James B Robertson Inc

I hired James B Robertson, Inc. for a residential asphalt shingle roof. Complete tear-​off. Their bid was the lowest of several. They arrived timely. They stayed within their bid, and there was no over-​sell. Because the existing roof was in such horrible condition, I expected them to have to replace at least a dozen sheets of plywood due to dry rot. To my surprise, only three needed to be replaced, which James was honest about. This guy does everything that is needed, and ONLY what is needed. The end result is beautiful. James called me the next day to see if I was happy, which obviously I was. Highly recommend James B Robertson, Inc.

After gathering up a few quotes from several different companies, I chose to go with this one. The price wasn’t the very lowest, but it wasn’t the highest either but what I did like was the way James presented himself and his business. It was clear that my needs would be a priority to me so that is why I chose him, and he kept my needs number one throughout the duration of the work. The roof turned out great. I actually went up there and checked it out and everything was even and durable. I would recommend this company.

i recently obtained quotes from 4 different roofers for roof repair, specifically to replace the ridge caps on my house. many roofers declined to do repairs, telling me that they only do whole roof jobs. others quoted me prices much higher than i thought was reasonable. it took a little while for this contractor to return my call, but once he did, he came out, gave me a fair quote, and came out the same week to do the repair on a Saturday. They did a great job and cleaned up for the most part. i’ll update the review after my house weathers the upcoming el nino, but thus far i would not hesitate to hire them again for any roofing needs.

This is a four star rating only because I cannot speak to the actual work as I went with another company. James is one of only a handful of roofers I called. All were highly rated, but the herd thinned pretty quick (some gave quotes over the phone without even coming to my house…), and he was one of the last men standing. Simply decided to go with another contractor due to a personal connection, but felt compelled to share what I experienced with James.
James came over several times, no doubt between other jobs, and diligently examined the roof each visit. He explained the process to me in terms I could understand and laid out several options and prices for each, educating me on products, tax incentives, etc. He left actual samples with me and sent photos of what the finished work would look like when asked. His responses to questions were timely and informative and his price was competitive. He most impressed me when he took a sample of my old roof and showed me what was actually underneath — a gesture that struck me as both candid and honest, and provided some valuable knowledge as I shopped my job around.
I’d gladly recommend James to friends or family and will use him again when shopping jobs in the future.

James Robertson Roofing is awesome. Jim, the owner, was upfront, honest and responsive throughout the whole process. We received quotes from 4 other companies and went with James because his quote was competitive, he was very easy to work with and our neighbor used him several years ago with good results. We are so happy we went with James, his crew was top notch. They were on-​time, worked hard and pleasant to deal with. They completed the job on-​time and our new roof looks amazing. Finally, they paid special attention to make sure our property was clean and tidy at the end of the day. I would recommend this company to anyone.

We highly recommend this company.
James was at all times professional, accommodating and pleasant to deal with. His word was his bond and he delivered our new roof, timely, as he said he would. The finished product looked great and the price was more than fair. His crew members were helpful and very hardworking.
Thumbs-​up to Jim Robertson Roofing!

We had been putting off replacing our roof for the last five years (it was already 20 years old), and the quotes I’d been getting were astronomical, at least they seemed that way to this LAUSD teacher who has not seen a raise in almost nine years. But with the forecasts for an El Nino winter we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and shop for a new roof… even if it meant financing it.
James Robertson beat the other bids we’d gotten by a healthy margin (I didn’t tell him this!), and the work was first rate. Having done some roofing myself as a teenager I knew some things to look for, and when I didn’t understand something they were doing I asked and the workers (who were friendly, courteous, and professional) explained what they were doing and why.
I should add that this was no ordinary job: our is an Eichler Home which means it’s got a FLAT 3500 square foot roof that will betray any leaks immediately. Long story short is we now have insulation (2 inch ISO board), a waterproof layer below that, plywood OSB atop the ISO and a reflective cap sheet with torch-down…all for about 6 grand less than our neighbor down the street paid. Oh, and they did a three roof tear-​off before any of the work started, with an LA City permit secured by Jim as part of the job.
This project was done over the summertime of 2014 and I wanted to see how the new roof held up to the first rain before writing my review on Unilocal for Robertson Roofing. Aside from a tiny problem with the sealing around the fireplace and skylights (which they came out and fixed quickly and to my satisfaction on the same day I called!), the roof continues to perform beautifully.
Our Eichler home is now noticeably cooler in the summer and perfectly dry in the winter… no small task if you Google «Eichler Homes and roof problems». I have already recommended James Robertson Roofing to a few friends; hopefully you’ll do yourself a favor and call James for an estimate. The minute he drove up and we began talking, I knew he was the man with the right crew to do the work.
Thanks Jim. Oh, and you can count on a call from me in another twenty years.

