Russell Roofing Company Inc

I thought they were excellent. I think they really knew what they were doing when they did the work and I?ve been satisfied with everything since then.

From the day of the initial estimate it took a few weeks for them to get back to me (which is the only reason for the 'B' on responsiveness.) But once Ron set the work date the crew arrived right on time and quickly did the job in the time and at the cost they quoted. Vince was the foreman and Richard assisted. They were friendly, professional, and answered all my questions and concerns. I've had Russell Roofing do estimates for roof repair before, and the impression they left is the reason I hired them for this job. Their work on this job reinforces that first impression.

(UPDATE) 4/5/2011 After initial problems with the company (detailed below), Service Manager Jack Coyle at Russell Roofing took control of the situation, and methodically and professionally responded to and addressed all of my concerns. His crew was at my residence within a day of any issue with specialists and attention to detail. While repairing a sour first impression is one one the most difficult endeavors in business, Jack and his team were selfless and top notch in making things right. They stand behind their work, and I would use them again. ______________________________________________________________________ The sales process was quite professional, with multiple displays, pamphlets, and examples of high-end work for high-end clients. I wanted high-end work for my home, and wanted to work with accountable professionals, making our decision to go with the more expensive Russell Roofing over other local contractors. Once the job was sold, the expected communication between our project manager and myself was mostly one-sided (my end). Once work started, the flat roof crew was great and very helpful. Our project manager did not relay expectations to the copper flashing and slate crew, and some items (cleaning of gutters) were not completed, nor did they do a walk-through explaining their work and answering questions, which was told to us would happen during the sales pitch. Our roof ultimately had a leak after being replaced, and it damaged our home office ceiling requiring drywall repairs. Repairs were not completed until 2 months after completion of original contract, even though repairs only took 2 hours. Ultimately, I had very high expectations and made them crystal clear upon entering into the contract with Russell Roofing. The end result in terms of craftsmanship (sans the leak) was adequate. The overall experience with the project manager and their office was not up to my standards, and I would not use this company again for work on my home.

Overall the job went extremely well. Russell had 2 crews working the job so it was completed in a timely fashion. I was very pleased with the quality of their work and the professionalism of the organization. They installed the insulation in the middle of August (on a very hot day) in order to not have to come back later and run hoses through the house (they were concerned with potential damage). Cleanup was great including a very thorough inspection of the work and pickup of any nails and/or debris. They came back and repaired a minor problem with a reinstalled downspout - no questions asked. I waited to submit this report until GAF completed their lifetime warranty inspection (of course, they had no problems with the work).

Everything went very well, and I will use them again this year.

They have done work in our neighborhood, so I know they do good work. I got five estimates and this company was the highest. It was a good experience. The guy that came out was nice. People are very happy with their work around my neighborhood.

