National Roofing

On heavy downpours we were experiencing major water entering through the windows especially when large amounts of water would overflow the gutter and run down the side of the building. We had another contractor work on our issue and could not figure out what the problem was. We didn't know if the water was coming through the roof or through the tops of the windows. Robert returned our first call right away and was even able to squeeze us in between other jobs. He worked with me and another one of the condo owners and didn't get frustrated even when he had to explain the same thing to both of us at different times. He took time explaining our problem and what he thought the solution was. He took pictures and emailed them to me. He even took me on our roof to show me the issues. The work was done in one day on the weekend. His workmen were great. He even emailed me pictures of the completed work. They also removed all the discarded materials. The other owned had to sweep up a little afterwards, but was impressed that they didn't leave anything behind. I waited so long to write a review becasue I wanted to make sure the leak was fixed and it was! We've had some pretty heavy rains lately and no problems with water coming in. Overall we've had a great experience with National Roofing and Robert has the best customer service skills of anyone I've met, seriously! I would highly recommend him and would use him again. We paid about 1/3 of the estimate for deposit and then the rest when the work was completed. He also gave us a 10% discount for using Angie's list. We did not get an estimate from another company, so I don't know if what we paid was high or low or about right.

National Roofing is great - I recommend them highly. The owner, Robert Martin, is great to work with. He was very clear about what work he recommended and why. He and his employees were always on time and organized. He warned me ahead of time that the mortar and bricks under the old coping could be in bad shape and he was right. When they took off the old coping they discovered significant problems with the condition of the mortar and bricks, so they couldn't just put the new coping on. Robert offered to do the necessary tuckpinting work but did not mind that I wanted it to be done by a masonry company I had used before. Robert had no problem pausing their work on my roof while the masonry company came in and did their work. Then National Roofing came right back and finished up. I don't know if National Roofing's price was competetive or not because I didn't get other quotes.

The owner, Rob Martin, arrived promptly for the scheduled estimate (to address a leak from the HVAC intake). He investigated the roof and provided photos and a detailed explanation of what he suggested (new insulation & flashing on HVAC unit plus fixing a problem on the roof of the addition which I had not known was a problem). His price was much better than the first estimate (and he offered a significantly longer warranty) so I asked for an estimate for the front porch as well. We agreed he would reroof the porch and extend the flashing in addition to addressing the HVAC issue and reroofing the addition. Rob scheduled my work within two business days (because of the leak) and the crew arrived on-time. They were wrapping up when I got home from work around 7pm and took away all of the debris from the work. Rob came back a day or two later to treat the roof and provided the "after" photos for my file. Rob also let me know that the mortar of the chimney was disintegrating and provided an estimate for that work. I haven't decided how to proceed with that project. I was pleased with my experience with National Roofing. Rob was polite, professional and punctual and provided many photos (both before and after). UPDATE (August 2015): I have had moisture in the wall of two bedrooms which tuckpointing the wall followed by a coat of sealant didn't fully address. I contacted Rob to ask if he could please take a look at the roof flashing to make sure it wasn't allowing any water in. Rob came out that day and while he didn't find any areas of concern, he sealed every joint and seam to be safe - at no additional charge. I highly recommend National Roofing based on superior work and excellent customer service.

Robert gave me a quote and within a week the job was started and finished in 1 day. THe owner was present for most of the day and one of the guys even helped me fix my fence when he saw me struggling while trying to repair it myself. Good guys!

National Roofing and its proprietor, Robert Martin, were fantastic and I cannot recommend them highly enough. They replaced my flat, row house roof and two skylights on June 19, 2012. I am VERY anal and VERY demanding and I found Robert to be incredibly knowledgeable, patient, responsive and very honest and straightforward. He always personally (and promptly) answered my emails, he came out to my house twice -- once for the initial estimate and once to sit down with me in my living room to answer the 1,000 questions I had -- and we spoke by phone 4 or 5 times before I had even given him a down payment for the job. Rather than resenting all the time and attention I was asking for, Robert said he actually appreciated customers like me who asked questions and wanted to be informed. I was impressed. Believe it or not, I ended up having the roof done while my wife and I were away on vacation -- yeah, I liked/trusted him that much. Robert called me three times on the day of the job to check in and to give me updates -- both on the status of my roof and my cats, who were home alone and probably terrified -- and to email me pictures. The job was completed as planned, in the amount of time estimated and without any hitches or surprises. My across-the-board A ratings for National Roofing and Robert Martin were not given lightly; each rating for each category was highly deserved.