Thank you James and crew.
Professional from start to finish and very happy with the results. I will recommend to my friends & family.
I needed my roof ridges to be replaced. Got a fair quote and quick turnaround on quality work. James answered all questions and communicated with me as needed. Very professional and thorough.
Great job!

After interviewing and getting bids from 17 roofers I decided on James Robertson after reading Unilocal and talking to him. I had hired three roofers but they could not write up a contract in time or their license was suspended.
Everything was great as James bid on the job and I hired him. I told him about the 17 other roofers and that I wanted the dumpster in my yard or driveway so I wouldnt face liability for causing an accident in the street by blocking the roadway. A friend went through a lawsuit about this very issue and made it a big deal with James. I also wanted very clean new fascia boards 360 degrees around the house with very good cuts. I explained all of this to James at length.
Once he got the job he turned into a jerk and became aggressive and abusive. He refused to put the dumpster on my property even though he said he could at first before I hired him. His crew walked a 30 foot plank between my roof and the dumpster some 9 feet above the ground with no railings carrying roofing debris. His guys did a horrible job and putting up the new fascia boards that I sanded, primed and painted. The cuts and nailing were stupid and ridiculous and I have a handy man clamping, screwing, gluing, priming and setting nails in them all today at additional cost that James refused to correct. I told James that another contractor had said the boards needed to be clamped screwed and the cuts were poor quaility which they are.
This additional work will be another $ 355.00 when James and his company should have been professional enough to put up fascia boards. As of this morning some of the boards popped their nails and boards were beginning to warp and bend. When I complained about the quality of the boards, he became rude. Read his email to me below for yourself. He angrily told me to just put some bondo up there and paint them and quit being so picky. He then mocked me having 16 roofer quotes. I didn’t see him using that one against me when Im the customer and I was straight up with him. Dont use him. He seems to forget who pays the bills. Hes nice while trying to get your job and then turns sour during the work. Read his words to me below when I complained. By the way my contractor is doing a great job and they look much better so my guy was right and hes not a so called professional roofer like James claims to be. After spending over 12k, I was left with a bad feeling about the project and hiring James. Every time I look at my roof it reminds me of what a negative experience this was. The roof seems to be fine but for someone in the roofing industry with 60 years of experience like he brags about, fascia boards seem to be his Kyrptonite.
From James Robertson to me when I complained:
I don’t know what he is talking about clamping joints and nailing sideways, it was a rough job to do, due to the fact the rafters weren’t even, as I am sure he does
Not know this, he has a right to his opinion, but he is wrong. he doesn’t know the circumstances trying to work with un even rafters, if the gap was not there, your facial boards Would be all crooked, and then what you say? Right now they are ok for the work performed and time we took to do it wasn’t easy, fill the cracks and paint, hang the gutters and stop listening to so many people with their opinions, it’s just makes you confused, just like the roofing estimates you got how many 16?
I am sure I could give a critical opinion on some of his work as well if I saw it, but that’s not me, I don’t get people up set by voicing my opinion on someone’s work,
The job is completed, we all agreed it was nice, and now it’s not? Because someone said so, I am sorry he does not like my work, I don’t want to sound rude, But perhaps you should of hired him for the job, why did you hire me?
I can’t do anything with the Facial boards that we have not done all ready, hire a painter and let him fill the cracks with bondo filler, sand and touch it up, you won’t even See it, hang the gutters and you’re done, Then you can work with your general contractor and see what he has in store for you.? More to worry about…
I am sorry he upset you, perhaps this is the kind of man he his,
Thinking he can do a better job? I don’t know any more about people,
You are my customer and I will always help you with the roof any time you call, but the facial boards are finished I can’t nail anything or do anything more to them,.
The metal edging is nailed on top of the facial boards and can’t be removed without damaging the roof edge, clamping and nailing doesn’t make sense.
Sincerely,
James

