The Durable Slate Co

While it took a bit longer to get the crew to our house I am very confident that no other company would do a better job. The crew that came was very friendly prompt.

This is a call regarding an apartment building. I do not live there so I set the day of work and usually go to see if the repairman is there.

After unsatisfatory experiences with two other roofing contrators, I signed up for Angie's list, read several reviews and called Durable Slate. They called me back same day (it was Christmas eve) and scheduled a time to inspect my roof. They arrived right on time and with all the prearranged instuctions as I had to leave work to met with the estimator in order to review the leaks I had been trying to have resolved over the last year. They explained what needed to be done and that the leak was due to incorrect flashing. I received a written estimate within two days of the inspection which I accepted. Their team arrived on the specified date and worked all day to replace over 100 slate singles and flash two chimneys. Due to the cold, some of the detail work had to be delayed until somewhat warmer weather - a week later they called and confirmed they would be returning to complete the job - which they did. Approximately two weeks later a quality assurance team from Durable inspected the work and left notice that they were satisfied with the workmanship. No leaks and a terrific all round experince.

Started project earlier in year than I expected. Provided detailed outline of work to be done. Completed timely & came back to inspect & ensure satisfaction.

Very timely in inspection and price quote. Set an agreed upon start date. Work was completed. Excellent workmanship. Left work site as very good shape, quality check conductor by a manager several weeks after job completed.

Dura state is the blue Ribbon source for state root repair used them for years. Always 1st quality work!

They have been caring for our slate roof for 42 years and do an annual check. They are prompt, courteous and capable.

This is an excellent and reliable company we have used before. They are by no means the cheapest but their work is top notch.

Timely, prompt and professional

The quote was managed out of the Columbus office and they were very professional and punctual with their quote. They also worked with us to scale back the project to meet our budget limitations and provided information on how to optimize the amount of work done. Once we had everything aligned, the local Cinicnnati team did the installation and were professional in every manner. The site was cleaned every day and they were patient and talked to us the few times we had questions about the progress and state of the underlayment. Our neighbors have also been thrilled to watch the progress and final results, and they also engaged the installation team to get information for possible future work.

Interior and exterior water damage, Went on to roof answered all questions, prompt, miraculous craftsmanship, courteous.

Durable was, quite simply, amazing. Having worked with numerous other contractors of widely varying quality in the past, we were absolutely blown away by the level of competence, professionalism, and efficiency they brought to an extensive and potentially extremely difficult job. To start with, these guys really *get* historic homes. Inexperienced contractors - or even experienced ones who are used to working on newer structures - often panic when they see that there are no right angles, things are sagging and crumbling here and there, and nothing is approaching perfect. The result is often a recommendation to demolish and rebuild half the house. Durable's team sees through the minor issues to what really needs to be done, and further, what should be done to prevent future problems. Talking to them, we learned that they regularly take on big jobs - restoring old churches and the like - and so nothing about a historic home is going to surprise them. But if nothing about the house was perfect when they arrived, it certainly was when they left. I'm no engineer, but everything about the finished product inspires confidence that we will not need to revisit this job in our lifetimes. Their standards and demands on themselves are extremely high; they pay very careful attention to every detail. Beyond that, they have a real appreciation for cosmetic value and preserving the character of a historic home. They used period-appropriate material where applicable (e.g. NHL mortar) and have a good eye for detail work - everything from matching mortar color to preserving original support columns where possible (and telling us why they had to replace them when necessary). Throughout the job, their communication level was perfect - they asked us questions where necessary or where an aesthetic choice needed to be made, but never once bothered us with a question that they should know the answer to, or could figure out. It couldn't be clearer that they take immense pride in their work. More than once, one of them would stay late just to explain in detail what they were doing or what they had noticed about the house. Everyone who works there has an obvious love of old houses. A final note on the price. No two ways about it, Durable is a very expensive company. But they're absolutely worth it. If your goal is just to make the thing hold together for a time, sure, you could probably get cheaper work done by someone else. But with Durable you can know exactly what you're getting: professionalism, competence, no hassle along the way, and a part of your house you will not have to worry about again for a very long time. No regrets here.

