Graves Bros. Home Improvement Co., Rochester NY

Torn between 1 and 2 stars.
They were contracted through Oaks Construction I think? It was a bad experience overall, so I’ll share the review with both companies.
Had damage from the wind storm in November, so decided we would replace the roof. We had a representative come out for a quote (won’t mention names). His quote was higher than others we had, but said it was because there was more work to be done y and they had the better warranty. Hard decision, but I went with it. He gave a quote to tear down and take away a chimney as well, which we accepted ($500). After we accepted their offer, he called before writing up the contract saying that it would now cost $2000. Other quotes we had were in the $500 range. We got him to reduce it back to $500, but the brick from the chimney had to stay on the property, they wouldn’t take it in the dumpster.
A couple weeks later, they started work, ahead of our initial time slot which was nice. Graves Brothers is the company that actually came out. Not sure of their affiliation with Oaks Construction. I told the manager to be careful with the gutters, they were new and just installed a few months earlier. First thing they noticed was that we had 7 layers of shingles on the house. I paid the first deposit, equal to half the total. They finished the tear off and replaced the roof over about a week period. They were not very careful during the tear off though, and damaged several gutters and downspouts. The manager reshaped one downspout, the others he ordered replacements for and said he would install.
After the roof was finished, the gutters were leaking in several places, were no longer sloped correctly, were not lined up with the roof edge in some places, and the downspouts were still damaged. The roof crew came out on three occasions over the next week or so and could not fix these issues. They eventually sent out a gutter crew to assess the situation, and then they came back a couple days later and fixed all the issues (excepts for the squished downspouts).
They called and asked about the second payment after everything was finished, and said the price would be $3,000 extra because of the 7 layers of shingles they tore off. This is after they finished the work. I asked if this is something they should have checked before quoting me or before starting work if it was possibly this expensive. He agreed. They lowered the extra cost down to $1,500 extra.
It’s been almost a couple months since the roof project. Downspouts are still squished, they have not been replaced. The new ones arrived about six weeks ago, and they have not been out to install them. I have asked multiple times now.
The weather warmed up a bit today which was nice. Melted some of the ice and snow on the roof. Now I see water in the attic. This is after having a complete tear off, new decking and new shingles installed. I will be following up with them again.
I regret working with them, and feel like I made a bad decision. Allstate Roofing and More was the other company I was considering, I’d suggest working with them.

Wasn't interested in doing THEIR JOB! If u advertise you give free estimates then why are the potential clients taking and sending the pictures. I'LL PASS

Extremely un happy with the work this company gave me.extremely overpriced and my roof now leaks, does not return phone calls, gave my employees were rude and spoke nasty and all seemed like drug addicts.while on my property and they left a huge mess.anyone that comes across this company be aware because you will be taken to the cleaners.also never put down any ice and water shield under shingles.needles to say they will be hearing from my familys lawyer

We felt comfortable with Graves Brothers as soon as we met with Rich, their representative. He gave us a fair and informational estimate for replacement of our roof. The installation crew, with another gentleman named Rich supervising, was remarkable. They arrived on time and started work immediately. I was a little nervous because you never know what the January weather will be in Rochester, but we lucked out and Graves had a good day to work. Rich had a sizable crew working and they had our old roof torn off and a new one on all in one day. They were thorough and respectful of the yard and landscaping. They used methods that protected the house, deck, and surrounding landscaping from damage. They also did a great cleanup making sure no nails or shingles were left behind. The dumpster was picked up early the next morning. I would definitely recommend Graves Brothers to anyone considering a new roof.

We recently did a makeover on our forever home with a new roof, insulation, vinyl siding, and gutters. If you're looking for a company that pays attention to detail, has extremely talented crews, and keeps you informed during the entire process, Graves Brothers Home Improvement is the one for you.

What started out as a phone call, looking into the possibility of making a huge transformation to our Tudor style home, turned into a great friendship. The Estimator (Rich Schultz) took his time going over every option and provided excellent feedback and suggestions to our ideas. During the couple hours with him we both felt Graves was the company we wanted to sign with and trust with our home. The roofing Project Supervisor (Jim Rock) and the entire team was amazing. They arrived on time and we were shocked when they told us they'd be done that same day. Especially when it was ninety plus degrees out there. Not only did they complete the full tear off, but they also spent time going around the entire property to make sure all materials/debris were cleaned up.

