The Cutting Edge Roofing

I own a small home in Toronto. The roof needed a full replacement.

Cutting Edge did the job and I am giving that company FIVE STARS. If it were possible, I would give the company more than five. Here is why.

Apart from price and payment terms, which I will mention below, there are four other aspects of a roofing replacement job.

The first is Getting the Quote. One looks for a prompt reply to the request and an easy and quick meeting with the contractor to discuss the job. Cutting Edge gets top marks here. Robert, the boss, attended at my home. He was clear, professional, no nonsense. He is also affable. He explained what needed to be done and how long it would take, what the guarantee would be and scheduling. Robert is clearly someone who knows his trade.

The second aspect is contractual and scheduling. Again top marks to Cutting Edge. As a retired corporate-commercial lawyer, I grimace when I received contracts from the building trades. Some are unreadable, others unsignable. The Cutting Edge contract used plain, clear language.

But a good contract only gets you a good law suit - no one wants a lawsuit. The key to a successful contractual relationship is a clear agreement with an honourable person. Robert conveys trustworthiness and probity.

The scheduling of the job was easy and in fact, an earlier date made itself available.

The third aspect is the job itself. The Cutting Edge crew was a sight to behold. I can only compare the job to an operation undertaken by a highly trained and super competent special ops team.

The crew showed up on time and unloaded their equipment. Every member of the team had his special task and they went about it like they had rehearsed for months. Exterior furniture was covered with tarps, cars were moved to safe distances, ladders went up, shingles were unloaded, a bin was wheeled into place. Then the action began.

Old shingles were stripped off, roof wood was inspected and replaced where necessary. Debris was either tossed into the bin or ferried down on an elevating device attached to a ladder. New shingles were ferried up on the same device and installation commenced. Robert showed up during and after the work to ensure all was going well.

All home owners have run into workmen who are complainers, usually about other tradesmen. The Cutting Edge crew were problem solvers. For example, squirrels had conducted an assault on an area at the front of the house. The crew said, “No problem. We’ll check it and seal it off.”

The crew were terrifically hard working. No loitering. But they were always available to explain how the job was proceeding and they were impeccably polite. The post-job clean was thorough.

The job was finished on time in less than one day.

Lastly, price/payment terms. The payment terms were very relaxed. I was going on a trip and wanted to pay before I left. The office said, “Don’t worry. You can pay when you get back.” I pretty well had to insist on immediate payment.

The price was the best of the three quotes that I got. But it was not the reason I chose Cutting Edge. I chose them because I felt a sense of confidence in the company from the way Robert conducted himself at our initial meeting. I’ve been wrong about contractors and tradesmen before and will probably be wrong again - but this time, I got lucky. Cutting Edge is a worthy FIVE STAR contractor.

Robert, my thanks to you and your trusty crew.