They've always taken care of problems with the roof promptly. In fact, one time when there was a horrible winter storm the gutter had fallen onto a power line due to the ice. They sent someone right out to remove the gutter and didn't even charge me for it.

The dry team arrived on time and finished their work with efficiency and expertise. Wayne H., the estimator was very personable and reassuring. The rest of the team, under Al's direction, completed the job to our great satisfaction and relief.

We had a cement tile roof that was damaged by a hail storm. Our insurance company agreed to replace the roof. We intended to have the job done during the previous summer, but we had a very bad experience with one of the small (craftsman and his apprentice) slate companies. They took our money and never started the job. So we were searching for a large, established company that had experience with slate. Durable Slate was the only one we found in the Cleveland area. We got quotes from other large companies, but they work with shingles the vast majority of the time, and only have a few crew members who know slate. Durable Slate gave us a quote to replace the tile with new tile. Some of the other company's quotes were lower, and those set the insurance settlement. We wanted to work with Durable Slate because of their expertise, so we went back to them with the lower dollar figure and asked what they could do. They said they could install salvaged tile for just a little more than the settlement amount, so we agreed. Durable Slate's crew was very courteous and professional. They had their scaffolding up and their materials in our garage for most of a month, but they did their best to minimize the mess and inconvenience. Slate takes time. A personable installer can make the experience much more pleasant. We needed to get ventilation into two very visible dormers on the front of our house. Tomas and John were able to construct vents by bringing a trim board foward a couple inches and topping it with a standing seam copper cap. What could have been an eyesore is now a functional architectural detail. We also were very pleased with salvaged slates Durable provided. We were expecting the thinnest possible slates in one color. The lot they found for us is 1/2 inch thick and a random mix of four colors and two widths. The appearance of the roof is excellent and we've had numerous compliments. If you can afford Durable Slate, go with them. They were professional in all our interactions with them and we trust they will stand behind their work.

The estimator arrived as scheduled and called me with a detailed report. The crew boss arrived 1/2 hour early to start setting up. By the end of the second day, the work was done and everything was cleaned up.

I think their work is fine. Their employees are always very friendly and they do quality work. I do think that it takes time for them to call you back and it takes a few weeks for the work to get done. I would hire them again.

estimator arrived when scheduled; work was weather delayed a few days but well withing promised timeframe. Workmen worked expeditiously and left jobsite (including a garden area they avoided trampling) neat and clean.

I think I could have got it done for a bit cheaper but they just really knew what they were doing.

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with this company from the very first phone call. Friendly, helpful and responsive. They had an estimator out the next day. He commented on what how well installed great my slate roof is and the small piece that had fallen off was a decorative piece for around the chimney that did not create any leak risk. He did not recommend repairing that single piece but recommended I keep it and, if more pieces were to ever fall, they could include that in any future repairs to save money. He also checked the gutter seam and explained that soldering old copper was not the best idea but recommended which caulking I could use to fix it myself since the gutter was on a first floor addition and easily accessible by ladder. I was a little stunned that they could have easily made money on both things but he said that they didn't want to make money that way. This is a rarity in construction and restoration. If I ever have a need for roofing or gutter repair in the future (or any other type of work they do), I will be calling them first.

See above, it went well just a little more expensive than I had hoped. Excellent workmanship.

