onto the lanai (is that what it's called?) and said "oh no, the last thing I want to do is incur big bucks to fix the roof, since the house is worth about $200,000 less than what I paid in the height of the last South Florida real estate boom" [Yes, I do talk in my head in that manner].
Well, when I had to have a roof inspection to have my Citizen's Insurance home insurance renewed about 8 months ago [that was a real annoyance], I had to plead for mercy from the roofing inspector, as the "useful life" of the flat roof was, well, like close to, if not near death. I squeaked through so the exorbitant Citizens Insurance could be re-issued, and received a recommendation from the inspector of Riggs Roofing. After avoiding calling him for several months, I finally asked my handyman for a recommendation, and that led to an estimate from another roofer, which was much higher than I wanted to pay, and I wasn't too comfortable with the approach that company would take. Before an expenditure of the amount being quoted, I figured it would be prudent for another estimate.
I called Riggs Roofing, an appointment was set up at a time convenient for me. The appointment was confirmed in advance. William Riggs, the owner of the company, showed up on time, explained two approaches to the repair and/or replacement which could be done, and promised to send me a proposal via email. Well, I had heard that promise before, and wondered if it would occur. Yes, two days later I receive two proposals, each with a diagram, and a comprehensive explanation of the work to be done under each option. I was surprised. And impressed. I was given a total price, start to finish, with all required City and County filings and permits, and never a hint that he would do it without a permit, which many contractors offer to do. I was also given a time line on how long the job would take, once the permit was issued, as well as how long it would take the City of Boca Raton to issue a permit [the City has been dumped on for its slowness in issuing permits, and they appear to have improved dramatically in this area of service].
I was billed electronically for the deposit, was able to go to a secure website to enter my credit card information, and the permit was issued 2 days later. Snap. A great start. The job was started a day after the permit was issued, after being scheduled with my agreement, and was finished in 2 days. The City inspector was on site to approve the work which the plans had detailed, and Riggs called in an inspection for final approval. I made my final payment via the same website, and a few days later received a thick package in the mail, containing the entire package submitted to the City, all drawings and approvals, wind mitigations, and the very important Contractor's Final Release and Waiver of Lien.
My driveway was covered with protective cloths so none of the disgusting tar scared it, and I did not find one nail or any other old roofing materials anyone of my property. Other than the toxic odor from the unit which heats the tar, the job was done so well I was actually relieved that I opened up my house maintenance account to have it done, and can now remove this from my list of things to angst over as I fall asleep at night.
Need an honest, reliable, well provided, independent, local roofer? Contact Riggs Roofing. Trust me, I'm tough, and this guy and his crew were outstanding. Oh, his operations manager who handles all the submissions to the City and County, billings, and keeps Bill on track is his wife, Jessica, who is incredibly efficient. She could work for me anytime, and I say that about very few people, especially in this less than stellar South Florida environment. read more
