I HIGHLY recommend Triple Crown Roofing of Zephyrhills, FL (813)833-7720. The entire experience was an outstanding example of how any business should treat cstomers paying for their services. This contractor went above and beyond what I expected from them. They were polite, professional, knowledgeable, efficient and honest throughout the entire process, providing exemplary quality services at a very affordable price. SITUATION: I bought my home in 2010 and it had shingle roofing that was 8 years old and the inspector told me the roof should last 7 more years. I started saving money for a new roof immediately. In April 2014 I noticed that the edges on some of the shingles had started to curl. Rather than wait until the roof started leaking I started to review roofing contractors in the local area. I checked out the BBB ratings, professional memberships, awards, years in business, product and labor warranties, reviews, complaints, etc...of 20 companies in my area. I eliminated 70% of the companies right away. COMPETITION: I really wanted a metal roof and had gotten several estimates for 47 squares (4700 square feet not including the pump house). The prices I was quoted for the roof were double and triple the cost of what I ended up paying for my roof with the contractor - and those quotes did not include the same high quality of metal OR protective paint OR gutters. Discouraged I got estimates for shingle roofing - a less expensive and durable material - but those quotes ranged from $13,000.00 plus for 10-15 year warranty products to $23,000.00 plus for 20-25 year warrantied shingles. I refused to consider a product only warrantied for 10 years and couldn't quite afford the 20 year warrantied shingles. I even got quotes from Home Depot and Lowes where they give military (and retired military) a 10% discount for materials. However, I found out that since they subcontract the work I am not actually and quot;purchasingand quot; the material from Home Depot or Lowes (they sell to the subcontractor) and thus could not get the discount. What a scam! The prices they quoted were still out of my reach. Discouraged, I decided to continue to save money and pray that the roof would not leak until I had the funding. Fortunately, while I was out I saw one of neighbors had gotten a new roof. Since they were in the yard I stopped to tell them how nice it looked and to ask what company she used and if she was happy with the job. She had wonderful things to say about the business and owner, she told me how he did extra work for her by shortening her carport and how happy she was with the overall job...and the price she paid was great! She said she checked Angie's List (and explained what that was to me) after a friend had recommended Triple Crown Roofing. The owner had given her 15 references and she called and spoke to all of them. At that time I had not checked or considered this company. I later found out that the only advertising the company does is via word-of-mouth. This is a small business who does not subcontract. They fabricate the metal themselves to required specifications (to include downspouts and gutters) which is a savings to the company and they are able to pass this savings to the customer. They also have a bonus program where if a customer likes their work and recommends it to someone else who contracts with his company he sends the person recommending the work a check for $100.00. I immediately went home and researched the company online and was hopeful that the company would be able to meet my budget with a quality product. So I contacted the owner, Leon Nault, who personally came out to measure my home and give me an estimate. THE ESTIMATE: I really liked the fact that Leon answered all of my questions, gave me a step-by-step explanation of the process, explained the differinces in the quality of the metal gauge roofing and paint products and how long each would last and the warranties for each and did not pressure me into committing. Leon gave me three written estimates of the metal gauge I selected 1) non-painted, 2) standard paint or 3) Kynar paint. I was amazed when the price he quoted me for the best product was $4000.00 less than the 20-25 year shingles cost - and his product lasts decades longer! His original estimate included replacing the gutter over my carport which had come down due to a storm. He also gave me the insulation AT HIS COST with no labor costs to stay within my budget. I asked him if his quote would be good for 90 days since it would take me that long to get the funds together. He agreed. Before he left he took a picture of my house and e-mailed me a weblink so that I could look at the different color roofs on my house. He also offered me references from previous customers and addresses of buildings that had roofed. None of the other contractors I spoke with offered me this information freely! NEGOTIATIONS; After checking things out with people and looking at the variety of colors for my roof and narrowing down which colors complimented my home, I contacted Leon and told him I was tentatively ready to sign the contract, but 1) would like actual roof samples of specific colors to see the actual product against the house and 2) I wanted to know how much more it would cost to roof my pump house and put the matching gutters on the rest of the house because I would like to include that in the contract, but depending on the additional amount might need to push the work date back another month or so to have the money to pay. He asked me the size of the pump house and I gave him the information and he told me not to worry about additional cost, he would include the rest of the gutters, downspouts and pump house in the original estimate he gave me. He had the metal panels mailed to me within a few days. CONTRACT: After selecting the roof color, we signed the contract and I paid 50% down. The contract stated that his company would install 1 X 4 wooden battens, gulf rib metal roofing and accessories, insulation, drip, ridge vent, valley rake, chimney flash, gutters and downspouts that were all a matching color, as well as, all labor costs, materials, permits, delivery, dump fees and taxes for my roof and pump house. We scheduled the job. THE WORK: Leon and his crew of 5 came and spent 5 days to roof my house, pump house and install the gutters. The crew members introduced themselves, were polite, professional, on-time and really paid attention-to-detail to all aspects of the job. In the process of completing the project his crew discovered that the previous contractor had cut costs by putting in substandard ridgeline venting material which did not work well in air flow and energy conservation. This was fixed at no additional cost. Additionally, any wood that was damaged or rotten along the roof edge were removed and replaced at no additional cost. Fortunately, all of the wood on the roof was sound and did not need replacement. The crew was very careful and took steps to protect and not damage my plants and shrubs in the flowerbed around the house. They did an extremely thorough cleanup when they were finished the job. During the work, I made clear that they could use the bathroom in my home and that I would keep iced tea and water out under the carport for them as a courtesy. They protested that this was not necessary, but I insisted as the heat was pretty bad that week. The crew thanked me everyday for the water and tea. The crew worked hard - August in Florida is no joke - and they obviously took pride in their product and work. And it really shows. My roof is absolutely beautiful and I could not be more pleased. I have already received several compliments from neighbors and people driving by the house. I have also noticed that it feels cooler in the house and my cooling unit doesn't come on as often as it did prior to the new roof. It has rained twice since the installation and none of the gutters (or my roof) have leaked. ADDITIONAL UNEXPECTED SERVICES PROVIDED: The crew asked me for matching paint for the unpainted concrete block area on the chimney which was exposed when the old chimney flash was removed and painted it for me, as well as, the areas where the old downspouts were located since the paint must not have been completly dry when I put them back up after painting last year and the color got smudged on the block exterior. They also painted all of the new wood that they had replaced around the roof edge for me. They placed paving stones under the downspouts for me. They also told me that if I did not like ANYTHING or wanted the downspouts changed to extend differently (they asked what I wanted prior to fabricating and installing them) or if I found gutter leaks where the sealant hadn't been applied thickly enough to call them and they would fix it free of charge. They also told me that if a tree brance fell and damaged the gutter or downspout to call and they would fix it for free. Then, they told me that the roof gets slick with moisture and did not want me up on it to blow leaves off or clean the gutter so that when I wanted that done to give them a call and they would take care of it at no additional fee. Now this is truly customer service! KUDOs and Thank You Very Much to Triple Crew Roofing and the crew (Mike 1 and Mike 2, Steve, Nick, Tracy and of course, Leon!!!!