Tear off and replace the roof from my house and detached garage.
I called four companies for estimates on tearing off the existing roof and re-roofing my house and detached garage. Three returned my call and sent someone to my house to evaluate the job. Abel Serrano, the president of Klam Construction, was the only one to actually provide a written bid. The estimators for the other two companies pointed out some architectural features that would make roofing cumbersome and the fact that it would not be possible to place a drop box next to the house. One of the other estimators told me his company would install ridgetop vents, without actually investigating whether or not they would be appropriate for my house. Abel took me into the attic to investigate the airflow and showed me why rooftop vents would not work. Another estimator told me that his company was already booked until late spring and said that, if anyone bid less than $25,000, and I was comfortable with the company, I should hire them. In other words, of the four companies I contacted, Klam Construction was the only one interested in re-roofing my house and garage. Abel prepared a detailed bid, with diagrams showing what materials would be used in each area and the exact placement of vents. He told me about his experience and the history of Klam Construction. I was impressed with his thoroughness and the fact that he listened to what I wanted. I was also pleasantly surprised that he said Klam could do the job soon. This winter has been unusually cold and snowy, which delayed the beginning somewhat but, when his crew arrived, they worked very hard from dawn until after dark until the job was done. Even though the temperature was 20 degrees, the crew seemed happy, which made me happy too. One of them even whistled while he worked. They cleaned the area at the end of each day, using a magnetic roller to pick up any stray metal and a leaf blower to get rid of the dust. They finished the main part of the job in two days and a few hours, right before the return of the snow. Abel explained that the temperature has to be higher for the material used on the flat part of the roof, so they installed another material in the meantime and will return when the weather is warmer to put on the permanent covering. He said I could pay the final $1000 when that is done. They left my yard cleaner and neater than it was when they started. I'm very happy with Klam Construction and the work they did for me.