Better Contracting Services

They did my roof in 2003 October. There was a five year warranty on their work but they did not honour it. I do not know when the roof started leaking because that type of thing takes a while to become apparent. However, there were at least four leaks. Three were from the vents they installed and one was from a gap between the peak of the roof and the dormer. During last years and this years rainstorms, the vents were leakiing to the point the water came thru the bathroom fan vent and the kitchen pot lights.

Better Contracting has been out a few times. The first time was after I talked to them at their display at the spring Home Show in 2006. Someone came by and left a card in my mailbox with no name on it at all. Their business cards have a blank area for a person to write their name. There was NO name on the blank area. I was concerned that the leaf guards on the eavestroughs were not working as the manufacturer claimed. When I phoned to find out who it was who had been here, the receptionist basically was competely uninterested in what I was saying. Three times she called by by the wrong name. In addition my address is at the end of a street with a similar name. I always point this out because pizza, mail and other deliveries meant for me end up misdirected. I had to say this twice to get the receptionist to note it. When I asked for her name because I was bothered by her inattention she said she was just a temp and refused to tell me. That was my first indication that this was going to be a problem. First, the person who left a card with no name, then a receptionist who refused to give me her name.

In 2007 it became apparent that the roof was leaking. The person who had sold me the roof came out to check it. He did not get on a ladder or anything like that. I do not remember for certain if he came into the house to see the damage from inside but I do not think he did. He said that the leaking was likely from ice damming the previous winter. However, they were supposed to have done their GOLD service, which meant that there was some type of barrier against water damage from ice damming.

In summer of 2007 I had a complete home inspection by a certified home inspector. He noted a roof leak. He also found damp plaster in a few areas in the house. When I phoned Better Contracting to ask them to come out and fix the leaks, the person I spoke to basically questioned the credentials of the home inspector.

I then talked to someone else whose name I forget. This was in fall 2007. By this time, the interior of the house was showing evidence of the leaks, as the paint on the ceiling and the dormer area and bathroom was falling off in sheets and damp plaster was falling down. He tried to say the leaks were caused my other people who took down a tv antenna from my roof and fixed my chimney. He was arguing with me and denying responsibility even as his employees were on my roof cauking it. The trouble with his denial of responsibility is that the tv antenna and chimney are on the northwest and west side of the roof, but the leaks were on the southeast and northeast part of the roof as well as the northwest part. Thus, the tv antenna and chinmey flashing could not be the source of the problem.

I then called them again and they came out in August this year. I again showed the guy the problem. By this point I had decided to get a reputable to fix the roof properly, since I no longer had any trust in Better Contracting. I was looking for financial compensation from them. The estimator at the other company, who by the way IS a roofer, said that the roof vents had been installed incorrectly. He also said the dormer was not stepped properly. When I phoned and emailed Steven Graves with this information I got a nasty email in return.

This is an updated review. Steven Graves did reply to my original review. He certainly sounds reasonable when he replies that they are willing to speak with you to fix the problem. However, his email and his actions say otherwise.