We can't be happier. The repairs are virtually invisible and the entire Durable staff has been beyond wonderful. Getting our house ready for sale later this summer we knew that a building inspection would fault the condition of the mortar in places when moisture had weakened it. At first we thought their estimate was high, but we decided to go with them because of their reputation, the reliability of their brand and the importance of someone understanding that the correct mortar type was vital to getting the job done correctly. Other masons poo-poohed our concern about the used of Portland cement, but we knew from seeing other tuckpointing jobs gone wrong that it was vital to get this done correctly and with the right materials. The crew showed up at 8AM on the day the project was to start, and save for a 1 hour lunch hour, they worked 9+ hours. The crew was amazing - focused, nice and talented - they really took their time getting the job done correctly. Clean up was minimal because they prudently used the correct amount of material instead of just slapping it on and then cleaning off the excess. Waste appeared to be minimal, and that is the sign of good workmanship. The covered everything near the work site. As I said, we thought the original estimate was high, but after seeing the completed sections, listening to our neighbors rave about how good it looks, and seeing their attention to detail we know that we not only got our monies worth, but we feel like we got a bargain. I have no qualms about recognizing them for their workmanship and no second thoughts about recommending them.

We had a leak and needed the work done quickly. They provided a very thorough estimate, but we didn't get the quote back as fast as we needed it. Water was leaking into the house every time it rained and we hired someone who could do the work a faster than they were able to.

For this particular fix, I knew I had broken and improperly repaired slates because I had painfully watched the person do it (while working on my chimney). But what I didn't know, and this is where Durable is the most invaluable company in the world, was where the leak was coming from in my attic. I had called another company, which was supposed to specialize in slate roofs, but this company simply lacked the expertise to locate the leak. I felt I had wasted my time. So I called Durable, and they came out and identified some problem areas. As always, the inspection was absolutely thorough and professional. Once I scheduled the work, the two workers came as scheduled and replaced the slate perfectly. That should have fixed the leak, but it did not. I called Durable, and they put me immediately in touch with Mark Shelby (quality control), who came out within less than 30 minutes to check on the roof. He was determined to find and fix that leak. He located the source of the leak as not coming from the areas where the slate had been broken and incorrectly installed, but from an incorrectly installed valley (not the work of Durable). He fixed it with small piece of metal flashing. To say I was grateful is an understatement. I have heard of people having their slate roofs completely taken off just because of such small details as the leak that no one can fix. That is a slate roof tragedy, because Durable can diagnose and fix even the most mysterious leak. I will have them back to correctly install the valley this year. Anyone who has worked with Durable knows they are the very best, without doubt. They can also be expensive. I go back and forth on the expense. I believe workers should be paid a living wage, and that expertise should be rewarded, but I also view the proper maintenance of slate roofs, plaster, and other areas in which Durable has undeniable expertise as more than a luxury. I consider it an improvement for our communities and a legacy for the future. Thus, I do wish their prices were more affordable so that more people could properly care for their slate roofs. It pains me to see so many slate roofs in Columbus neglected or improperly repaired, especially with a company of national repute right here in Columbus. At the same time, having this company of national repute means that Durable offers free yearly inspections of your slate roof. They will tell you the absolute truth about your roof and how much they will charge to fix it. It might seem like too much, but if you want it fixed right, then they are the people to work with. Slate roofs are their own animals, and almost nothing translates from asphalt roofing. Slate roofs are very much worth the time, trouble, and, yes, expense. And here is another very important thing to know about Durable: they bring the same level of professionalism and attention to detail to the small slate repair job as they do to the large slate repair job. My slate repair was a very small job to them, yet they treated it as it as if it was the most important thing in the world. We are very lucky to have Durable in town.

We received the estimate on 3/30/05. On 3/31/05, the customer correspondent sent us a letter to confirm that we had received it and to answer any questions. We followed up with a phone call and faxed the approval for the slate work only. The workers arrived on schedule and completed the work in a satisfactory manner. On 4/28/05 the director of examinations in the quality control division inspected the work and gave us the invoice. Everyone at Durable Slate performed in a competent and professional manner. The only reason we have not hired them since 2005 is that we learned that One Red Slate Co. has worked on the roof for the previous 20 years.