BARNES ROOFING

Unreliable, showed up sporadically, got 90 percent done, then disappeared and left their equipment at the house. After 9 months, we had the police come and take it away. Hired someone else to complete the work.

I obtained four estimates for the job of replacing our roof and skylights. Mr. Barnes was not as polished as a couple of the sales/marketing guys that some of the bigger/more expensive companies sent out, but he did the most thorough inspection to support the quote. Some inspected the roof from the ground or a ladder; he was the only one to actually climb and walk my roof to get a good feel for its condition. His comments about the products he uses indicated that quality matters to him. His quote came in the lowest, considerably lower than two of the other three. I also asked if he'd be willing to replace my rake boards, which had carpenter bees nesting in them, with Azek trim. He was willing, though he had not at that time worked with the PVC trim before, and just asked that I provide him with cutting/handling/installation instructions. So I took drive-by looks at many of his roofing jobs and spoke with a few of his references. I also checked for, but could not find, any credible complaints about his business, either online, with the state, or with the BBB. Everything sounded good, so we signed the contract and paid the 50% deposit. Work started about a month and a half later. The roofers were punctual and would often work long hours, ensuring that no debris was left lying around at the end of the day. The roof was done in sections, ensuring that it was always covered/sealed (not just a tarp thrown over it) before any rain was forecast. The job did take a little longer than expected, about a month, to complete. Much of this was due to rain delays, though at times they would not come back for a day or two after the rain. (I assumed they would do some smaller jobs/interior work on rainy days and finish them up before returning to our home.) These slight delays did not bother me; Mr. Barnes kept in touch, and as I said before, the roof was always covered/sealed. Our old skylights were an oddball size, so the openings/frames for the skylights had to be adjusted. (Mr. Barnes pointed this out up front when quoting.) The family room/master bedroom portion of our home is offset from the remainder of the house, requiring the roof line to be flashed at this point. Mr. Barnes showed me the condition of the siding which had to be removed for this flashing, and recommended replacement. He even offered to paint the new clapboards before installation, so that I didn't have to go up on the roof later to paint them. The area was pretty well cleaned after completion, the flowers and shrubs were not disturbed, and the dumpster was removed promptly. (I'd find a stray nail here or there, but that was it.) In the end, we had a beautiful new roof with a great warranty at a reasonable cost, and we were very pleased. It has been five and a half years now, and we have found no issues. We have received a number of compliments on the roof, and it still looks great. Based on our experience, we have and would continue to recommend Barnes roofing.

I said attempt, because he failed. It went about as badly as possible. I hired Steve to fix a roof leak and told him that what I was looking for was a guaranteed repair and I had him tell me what he needs and how much it cost. So he agreed to that. Went up and caulked around a skylight, it didn't work. Numerous calls to him to have him come back didn't work, and when he did come back out he told me that I needed a whole new roof. He made many promises that he never kept. After he did a repair the ceiling fell in. So I tend to refer to him as incompetent and dishonest. I've tried to be fair to him, roof leaks can be tricky. But when the roof leaks, you should come back and make the work right.