Experienced consumers who learned the hard way know that the way to save money on roof work is to avoid the low-ball quotes which either go up in price after the job starts, or are done with poor materials and unskilled labor that costs a lot of money later when it needs to be repaired, and possibly after leaks have damaged the inside of the home.

That's why it's important to know about Charles Stewart Roofing in Queens NY (known to some as "Charlie's Roofing"), founded in 1949 and owned by a third-generation roofer Charles Stewart with a proven record of honesty with thorough and accurate price quotes, and using materials that last for decades like they should in a way that has earned them a high rate of repeat business and referrals to others, including for skylights and exterior painting.

Charles Stewart: Proven Honesty And Jobs That Last in New York and New Jersey

One way other companies only appear cheap is to use inferior materials that will fail, knowing that most jobs, good and bad alike, look similar when they're finished, at least initially.   But then those jobs cost you big when the materials fail by leaking water, or shingles blowing off.

Unlike those companies, Charles Stewart Roofing has an almost seven decades-old good reputation to keep which means using only quality materials, even if the customer can't visually see the difference. Charles Stewart explains, "That means including an ice sheath around the bottom, using quality wood that doesn't warp, using brand name factory firsts for materials rather than cheap factory rejects that get sold for use by other companies. On flat roofs which are a particular specialty of ours, that means our customers get the right grade of aluminium coated rubber, rather than a poor quality alternative."

Another way other companies try to trick you with rock bottom price quotes is by hiding the true cost of the tear-off, costs which they spring on you later after they have your job, pretending they didn't know them from the start.

In contrast, Charles Stewart Roofing has a proven reputation for honest quotes that are accurate. Owner Charles Stewart shares, "In a tear-off there's always going to be some boards that have to be replaced, same for vents or pipe covers. Knowing that's the case, our quotes account for that."

With so many other companies hiding those costs in order to falsely appear cheaper to get the job but then bumping up the price later and getting away with it, why doesn't Charles Stewart Roofing just do that too?  Charles says, "My dad didn't raise us like that. He was strict on ethics in how he raised me and my brother. He made it clear that as a tradesman you treat people like you're going to have to see them again and that always stuck with me, so that doesn't leave any choice but complete honesty up front."

Another example of the honest treatment locals know Charles Stewart for happened during Hurricane Sandy, with storms being a prime opportunity for other companies to take advantage of your desperation and price gouge you.  Charles relates, "One lady called us, and all the local companies were slammed but we were only three blocks away on another job and she sounded really upset, so we went.  Other companies had quoted her $1,500 just to put a tarp on to stop the leaking.  But I saw that she only had a few shingles missing and a small leak. I had shingles in the truck so we fixed it for a few hundred dollars and the lady almost cried, telling me that she'd been asked by others for five to six thousand dollars to replace the whole roof and how grateful she was for our honesty."

Charles Stewart was raised here and today lives with his wife of 41 years to whom he is devoted. They have three adult daughters, and six grandkids.  His father and grandfather were both roofers. His dad came here from Scotland and started the company in 1949 and Charles started in the trade at 14 years old and took over the company in 1979.   Today he works alongside his nephew who he raised as his own son and who is set to take over someday.   Running the company and taking care of his wife keep him busy, but his relaxation activity is fishing, sometimes in the Sound and in past years with occasional fishing trips to the Florida keys being a particular favorite.  Friends and family describe him as giving and a good husband, while customers cite his friendliness, fairness and honesty with them.

So instead of being tricked by deceptive low-ball price quotes that are due either to bad materials that will soon fail and cost you more, or quotes that intentionally leave out known costs of the tear-off, consumers we spoke to in our research pointed to Charles Stewart Roofing in Queens NY and third-generation roofer Charles Stewart as the one proven to do jobs that last, with competitive pricing and honest quotes.

In the words of Tanesha, one of the consumers who reported to us, "I did use him and they did a wonderful job. We had some issues with a leak. He fixed it and he gave us a great quote. I recommend him highly."