I get to be the first to review? Awesome!
After suffering under (quite literally) a horrible, leaky roof installed about ten years ago by a shyster-y fly-by-night roofer who spent the years of our warranty lying to us and finally not returning phone calls, we decided to bite the (expensive) bullet and hire a reputable roofer to replace the roof on our townhouse.
So, the short answer is you get what you pay for. Ruff was a spectacular company to work with. Kevin, our estimator and project manager, was polite, prompt, honest, and took the time to explain EVERYTHING. We had tons of questions and were clearly roof-shy, and he was super patient with us throughout the process.
Once we saw the estimate and managed to catch our breath and pick ourselves up off the floor, we signed on the contract. Now, we had a rubber membrane roof installed instead of the usual tar roof that you see on most townhouses in Baltimore. But let's be clear here: the estimate was three times more than our last roof cost, and twice as expensive as a national chain contractor.
It was Not. Cheap. At. All.
Really, it's a credit to Kevin and the rest of the people at Ruff that we had such a good vibe from them that we decided to pay for the right people, and get the right roof. After all, it's your house! Amirite?!
Anyway, the installation was just as wonderful as the estimating process. We were introduced to the job foreman and the supervisor. We were given everyone's cell numbers. They handled all the permitting and inspections, even closing the street one day. The crew arrived promptly each morning, worked the full day, and cleaned the site completely before they left. The work they did was SPECTACULAR, and if I didn't know that for myself, Kevin and the foreman walked me through every phase of the job so I could inspect the work myself, ask questions, and understand what was being done and why. There was extra repointing to be done; they showed me exactly why, and what was going to be done. Part of the sub-roof had to be replaced: again, they showed me exactly where and why.
This is how a contractor should be. It was a fantastic experience start to finish.
Even afterwards, Ruff has been great to work with. They rushed the invoice through their accounting department, so we had documentation for our refinancing, and then have been exceedingly patient with us as we finish up with our re-fi. I couldn't ask for better.
Oh, and post-hurricane Sandy? The roof is on tight, with not even the hint of a leak. read more