They did superb work and were excellent.

I highly recommend National Roofing!!!

We had national roofers out to patch our leaky roof. They did an estimate quickly and gave us the Angie list's discount. They suggested a whole roof replacement but since we coulldn't afford that went with some repair and patch work. We did get estimates from other companies and while national were not the cheapest they were the most professional. Also promised that if any leaks resurfaced over the next couple year they would be happy to come out and fix that too. We were provided before and after pictures which is a big help with feeling good about the amount of work that was done. There were on time and worked quickly. During the work additional holes were found and patched for no additional charge. Also our gutters were cleaned for no additional change.

We've been at our current home since Febuary 2011. The sellers re-roofed the house in February 2010 after the two back to back snowstorms which caused a leak and the previous contract on the house to fall through. We thought we were buying a house with a new roof - but we were just being naive. As soon as we moved in we noticed large pools of water collecting on the roof and not draining away from the central portion. When I checked with the home inspector for our house, he brushed off my concern saying that there was no need to worry as long as there wasn't a leak. The inspection report only said in writing that the roofing material was good for another 10 years. I got the feeling the inspector didn't like me raising a problem. I pointed out that even his own photos of the roof in hisreport showed extensive stains which could only come stagnant water over a longish period. He couldn't deny this, but didn't have any advice on what to do. l I tried to find the name of the roofer who had done the work on our house to see if there was a guarantee he was prepared to respect. I heard from the sellers that the 2010 roofing job had been done by an old man who did work in the area, but who by now was dead. I called various roofers to come by and take a look, so we could get a second opinion on whether the roof would hold up or not under the water weight. - The first roofer who came by confirmed that the re-roofing was very shoddy work, and said the only solution was to tear off both the roofs ( the old metal one and the rolled asphalt roof on top of this, and roof all over properly) this would cost about $15,000. - I then got a big-name A rated company off Angie's List, whose estimator took a careful look and gave me an estimate of $18,000 for replacing the roof completely. Although I asked specifically for advice on possible repairs or patching in the short-term, the company just ignored my request and claimed not to know of any such solution. - A very good plumber, who also is highly recommended on Angie's List, came home for another repair job and brought his roofer-friend along to give his advice. This roofer was clearly trying to save me money and suggested filling up the parts of the roof where the water was collecting most (near the central hatch), but said that he'd suggest a somewhat bigger team to do the job - his was just a one-man operation. - I didn't have luck calling either the company the friendly roofer recommended or some others. They just didn't respond or weren't interested. But in searching, I also called National Roofing and left a message for Robert Martin. Robert was traveling in January. He called back, said he'd be back by end-February and then he could come by and take a look. Robert asked me thoughtful questions and told me that from my answers he'd suggest not doing any work unless there was a leak, but he'd know for sure after taking a look. - Finally, yesterday (March 14) Robert was in the area and called to ask if he could take a look at the roof in a few minutes. He went up on the roof, took a lot of photos, and explained the problem clearly. He confirmed that the re-roofing by the sellers had been a shoddy job which cut corners. There was a real risk of leaks at any time from a number of different points where the granulated layer was peeling off, or the flashings hadn't been done right, and where the chimney bricks needed pointing, apart from the very large area near the center holding water. Robert re-arranged his crew's time to fit my travel plans, and came by today to do the work he had described. Even with the 10% discount as an Angie's List member, I didn't find the work cheap. It took a crew of three men about five hours. Robert showed me the photos from after the work, and how the weak areas had been built up, patched, flashed, or pointed. Robert assured me that if we have a leak at any time in the next couple of years, he'd come by and fix it for free as his reputation matters a lot. But Robert also believes, as I do, that the problem has been fixed, and the roof should hold up for the next 5 - 6 years without a problem, perhaps for even 9-10 years with a patch or two. He confirmed that a good replacement roof, taking off both the roofs now on the house, should cost about $18,000 - the earlier estimate from the other company on Angie's List. Meanwhile, we've spent $3,400, and are very satisfied with Robert's professionalism, his readiness to respond to our specific needs, his honesty in not pushing for the maximum he could get away with (a new roof right away), and his ability to do the job at very short notice. I have no hesitation in recommending Robert to anyone who needs roofing work. As many other readers have commented, the price isn't rock bottom, but you get what you pay for. The quality of the work is very good. In our case, the real test will be how long the roof holds up without more repair or patching. I'll up-date this review if and when the outlook is different, but I'm confident that we at last addressed the real issue and weren't either brushed off (like by the home inspector) or steamrolled into paying for a new roof immediately.i

