18/12/2023
Like many in the Riberac, Dordogne region of France last June 2022, Chateau Marouatte was badly hit by one of the worst storms I have ever seen in 30 years. Hale stones the size of golf balls and high winds did a real job of wrecking the Chateau roofs. The slate roof was of particular worry as not many roofers are expert at doing that type of roof correctly. Research led me to Strictly Roofing and Malcolm Cooke who specializes in slate roofs. Needless to say, finding availability was not easy AND there was a general shortage of wood, slate and roof tiles. However, this September, over one year later than the storm I was lucky to book Strictly Roofing to do the work.
The points that made me hire them were these. Malcolm is English so knows about bad weather AND he "loves" to do slate roofs. More than that he insists to "do it right" as he gives an ironclad ten year guarantee saying "I don't do things on the cheap. If I do your roof you will never have to worry about it again." In reality, for an old building one never knows what one is going to find - rotten wood - or whatever. So Malcolm was honest with any repairs that needed to be done on the roof, showed me what they were in advance and the result is that Chateau Marouatte has a super new slate roof, no leaks, expertly done. That he speaks English was a plus, though his two sons also are fluent in French so for an American running a property in France Malcolm and his team were perfect.
I was so impressed that I took advantage of an opening and had Strictly Roofing also do a tile roof. Again, expertly done. I am now pushing for Strictly Roofing to do another roof but as expert roofers are a scarce commodity in France I will have to wait until July 2024. Meanwhile, if anyone is thinking of hiring Strictly Roofing to do a roof, I cannot recommend the company more highly. Great work, fast, on time, and a ten year guarantee.
Miles Copeland