I called «Roofer James» on Friday, May 2, 2014 and it’s apparently a call center that answers. Fair enough. They took my information and somebody called me back a while later to tell me that someone would go by my house on Monday or Tuesday to give me an estimate for replacing my roof. Monday and Tuesday passed and I didn’t hear from anybody. «No big deal,» I thought. They did tell me that nobody had to be home for the estimate, so I thought maybe I had just missed them. I waited until Friday and still had heard nothing, so I called them back and reached the answering service again. The operator took my information and told me someone would call me back. That was this morning and nobody has called back as of 3:30 pm.

I had 4 roofing companies submit a quote for the reroofing of my ranch home. 3 of them walked the entire roof, 1 did not, which narrowed it down. I then checked the Better Business Bureau, which narrowed it down to 2. Both had submitted similar pricing, however James B Robertson won due to their customer service. I wasn’t sure what colour roof to go for so Jim took me for a ride around the neighbourhood in his truck and pointed out the different types/​colours of roofing, explaining what would last and what would be best for my roof. He then left me with a colour chart so I can make an informed decision.
The workmen who stripped the roof then reroofed were great. Very friendly, punctual, tidy and efficient, even in a punishing summer temperature. They just hosed themselves down every hour or so in my garden and I passed around cold drinks and ice creams to keep them cool. James visited regularly to make sure everything was going to plan and was running up a ladder onto the roof with his gang. We had a few spots of dry rot in the fascia and on the roof support so they replaced them as part of the roofing job. If you are getting your roof done it really does make it look so much better if you have new fascias and guttering to match. James also recommended the guttering company which we used and were pleased with their product.
I waited for quite a few months for rain in drought ridden CA before I posted this review. I wanted to make sure the roof had been put to the test. It held up excellently in the recent rain. I was so happy with the job I recommended them to my next door neighbor who used them a month later. She is also very happy with their work.
I would definitely recommend this company, however you will already know that from all the other 5 star reviews on Unilocal

James B Robertson Inc installed the roof on my house in 1983, 30 years ago, and the roof is still going strong, :) It was my parents’ house. It’s my house now, i’ve been living here since 2011. That year, there was a really bad rain storm and water was leaking from the ceiling into my living room, at 5pm on a Sunday. It took me until 11pm to get an emergency roof repair guy out to put a tarp over the leak area. When he came down off the roof, he said my roof was in good condition but whoever installed the AC/​heating unit didn’t put the shingles back correctly, they just shoved them in rather than fitting them the way they’re supposed to be. The tarp held up so i didn’t have the problem repaired until a couple of weeks ago – i have a new handyman who’s work i’ve been really happy with. They do minor roof repair so they fixed the place under the tarp next to the AC unit, putting the shingles in correctly. The handyman checked out the condition of the roof and said it still has 10 years on it and is in good shape, they made photos and showed me one area where the fiberglass mat is starting to show, and two other areas where tree branches damaged some shingles, which they are going to come back and fix. They said the roof was in good enough shape to just overlay a new roof on top of the old one rather than tear the old one off, it hasn’t been done before and two layers is ok, they said. I looked in the old files my dad kept to find out information about the installation of the roof, who did it and how long ago, and i saw that it was this company in 1983. So, i just want to say that whenever i need another roof, i will be calling them.

James Robertson just finished putting in my beautiful Cedarlite concrete tile roof in.
I shopped around and got 7 estimates from local roofers that were listed on Unilocal.Although his price was not the cheapest, James had the most thorough and professional presentation. He showed a lot of patience and answered all my questions, whether reasonable or otherwise.
His crew are no-​nonsense skilled journeymen, respectful and with a great sense of humor. They went to work immediately. As they removed my 3 old roofs, they and James gave me very sound advice as to how my 50 year old roof’s condition could be improved so as to better carry my new roof.
I took them up on all their advice. GOOD JOB GUYS!
The roof looks absolutely beautiful and secure. Now all I need is some heavy rain to check for leaks, if any, since all the flashings and vents are new and well sealed.
Thanks again James for a job well-​done! I wish your 3-​generation old business will go on for many generations. Feel free to use me as a reference!