It went very well. They were on time. They were very polite. They explained the things to me as they were doing them. They even included extra things for me. Something else was going on after the job was done and they came and checked and realized it wasn't due to the roof or their work, but they fixed the problem for me. They even came back a couple months later just to check that everything was okay and I wasn't having any problems.

The roof was only 6 years old, but the original workmanship (not done by National) was shoddy. From the moment I moved in, we had leaks and the original installer was not helpful in stepping up to fix his own work. It finally reached a point where there were so many interior areas with water damage that I had to replace the rear roof, which had not been properly torched down and water was coming in underneath. I received three estimates and called for others. I found almost all other roofers to be unresponsive (I received all names from Angie's List) in some way or another. A few never called back and while two did respond (in addition to Robert), their estimates were missing things that we had discussed and when I contacted them to get complete estimates they were unresponsive or long delays. Robert's was the most expensive of the estimates, but it was also the most complete and he was incredibly responsive. You will never feel like he is rushing you or that answering your questions is a burden to him. That is rare to find in this industry, as I'm sure you know! Needless to say, Robert and his crew began the work and finished exactly when promised. Moreover, although I paid a premium I also know that I got top-of-the-line work. Robert and his crew took photos as the work progressed and I was able to see the damaged wood underneath after they tore off the roofing. I was also able to examine the old materials and was assured that when I was being told that rotted wood was being replaced -- it was indeed. Moreover, there were no surprises like those that you often read about, where in the middle of a job you are suddenly being told that there is more damage than estimated and the price starts to creep up. Most importantly, the quality of the workmanship is outstanding. Robert took no shortcuts and I was able to see at each step that the work was being done meticulously. I waited a couple of months to post this review because the test of a well done roof is time. So, now that a few months have passed and we are leak-free, I have no doubt that it was money well spent! A roof is too important to leave to anyone who takes shortcuts. Take it from someone who is now spending thousands to fix all of the interior damage that is left over from my original installation. You won't regret using National!

We had a problem with the gutter on the rear side portion of our house (flat roof). It was not carrying water effectively to the downspout, and about a third of it was allowing water to pour down the side of the brick wall. This was contributing to excessive water pooling around the foundation. I called Robert about our gutter in early September. It was a very rainy period, and he said they would come by as soon as the weather allowed them to. Alex came by and assessed the situation. He proposed replacing our very dilapidated gutter. Based on the amount of leaf debris on the roof, he also suggested installing the "Leaf Relief" gutter guard system. Robert quickly prepared a contract, and the work was completed within two days of signing the contract. The crew did a great job. Alex and Robert kindly took photos of the finished product for me to look at. Overall, the experience was great. Robert and Alex bring a very professional approach to the job, and they know their craft very well. The crew was great as well. They were very courteous and worked at a reasonable pace. The finished product was excellent. These guys are not cheap, but well worth it. You certainly get what you pay for.

We were having an ongoing roof lead in the area between our roof access hatch and the gutter. The roofing around the hatch dipped, causing water to pool around the hatch. There was also an insufficient drip edge in the portion of the roof near the hatch. We called Robert in early October about the ongoing leak we were having. The crew noted some problems with our roof when they replaced our gutter in September, so Robert was already familiar with the problem areas. He promptly came by to take another look. He suspected that the dip around the hatch was caused by rotting wood. He also noted that the hatch lid was rotting and was slightly too big (touching the roof). He proposed a temporary fix and a long term fix. We decided to go with the full long term fix. This was our second experience with National roofing. Robert is excellent to work with. He is detail oriented and knows his craft very well. The crew was great this time around too. The finished product was excellent.

I can't come up with enough accolodes to describe how pleased I am with the work performed by National Roofing. They were extremely professional, knowledgeable and courteous. They explained everything to me in a very simple fashion and kept me updated from beginning to end. They went above and beyond my expectations. Thank you National Roofing!