After the crew finished their work I contacted the Russell Roofing project manager to let him know that the repair team did not replace the siding, as specified in the contract. The project manager told me that he would get back to me in a few days with the adjusted price. After several days, I was contacted and told that the price would only be adjusted downward $100. I was very shocked that re-siding a good sized section of the exterior wall would only be worth $100. I was told that the repair crew spent more time at our house than originally anticipated, and that this reflected the added "labor costs". Mind you the amount of work that was performed by the repair crew was only about 3 hours, with no on-site complications! However, since I felt convinced our leak problem was solved, I agreed to pay the revised amount of $1,470. About a month later the real problems started. In mid July we had a big Thunderstorm that dumped several inches of rain on our area of Montgomery county. During the storm, water started leaking into the kitchen ceiling in the same spot as before. I immediately called the project manager and informed him of our issue. After a week or so he came out and looked at where the water leaked into the kitchen. I mentioned that perhaps they should do a water test with a hose to ascertain the exact location of the leak, rather than just guess. A repairman came out and made a few adjustments to the shingles and flashing and left. I was told the problem was now corrected. The rest of the summer was generally dry, but during our next big rainstorm the leaking occured again in the same spot. Again I contacted the project manager and he said he would send someone out. Another week or so passed and I got a call stating the repair manager will come out and place some foam material behind the siding (which is the siding that was never replaced per the contract). He came out and spent about 20 minutes performing this task. I communicated my thoughts again that I think they should focus and determine where the root cause of the leak exists, rather than just guess where it's located. In September we had a huge rainstorm that dumped 5-6 inches of rain in a day. Guess what - more leaking into the kitchen! This time the water was leaking in at a much faster rate in the same area. Since I had the direct number of the repair manager (which he gave to me on a business card), I left him a message to call me immediately. The next morning I called and also left a message with the project manager and re-communicated our ongoing issue. After a few days I finally got a return call. As an aside, the company responsiveness as these ongoing leaks occured seem to decline dramatically. A number of times I had to leave several messages on the project manager's office and cell phone before I got a return call. Rarely was it within hours or the same day as you would expect from a customer service oriented company. Eventually the repair manager came out to the house and started to do more investigative work. After pulling some of the plaster away in the kitchen ceiling we both noticed a piece of "J channel" that was wedged in the ceiling. This piece apparently was channeling water into the kitchen from an unknown location. The repair manager pulled some siding and flashing off and looked around but could not find the leak source. He also caulked some areas that I guess were not caulked before. I finally insisted and physically brought my garden hose around back to do a water test. This is something I thought would have been done from the beginning to identify and isolate the root cause of the leak. Apparently all the money I spent on the new roof section was not where the leak originated from, because water didn't leak in when the hose sprayed in that direction. However, when the hose sprayed on an adjacent siding section, water leaked into the kitchen. At that point the repair manager stated that this was another area of the siding that was not reflected in the original contract and he would need to talk to the project manager. No further work was done and he packed up and left. This was on 10/8. The following Friday (10/15), the project manager called me and said that they would need to pull off other areas of the siding to search for the leak, and that would be additional work. Sensing that he was fishing for more money, I quickly commented that Russell Roofing had failed in their diagnosis and repair of the leak I contracted them to fix. He mentioned he would discuss this internally with other members of his team and get back to me on Monday with a plan. Monday (10/18) came and went with no call and by Friday (10/22) I called him back and left a voicemail reminding him of our unresolved issue. He called back several hours later and said that they would come out with two technicians for $250 per hour to remove the other siding to find the leak. I immediately retorted that I should not have to pay additional money since the leak I contracted them to fix was not resolved. I added that I basically paid $1,500 for a new section of roof I didn't need, an undiagnosed water leak from the start of the project and I was screwed out of new siding which was specified in the contract. The project manager had the nerve to mention his technician came out several times previously without any charge to me! This was because I had water leaking into my kitchen that they were supposed to repair! At this point I decided I needed to escalate this to the owner of Russell Roofing for an acceptable resolution. The owner called me back within the day. Basically he reiterated that our house has some sort of pre-existing condition and he would send technicians out at a per hour cost to me. He also would not guarantee that the leak would be corrected. However if I wanted a guarantee, he would write up a separate bid for a whole new project. I communicated to him that my biggest gripe was that this job was poorly diagnosed from the beginning (no water test, assumption that it was the roof leaking). The owner kept reiterating his long company heritage and specially trained employees, etc; and that we were a valued customer. However never once did he just say, we'll come out and finish the job correctly so you're a satisified customer. Well I'm not a satisfied customer. This is one of the worst customer service experiences that I have ever encountered. What Russell Roofing doesn't seem to understand is that a project like this is an annuity job for the future. Eventually we'll need a new roof, and our friends and neighbors will need new roofs or siding. Often they'll call me or my wife about what contractors we liked or disliked. This is a no-brainer in my response. Basically I threw $1,500 down the drain and my leak is not fixed. I will never recommend this unprofessional company to anyone.

I found Russell to be responsive and professional. My main concern was to get a company that would do the job right, because problems down the road are almost always caused by improper installation. They did the job promptly, cleaned up well, and moreover gave me a SureStart Plus certificate from CertainTeed, the manufacturer, that guarantees not only the shingles but also the workmanship for 25 years. I have to believe the manufacturer would be willing to give this guarantee only when it is satisfied that the roofer is going to do a quality job.

The sales rep (who admitted he normally did commercial estimates) who gave us the initial estimate was prompt and listened to our concerns. He inspected the roof and measured our existing skylights. He said he would get us an estimate. The estimate took some time and we had to call him a couple times for it. He presented us with the estimate and provided explanations of each line item. We accepted the estimate and the estimated start date was scheduled. The first date the roof workers got to work. However, the skylight person came and determined we would need a custom size and the estimate for the skylights would be 3 times the originally provided estimate. This was disappointing to hear and would have been great to know when we received the original estimate. We ended up with a smaller (standard) size skylight. The remaining work was smooth from there. There were hiccups but overall the company was professional to work with.

Needless to say I was angry and disappointed with their lack of response and lack of professionalism. Thanks to Angies List I was able to find other reputable roofing companies to interview

I had the same experience as the previous poster. I made an appointment, and the estimator came over to look at my proposed roof repairs. After doing so, he said he needed to show the photos to someone else, to determine whether my roof could be repaired, or needed to be replaced. I wondered why he wasn't qualified, but if that's what he prefered, it was okay with me. He said he would get back to me in 4 days - but I never heard from him again. Having read the previous post, I don't understand it. Does Russell expect the prospective customer to call them back after an estimate? If so, they need to say so, because this person specifically told me that he would contact me.

I called Russell Roofing to request a bid to replace my cedar roof. Their representative came out to the house and spent over an hour and a half discussing the roof replacement job and measuring our house. He then never sent me a bid nor did anyone else at Russell ever call us to discuss why they did not send us a bid. I would never call them again and would never recommend them to anyone. I can only assume that the unprofessionalism demonstrated during the bidding process would carry over to their actual roofing work.

Everything went excellently. They were very responsive and thorough. Even after they finished they responded to my concerns. They are a bit expensive but it was worth the work. They even found a few other items I needed to address before they could repair the roof.

