We were visiting our French house in the Limousin at the end of December 2020 and were due to travel home to the UK in 2 day’s time. The UK was experiencing a really bad storm including torrential rain and France seemed to catch the tail end of it. We have had our house almost 7 years and knew that the roof and the garage roof were not its strongest features and that there was a persistent leak around a disused chimney breast with the water running down the dividing wall and into the garage. Various jobbing builders had attempted to repair the roof exclaiming ‘that should do it kid’ as they drove off into the sunset with bundles of our cash. Far from being cured the leaks appeared to be getting worse, which was a worry as we would not be there to attend to them. Having discussed the matter, we decided to search for a specialist roofing firm as we considered this to be our best chance of getting the roofs repaired properly once and for all. The Specialist Roofing site caught my eye as the testimonials seemed genuine although I noted that they were a good hour travelling time from us which might limit any response. Having filled in the contact form I waited for a return message not really expecting such an instant response (although I didn’t know Dawn at SR then) lol. I explained that we were due to go back to the UK in 2 days and Dawn said that they were very busy but she would do her very best to get someone down to us.The very next day Malcolm appeared and we started taking about the roofs. As it turned out we are both from the Midlands in the UK. Malcolm has a fairly direct communication style but so do I so we got along from the word go and I felt that he was trustworthy. As we would be leaving the house unattended with someone I had only just met, this was extremely important to us. Having inspected the roof and showed me some of the issues Malcolm said that it would be a fairly big job but that it badly needed doing. As our tiles were no longer available the initial plan was to use the tiles from one face of the garage that was not visible and use them to repair the house roof, then re tile the garage using a similar tile. It later transpired that the garage tiles were much too fragile to be relocated and further issues were also discovered as the roof was stripped, so the original plan was a none starter. SR soon came up with an alternative. What really impressed me about Malcolm was that he kept me regularly updated with a series of photos of his findings and also with a chat every couple of days. We were of course back in the UK by now so the updates were particularly important. I actually really felt for Malcolm and his team as it turned out that there was twice as much work as was thought including the need to remove a chimney stack completely and repair the other 2? No one could have predicted this. By now I was receiving regular contact from Dawn at SR with cost estimates and general progress reports. I think that secretly she is the boss!! Another thing that we really liked about SR was that the payments required were staged in an extremely reasonable way. In other words there was none of the ‘full payment up front’ idea which can happen and leave the customer in a really bad place if the tradesman happens to be less than honest. Eventually all of the issues were identified, costs agreed and work was progressing at a really good pace. Whilst we didn’t want SR to rush, we have experienced tradesmen in France to whom the idea of working to a completion date Is a completely alien concept!! Not too long after, the work was completed and a further batch of photos together with a chat with Malcolm confirmed this. Neighbours had also been keeping us informed of the progress and a number of complementary texts were received commenting on the quality of the work and the perceived work ethic of Malcolm’s team. Due to Covid our next two planned visits to France were postponed and it was not until October 2021 that we finally got to our place once more. In a nutshell we could not have been more pleased! We never had doubts about Malcolm and his team and our trust was repaid in full. The job had been completed, looked amazing and all of the leaks had gone! The inside of the house and garage were clean and orderly with no damage to any of our property and the site had been cleared of debris including old tiles and wooden beams. Inevitably, with a project of this size there will be small snags and Malcolm returned to dealt with the couple I found almost instantly and with no fuss. To sum up we really found a gem with Strictly Roofing who are honest, straightforward and professional. They are also extremely likeable people. We would have no hesitation in recommending them to others. Sincere Thanks. Jack & Lou Parker – November 2021
PS We still think that Dawn is the boss!
Strictly Roofing 