S. Dian in Scarborough

Academia Roofing of Mt Albert came to the rescue after two botched jobs by a home improvement company located in Ajax, Carroll Roofing and Best Value roofing - both operating under the umbrella of Lifestyle Sunrooms and Windows. Indeed, we turned to Academia Roofing for a solution to our roofing and ventilation problems. Our twice shingled roof and "tuned up" skylights done by Carroll and Best Value were leaking in spite of several visits by the installers. Some calking here and there on such visits had not solved anything. There was also a ventilation issue mainly because ours was a “low pitch” roof . Although of good quality, the wrong shingles had been used and a ridge vent was inadequate for the this type of roof. When Gordon from Academia came, he listened to our predicament, took a look at the structure, discussed several alternative solutions, provided us with an estimate for each. We decided to book his services for the job which started on time a few weeks later. There was much to be done. The roof had to be entirely stripped, the damaged boards removed along with the old insulation and dispose of all the rubbish in a large bin. Then some of the boards were replaced, new insulation installed, new sheets of plywood placed on the entire surface which was also covered with both moisture barrier and fire resistant sheets completed with heavy duty drip metal edges around the perimeter of the roof. The final layer was done with rolls of "Bakor" material which resembles thick sturdy shingles. It was put in place with special glue and a process called flaming which requires much skill. In the process, the garage inner wall was also insulated and the brick work on the chimney had also to undergo some repairs. Several special vents and two new skylights were also installed. However, while doing the skylights, it became apparent that the crew lacked experience in their installation because when installed they lacked proper geometrical alignment with the light tunnel in the ceiling. Several adjustments had to be made in order to obtain a correct look. New eavestroughs, downspouts, fascia and soffits were also installed along with serial recessed flood lights under the soffit. The regular crew proved to be customer friendly, fairly efficient and most of the time punctual. They promptly answered any queries. However, some of the temporary workers turned out to be quite something else in the absence of adequate supervision. They were noisy and somehow reckless when bringing up material on the roof and just dumping it without any care, causing much noise and vibrations. Their language was also frequently inappropriate, using too many swear words when talking to each other. In spite of these minor nuisances, the end product turned out to be to our satisfaction, for we have not noticed any problems since its completion in 2009. The house is now much more energy efficient in both summer and in winter. It is not only more comfortable, but it also brought down the cost of both heating and cooling. The skylights are fine, and we appreciate much the remote provided to us by Gordon to open and close one of them. Furthermore, if left open it closes automatically when it senses rain. On a slightly negative note, we were a little upset when Gordon did not respond to repeated requests for a final receipt stating that the bill had been fully paid. Gordon had also failed to inform us about the government energy grant available for such improvements, so we missed out on this one. Despite some shortcomings such as these ones, we would certainly recommend Academia Roofing for peace of mind about the work done. Overall, we were very satisfied, and so far their work withstood the test of time.