-- I have had two occasions to employ this company to work on our 111-year-old townhouse on Capitol Hill. The first was a gutter repair, gutter replacement job last summer (2011); and the latest is a roof sealing job this week. I was very pleased with the gutter work last summer, including its reasonable price and the company's responsiveness. This positive experience led me to seek them again when our roof leaked during recent winter rains (2012). Once again, the company was responsive and helpful. They have undertaken some efforts to seal recent potential leaks, and they have done so at no cost -- which is further evidence of their care and concern for customers, as well as their preference to not sell "snake oil" to their customers (e.g. recommending "repairs" that are not needed or charging for the most minor of efforts). We will continue our relationship with this company -- at least as long as we have any roof problems on this old home.

He was excellent. He was very responsive, efficient, and used high quality materials. The difference between my new and old roof is amazing. I highly recommend him. He is trustworthy and worth the price.

Robert Martin came promptly to give an estimate which seemed reasonable at just over $8000 for the new roof. We were eager to have the work done as quickly as possible as the old roof was leaking into our bedroom. The price seemed OK in comparison with another earlier quote we had had for the same work by another local company. When the work was started - very promptly - I asked Robert about another leak which we had into the dining room. He concluded that this was because the brickwork higher up the house was in very poor condition (the bricks seemed to be simply perched on each other) as was the surrounding woodwork. The main gutter was not properly attached either and had to be redone. Once the main tin roof had been removed, it became apparent that some of the underlying wood decking was rotted and had to be replaced. I was initially taken aback because the additional work added considerably to the cost of the whole project but accepted that it had to be done as Robert provided photos which amply demonstrated the poor condition of brickwork etc. He also explained that until the decking was visible, there had been no intimation that it would have to be replaced. This extra work added another $7000 to the overall cost of the project.

I called the company, and got a recorded message saying they are closed indefinitely and not taking any new customers, but that existing customers could leave a message and they would try to help out. Since I'm not an existing customer, this didn't help me.

I am still deciding whether or not I am going to use them.

We had all three generations from National Roofing at our place for part of the time. This was the second time that we hired National and they did an excellent job of repairing the back of our roof where we had a substantial leak due to a problem with inadequate flashing and gutters that were inproproperly sized for my house. They fixed the problem within about four hours. I am about to call them back now for repairs on another portion of the roof (that they actually recommended that I repair earlier). I should have listened to them before all our recent rain. Now I have a problem that I need them to come fix for me.

Robert was fantastic to work with and really went out of his way to help us. We had several companies come out after Irene caused leaks in our roof that we wanted to get fixed fast. Robert responded immediately and was able to come by to give us an estimate the next day. We didn't know if we needed to repair or replace the roof. It was obvious Robert was extremely knowledgeable. He assured us that by repairing the problem spots, we could get another 10-15 years out of our existing roof. Initially he said they'd be able to do the work the following Tuesday, but called Saturday morning to let us know he could squeeze us into his schedule over the weekend before another week of heavy rain was forecast. The crew did great work and cleaned everything up and hauled it away after they were done. We would definitely hire them again.

They came two days after the estimate and when they were delayed by a prior job, Robert called me. He called and let me know whenever there was a change in schedule due to weather, etc. The job didn't take more than 2 or 3 days and they put everything back. We'll see over the next few months if this work solves the problems but certainly the everything seemed professional.

National Roofing was professional, informative and knew a lot about my type of roof. They gave me better advice about fixing and protecting my roof than another company, and saved me from unnecessary repairs (which wouldn't have fixed the problem). 5 months later, and the leaks still seem to be fixed. I'd continue to use this company for future roof work at my home.

This is a family owned business and they were very nice and professional in their work. The work was done in a timely manner. Father and sons did their work and caused no disturbance to my family. They worked on the job until it was finished. No starting and then stopping to do other work. Until I became a Angie list member and found National, I suffered through a couple of terrible roofers. Or I should say, contractors who call themselves roofers and did not know anything about repairing them. I highly recommmend National Roofing if you want the job done right by a professional company. And it is also a small business. National Roofing also honored my membership to Angie's List by giving me a discount for the work. That was much appreciated.

They are great. They are prompt and funny. They are expensive but that is roofing. It is a family business with Robert Martin and his father, brother and brother-in-law. They know who I am and they will come by, even uninvited, to come up and do whatever it is they have to do. They clean my gutters for free and things like that. This is a hard house to clean the gutters. They are good people.