Questions owners ask us

It depends on the system, the drainage and the care it gets. Many flat roof systems are expected to last somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five years. We write the expected life of the system we propose on your estimate.

Water travels. On a flat roof it often enters at the parapet, the coping or the wall flashing, runs down inside the wall, and shows up a floor or two away. We trace it before we price a repair.

Often, yes. If the caps are sound and the joints have opened, we re-seal or reset them and say what else we saw. If the brick under them is moving, we tell you, and you decide.

Yes. We give you a notice to hand out, set up so the stairs and doors stay clear, and keep the work to the hours on your contract. On mixed-use buildings we work around the store.

Rules differ by town. At the visit we tell you whether your town asks for a permit for the work, who applies for it, and where it shows on the estimate.

A small row-house roof is usually a matter of days, depending on size and weather. Larger roofs and mixed-use buildings take longer. You get the schedule in writing before we start.

You decide whether to file a claim, and you deal with your insurer. We inspect, photograph and write an itemized estimate you can share with them. The deductible stays with you, and we are not public adjusters.

Jean Nunez answers the phone in Spanish, Monday to Friday, and can walk the roof with you in Spanish. Ask for your estimate in Spanish and we write it that way; the contract is in English too.

On porch, bay and mansard roofs, yes: we repair and re-lay to match what is there. We do not re-lay whole slate roofs; we will say so at the visit and tell you who does.

New Jersey requires contractors who do home improvement work to register. Our registration number is at the foot of every page, and the contract is written before work starts.