A short time later the materials arrived for the exterior work to begin, as well as the dumpster drop off. It felt like Christmas! The Operations Manager (Jesse Northrop) walked through the scope of the project, to make sure we were all on the same page, followed by introducing us to the team that would be working on our home. The three team members (Tim, Andy, and Phil) worked extremely hard in various weather elements and were extremely professional from start to finish. With working from home, it allowed us to periodically go outside to see the progress each day and interact with the team. Any questions we had they were always great about answering them. Can't thank them enough for all the work they did on our home. Amazing job!

We highly recommend Graves Brothers, for any home improvement needs and we will definitely continue to work with them for upcoming projects. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Steven and Korin Farley

Their work was of high quality and completed according to contract, without any hassles. I strongly recommend them.

We are very happy with the new bathroom that Graves Bros.installed for us. They removed the old one, down to the studs, and put in the new one (floor, walls, ceiling, tub, toilet, vanity, and all fixtures) during two weeks in the middle of January. They were considerate, courteous and did top quality work. A salute to Ron the job supervisor for an impressive job.

We chose Graves because they came in at a great price for our project, and they offered financing. That was just the beginning. Chad and his crew were great. They did a complete roof tear off and bumped out our back soffit and rake edges. The work took a bit longer due to the weather. He and his crew took pride in what they were doing. They went above and beyond. I would definitely use Graves again for future projects.

Full Kitchen Remodel completely transformed my house, opened up the kitchen to rest of the house. The entire Graves Brothers team was quick to respond with all my questions throughout the project, the team was quick and i saw progress everyday.the team made the entire process easy and i would recommend them to anyone

Did not bother to call back to confirm the appointment after I took the afternoon off. Don't waste your time.

Graves Brothers did a great job putting up new siding at my house. It looks fabulous. The project included chimney parging, plus some insulation work. The crews were wonderful to work with. Four stars are for some communication challenges with the contact person. Otherwise I would have given you 6 stars. I am working with a different contact person for additional work-impressed so far.

Graves Bros. Has done roofing work for me and I am totally satisfied. I plan on using their service in the future.

Let me begin that I am a Procurement Sourcing Manager for a major corporation by trade. As a major purchase of services, the first thing I did was bid out to multiple local recommended companies. 3 of the roofers were in the same ball park, but Graves stood out for using CertainTeed brand shingles vs. GAF by the others. I was also impressed by the CertainTeed 5-Star warranty which includes – 50 year non-prorated on materials and labor, tear-off, disposal & workmanship for 25 years. It is also transferrable to the next home owner within first 15 years which is a big selling point for us. After some negotiating on my part, Graves was the clear low bidder financially as well.
We then moved to the contract phase where I am sure I was much more picky than most. Graves worked with me to modify some key contract and terms & conditions language, to mutual satisfaction. We agreed on a couple time windows for the job which they met.
The work went well with protection of our property and safety was an obvious priority of theirs. They were done on time and worked through the minor punch list items in a timely manner and to our satisfaction. They were very accommodating and agreed to a reasonable hold back for final payment until we were satisfied with the final punch list items and warranty issued by CertainTeed in hand.
Our overall experience with Graves was excellent and we would recommend them to others.

I had my roof and my siding done by Graves Bros.and I could not be happier. From the first meeting with Steve, to the final call from Katie today, I did not feel like I was being rushed in any way. The roofers were professional and did a beautiful job. My house and garage were different colors but no more. I could not be mire pleased with my choice of companies to do the work. I highly recommend Graves Bros.

The Graves Brothers just completed my roof. They had it done in about a day, despite the uncooperative weather. I called with an issue that came up and before I was even off the phone, they had someone at my door to resolve it (seriously). At this point, I plan to work with them again on the interior of my home and would recommend them highly for roof work. Customer service is outstanding! The entire team that worked with us from beginning to end was patient, helpful and kind. It’s also worth mentioning that after calling several companies, they offered the MOST for the LOWEST price. We are very satisfied with this company.