Jim and his crew were great. Very honest and did a fantastic job!

I’m persnickety about how a job is done and tend to be diligent when hiring contractors. IN fact, I have a long list of questions they need to satisfactorily answer before I’ll consider hiring them.
So after climbing the ladder with four roofers, and getting estimates from each of them, I decided on James Robertson Roofing.
James is a no B.S. guy with a reasonably, yet realistic estimate. He didn’t try to push me on, say, heavier shingles, and gave me a clear and accurate idea what he offered.
James has been roofing for 45 years, works with his own crew (one guy’s father worked with James’s father!), and doesn’t subcontract. And it was a perfect job.
He complied with my every dopey wish, gave me a good price (write privately and I’ll supply details), and threw in some extras at no cost (a few dormers, swapped out some facia board, installed three solar attic fans, and made sure all the roof openings were rat-​proofed).
The crew cleaned up after themselves, scoured the grounds to remove debris, and were friendly and smart.
We encountered about two days of rain and James came by the house on Saturday and Sunday to make sure the tarps were still covering the house.
I highly recommend him.

This is a good company. We regret not being able to get him to do our house (they’re busy folks!) but he did a great job on our garage. Even came out to assess bad work on the house roof. Reliable and efficient (Tom Garvey Roofing — bad, bad, bad!).

got James B. Robertson’s number from a friend. A few years ago he replaced her roof. she has had no problems with it since then, and he was affordable and very responsible.
i called him because we had a leak. he came and checked it out, and referred me to a colleague who used to work with him who he said is better suited for the job, as it is a smallish repair.
very refreshing to have an honest contractor.

Picking a roofer for us was a very foreign exercise — like how many times in one’s life do we have the pleasure of such a chore? James’ quote was the third we received — we found him through Unilocal.The quote was as detailed as the rest but significantly less expensive. Hum… So we got a few more quotes to learn about the lingo.
We soon had the lingo down, looked at materials in books and stores, and pulled the trigger on James’ company. A great choice! He was extremely thorough in every step of the process. Because of the weather, he respected our wishes to hold off on the start date. We started the day after Thanksgiving. Given the inspector schedule and weather forecast they ended working the whole weekend — no overages. Talk about a hard working crew, these guys worked with no complaints.
We had considerable dry rot/​water damage — we covered the material hard costs and he only added reasonable labor with no mark up. We had only one roof vent issue and James came out personally the next day and totally made it perfect. A 150% job all around. Looks great — sleeping a lot better now.
James knows he can send you our way for a recommendation. I guess I just did.

Absolutely amazing: A LIVE PERSON answers the phone
on Sunday! James came out on Monday, took a look at my
problem and suggested that my handyman who had
arrived at the same time could fix it-​and fo rmuch less than
the estimate I’d rec’d from another roofer. James said «I“m
a roofer’ and this is not really that kind of problem (Leaks
are on the ROOF but not related to roofing per se). I asked
him to be sure and stay around for the next l0 years, as
by that time I’ll need a new roof and he’d be the one to do it.
I CHOSE to call him based on the reviews here and I was
not disappointed-​to understate.

We knew our roof needed to be replaced when we bought our house, and we put it off as long as possible. About 2 years ago, we finally broke down, and started getting bids from a bunch of different roofers… some were crazy expensive, some were totally shady and gave us the super hard sell. Some totally pissed me off by talking directly to my husband (and barely acknowledging me) — by the way, if you are a contractor — that is the stupidest thing that you can do!
Anyhow, Mr. Robertson came to check out our house without needing us to be here, and faxed us a very reasonable quote. Why we liked him the most was because he was totally straightforward, and didn’t try to give us the hard sell. We definitely had a good vibe from him, and went with our gut, and we were glad we did!
They replaced our entire roof (including ripping off many, many layers of old shingle and replacing all of the plywood), and it only took about 1 ½ days. Oh yeah, and it was about 110 degrees when they did it!
Super professional, and we were very happy with the results. Most importantly, it’s been over 2 years and we’ve never had any problems at all with the roof.