My sales contact explained everything very thoroughly, took photos of the area before and after the repairs. We had to postpone the work a little while due to extreme winter weather, but I was informed all along of the plans. Every person in charge of the parts of the project called in advance and let me know how the work would progress. The clean up was excellent. I was able to use a coupon downloaded from Angie's list.

Although the salesman was courteous and thorough, the price for the work was much too high and the work could not be scheduled for more than a month,

I contracted with Russell roofing because of their excellent reputation although their price was higher than another bid I received. It was almost 6 weeks before the job was done. A subcontractor performed the work. I was unaware that Russell used subcontractors and was concerned as to whether he was licensed or working under his own insurance. They started the job late in the day and it was dark when they finished. They left without speaking to me and I only assumed that they had completed the job. I called the Project Manager and told him my concerns. I was told that they "used him all the time". I believe that since I was willing to pay their price that they should have assumed more responsibilty and at least come out to check the quality of the work.

They are absolutely the best! They explained everything and they did a perfect job. The person who came to interview me was there throughout the the entire job. People of individual skills were monitored. Anytime I had a question, and I had many, they answered them. They were the most pleasant men I have met in a long time! The flashing is the best I have ever had done. I have gone through several roofing experiences. They did the smaller roof over the window beautifully with copper. I specifically asked for copper, and their metalworker, who was wonderful, was not sure if eh could do it. Once he determined that he could he did it perfectly. They are very business like and do not waste any time. Because of the location, the work all had to be done by going up ladders and carrying buckets down the ladders. This was not a quick or easy job.

Our representative came out with two trainees. They were VERY thorough in going through the aspects of the job, measurements and the pitch for the quality they deliver. Their bid was twice what most others were quoting with only minor differences.

Russell Roofing Co. scheduled Ron to do the estimate just a few days later. He arrived on time and proceeded to examine the roof from inside the attic and from outside, upon his ladder. He took photographs to document the situation for the official estimate he would prepare. His diagnosis agreed with other estimates I had taken (an ice dam that formed during the snow fall and melt.) In addition, he suggested that the siding of the house might also be at fault, based on its condition. Since the following weekend the forecast was for a very windy hard rain, he suggested that I watch closely for signs of water penetration before deciding what action to take, and he pointed out where I should look for those signs. He explained his proposed repair in detail. He even pulled out the manual by which his certified work crew would perform. We discussed the condition of the roof and the neighboring town house roofs. He went so far as to indicate that ice dams may be one-time events, and suggested that since it might not cause leakage again in coming years, one possible course of action would be to put off this repair in favor of replacing the roof 3-4 years from now when it's due for replacement. Ron was informative and professional. I felt he took my concerns into consideration. The proposed fix sounded similar to other proposals, and came in a little higher in cost. Still, he made me feel like his company views itself as a partner in the fitness of my home, not merely a service provider. If he represents the quality of their work then I believe it would be well worth that cost.

Excellent. Despite numerous attempts with other contractors to quote the job, Russell was the only contractor that was prompt in scheduling to visit us, provide a quote and in the end they got the job done on time and according to the quote they gave us originally. The overall work was completed in about one week's time, if that, and a supervisor was involved with visiting and monitoring the work. Fast forward to 2009, we had a leak appear and Russell came out promptly, viewed the leak and the work they had done originally and were honest enough to say it appears the original caulk on a seam did not cure properly. They replaced it and that was that. No charge, leak issue gone. After having so much anxiety and bad experiences with contractors, we are glad to know there is a reliable, honest roofing company like Russell.

It was a wonderful experience from start to finish! They were neat, quiet, professional, and always on time. They finished when they said they would, protected the window trim and house against possible damage during the job, and they even pulled a magnet around the yard to make sure they got all of the nails picked up. They were a little more expensive than other proposals I received, but I am glad that I chose them. They were more through on their original inspection than the others, and they did a very good job.

Russell Roofing was very responsive telling me they could send someone to the home right away to remove snow from the roof. Since I was not at the home they asked me to pay by credit card- $200. This was an emregency and I was OK with the $200. They removed the snow from a lower eve but never touched the snow on the roof that was melting right into the problem area. After multiple calls to them asking for an update on how it went, I finally talked to Bill and he told me they were charging me $250. They said that is the number they quoted over the phone. They would not discuss it with me and told me if I had a problem I should use another company.

It was a massive job because there was a very severe damage and they were excellent. I had 3 bids for my roof which were pretty close, but I was more comfortable with these guys. They were very thorough, very detailed and very careful. They will call me immediately in case of any problem and made sure everything was done to my liking. They assigned several mangers to check the work and the guys were very clean and very thorough. I was very impressed and I have recommended them to someone else too.

One time I called them because the high winds knocked some tiles off the roof and the guy came by and fixed it for nothing. When we did have a leak, of course I called them. He fixed it and came out a couple of times afterwards just to check the job, which was impressive.

They were very good, prompt, professional, and explained everything to me. I would use them again and recommend them.