Unlike so many other contractors I've attempted to reach for various jobs over the years, Graves Brothers not only responded to my call, but did so immediately. They replaced my garage roof and I'm very pleased with the service they provided, the work that was done, including impeccable clean-up, and the fair price that was charged. I definitely recommend this company.

TL;DR: Graves Brothers is great at making a sale, telling you they will do all the right things, but they perform work very quickly WITH errors, and do not return to fix them for month (s) after installation. Post-sale response is very poor. We do not recommend them.

We used Graves Brothers to replace our roof and install gutter leaf protection based on reviews we’ve read and positive recommendations from friends. Pricing was decent for our sized home. I have waited for them to attempt to take care of everything before leaving this review, but things are taking MUCH longer than expected and we certainly are dissatisfied after repeated calls expressing our dissatisfaction and attempts to get things reconciled with little or no effort from Graves to get things resolved.

Premise: we had mold/mildew in our attic from 2 bathroom fans venting into the attic instead of through the roof vent for an unknown number of years. Both were connected to a tee, so venting was additionally poor. The roof deck was rotting, especially where the roof meets the chimney. We have trees in our property and constantly clogged gutters.

Quotation: new tear-off roof, 100% of decking replaced on main house, close gable vents to use soffit/ridge vents, ridge vent for garage, upstairs bathrooms get separate vents, install gutter leaf protection.

Day-of Roof Installation: It took one day to complete the entire roof. Started at 7: 30am, finished at 6: 30pm. Received call from the site foreman about some gable vents, he took care of it.

Day-of Gutter Leaf Protection Installation: Completed 3 days after the roof. They arrived sometime mid-morning and completed mid-afternoon.

Issues:
1. Roof: finished the garage roof with no ridge vent.
2. Gutter Leaf Protection: uneven, pitched toward house, wavy, rubberized backing in and out of place. Leaves collecting at downspout connecting house to garage and entering due to a poor cut not covered by leaf protection.
3. Flashing at base of siding: flashing along base of siding is tacked down and very wavy.
4. Flashing at base of chimney: large cut across width of chimney where old flashing was removed with remnants of the old flashing.
5. Bathroom vent fans: still installed using the existing tee. New flex pipe between “tee” and roof vent is tee. Both roof vents not centered over vent fans (holes in roof are 1 truss width away from directly above vents), seams are opposing direction of air flow, 2nd roof vent is connected to inside of cap but dangling in the attic, not connected.
6. Heat tape wires: Cut heat tape wires and instead of simply unplugging them from existing exterior plugs, they were left hanging on the side of the house

Resolutions:
1. Roof: called the foreman during installation, said he did not have a record of it doing garage ridge vent. Called our sales person, who called the foreman and instructed installers to get the garage ridge vent completed. Completed on the same day
2. Gutter Leaf Protection: called sales person who stated he would look at the install. Waited 1 week for him to respond, heard nothing, I called him again. Stated he came out to look, did not like quality, and would send out a service crew to fix. Different crew came to adjust, but I am still not happy with the quality of workmanship. Still same situation, with little change.
3. Flashing at base of siding: mentioned the waviness of flashing at base of siding, it was brushed off by sales rep, stated it will eventually relax over time (?).
4. Flashing at base of chimney: representative mentioned he will have someone raise the flashing or install taller flashing. Nothing done yet, +28 days since install
5. Bathroom vent fans: I entered attic to verify, told rep, he stated a call back by next day, no call back after 2 days, will have to call to remind. Nothing done yet, +28 days since install
6. Heat tape wires: rep mentioned they can unplug and discard these wires. Nothing done yet, +28 days since install

I called graves brother about 3 months ago. Someone came out to give me an estimate and never came back or called me.

Our re-roofing project was efficiently and professionally done. Very helpful sales and office team.

Very good experience with Graves Bros. They did the outdoor repair work from a fire at our property. They were timely, courteous, neat and did a very good job. Very easy to deal with. Recommend.