Home FAQ
Straight answers,
before the estimate.
The questions owners, GCs, and homeowners actually ask us. If yours isn't here, ask us directly — we'd rather answer it than have you guess.
How does a commercial bid work?
Send the architectural drawings and the roof specification. We review the assembly, the attachment pattern, the slope, and the tie-in details, then return a written bid and proposal covering material, attachment, warranty, and schedule.
If the spec permits alternates we price them so you can see the trade-off. And if something in the drawings looks like it will cause a problem in the field, we raise it during bidding rather than as a change order later.
What does a free estimate include, and is it really free?
It's genuinely free and there's no obligation. For a re-roof without current drawings we come to the building, measure the field, photograph the penetrations and tie-ins, check the deck condition, and core-sample if the existing assembly isn't clear.
You get a written estimate listing the system options that suit the building, what each costs, and the warranty each carries. If we think the roof has serviceable life left, we'll tell you that instead of selling you one.
How quickly will you come out?
We respond to enquiries within one business day. Re-roof site visits across Collier and Lee County are normally scheduled within the same week — often within two days for Naples, since our shop is on Railhead Boulevard.
If it's urgent — an active leak, a failed inspection, a bid deadline — say so when you call and we'll move it up.
Do you subcontract the work?
No. All 6 systems are installed by Blackstone crews. That is the reason we specialise in 6 rather than advertising everything: we don't bid on systems we won't crew ourselves.
How long will my roof take?
It depends on the system, the size of the field, and how much tear-off is involved. A shingle re-roof and a hand-cut tile roof of the same square footage are very different jobs. We size the crew to the roof rather than stretching one crew over weeks.
Your written estimate states the schedule: mobilization, the dry-in window, and the inspection cadence. That is all scoped before we mobilize, so the timeline you are given is the one we work to.
Which roofing system is right for my building?
It comes down to slope, exposure, budget, and what the building has to look like. Flat and low-slope commercial fields are usually induction-welded TPO or torch-applied modified bitumen. Pitched roofs are standing seam or 5V crimp metal, clay or concrete tile, or architectural shingle.
We install all 6, so we have no incentive to steer you toward one. Tell us the building and we'll tell you what we'd put on it and why.
Do you install TPO on houses?
No. TPO is the one system we keep commercial-only. It's an excellent single-ply commercial roof — we're a certified RhinoBond installer for it — but it isn't the right answer for a high-end residential roofline, on looks, on resale, or on how it ages in view.
For homes with flat or low-slope sections we use torch-applied modified bitumen instead. If someone has pitched you residential TPO, ask us why we'd talk you out of it.
What is RhinoBond induction-welded TPO, and why does it matter?
In a conventional mechanically attached TPO roof, fasteners and plates pass through the membrane in rows across the whole field. Induction welding instead fastens plates to the deck first, then bonds the membrane to those plates magnetically from above.
The result is fewer penetrations through the membrane and fewer field seams, and markedly better wind-uplift performance — which on a wide commercial field is where uplift is won or lost. The system is called RhinoBond and it requires manufacturer certification to install, which Blackstone holds. We work in GAF and IKO membranes. More detail on the TPO systems page.
Metal or tile for a Southwest Florida home?
Both are excellent here and the honest answer is that it's mostly an architectural decision. Standing seam metal sheds water fastest, weighs least, and suits coastal contemporary and old-Florida styles. Clay and concrete tile is the classic Southwest Florida roofline and, installed on the right underlayment, has enormous service life.
What matters more than the choice is what goes underneath. The underlayment and the attachment are what fail first, and they are the first things a cheaper bid quietly substitutes.
Is a metal roof worth the extra cost over shingle?
Usually yes on service life, and it depends on how long you intend to own the building. Metal costs more up front and lasts substantially longer. 5V crimp metal sits between the two — a real metal roof at a materially lower cost than standing seam, which is why it is such a common answer on cottages and coastal builds.
Architectural shingle is not a compromise when it is the right fit. Installed to a high-wind nailing pattern with sealed starter and hip-and-ridge, it performs well and it is the correct call on plenty of buildings.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold Florida Certified Roofing Contractor licence CCC1335856, and we carry general liability and workers' compensation. Certificates of insurance go directly to your GC, owner, or property manager on request.
Florida requires a certified contractor's licence number to appear in advertising. If a roofer canvassing your street can't give you theirs, that tells you something.
What warranty do I get?
Two, both in writing and both handed over as part of the closeout package: a manufacturer material warranty on the system, and a Blackstone workmanship warranty on the install.
Terms depend on the system and the manufacturer, and the exact figures are stated in your proposal before you sign rather than after. On applicable systems the manufacturer performs its own field inspection and signs off on the warranty directly.
Do you pull the permit?
Yes, and which office it goes through depends on the address. Incorporated cities — Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers — run their own building departments. Estero is a village with its own. Everything outside those limits goes through Collier or Lee County.
On commercial work we build the submittal and the inspection cadence into the schedule rather than leaving it with the owner.
Do you work with insurance claims?
We will document what we find — measurements, photographs, and a written condition assessment — and provide a scope your adjuster can work from. That is the part a roofer is qualified to do.
What we won't do is tell you what your policy owes you, negotiate the claim on your behalf, or promise a particular outcome. In Florida that territory belongs to a licensed adjuster, and roofers who blur the line are a category you should be cautious of.
What areas do you serve?
We work across South Florida coast to coast — up the Gulf as far as Sarasota, down to Marco Island, and over to the Atlantic from West Palm Beach to Miami. Our densest daily coverage is Collier and Lee County. Full detail on the service areas page.
Ask a roofer.
Not a call centre and not a salesperson on commission — one of the two people who run the company and walk the roofs.