
Reviews
This was a long and emotionally exhausting project that ultimately resulted in a very good flat roof and excellent metal work (according to our roof inspector), but unfortunately left hard feelings on all sides. MG Roofing owner Marvin Garcilazo first gave us an estimate to do a flat roof replacement with no demolition or structural work for $6000. After we noticed that the roof was somewhat soft he cut some test holes and told us that we had a second false roof over the original roof, and proposed demolishing it and re-roofing the original roof; the quote for that part of the job increased to $15,000 to reflect the additional labor and materials. We agreed with this approach, and then worked for several weeks with Mr. Garcilazo to draft a mutually-agreeable scope of work based on several emails he sent us quoting various options and parts of the project. We signed the contract in November and hired a roof inspector to oversee the project. We had a slight hiccup with the DCRA permit, which MG Roofing obtained, because Mr. Garcilazo told us only three business days before the planned start date that DCRA requires signed 'permission slips' from both neighbors with a 10-day notice period. Once demolition began, as soon as the first few pieces of sheathing were removed it became clear that the planned approach would not be possible due to the amount of ductwork, AC equipment, etc. between the two roofs. We got the opinion of a structural engineer who advised how to strengthen the upper roof. At that point Mr. Garcilazo told us several times that the cost would change, but he did not respond to our repeated requests by email and phone for a revised quote; instead, he assured us that the cost would be roughly the same since it would not be necessary to demolish the upper roof. The actual work proceeded quickly and well once it began; the flat roof, flashing, and metal work were done very carefully and skillfully. The metal work on the flashing, built-in gutter, and front porch roof was exceptionally good. Unfortunately Mr. Garcilazo's workers did some work on the front porch railing that was not covered in the contract and about which they didn't consult us; we are going to have to hire another carpenter to modify their work to match the previous railing. When the project was all done, Mr. Garcilazo sent us an email asking for an additional $10,045 over the contract price with no credit for the ($9000 worth of) demolition that had not been necessary. When we expressed shock, he asked for an extra $6000 instead. In consultation with our inspector we reviewed the work that was done, determined that some of the costs were excessive (for example $2500 to rebuild the entire upper porch railing, when in reality they had only replaced certain parts), and wrote Mr. Garcilazo a lengthy email laying out what we thought the total cost should be and why. He agreed to that amount, accepted our check for the balance, and signed a statement saying that the work was paid in full. Later, however, he sent us a message saying that we had taken advantage of him and treated him unfairly. He nevertheless fulfilled the contract completely and installed the skylight when it came in a few weeks later. The bottom line is that Mr. Garcilazo and his colleagues are exceptionally good roofers, but in our experience the business side of the operation needs improvement. We hope that he will hire an office person to handle documents and billing so that he will have more time to grow his business. We chose MG Roofing based on its excellent reviews on Angie's List, so we know that our experience must have been unusual; we hope that others will have a better experience and that MG Roofing can grow successfully. 2016 update: The roof and metal work have held up beautifully. We had no leaks or other damages even after the very heavy snow in late January 2016 (Snowzilla). Marvin and his colleagues should be very proud of their craftsmanship.