When we purchased Ziebart of Elkhart in 1993, we acquired a building that had been built in 1984, and with it had come a sporadically leaking roof. Over the years we hired four different people try to repair it but didn’t have much success. The roof looked pretty for a while, but the leaks returned far too soon.
While attending a trade show in South Bend, we stopped by the Green Improvements booth to see what they did. The owner, Ben Schlabach, really impressed us with the display of their system and by the way he spoke about their products and processes; he really knew what he was talking about and had a lot of pictures and documents to back it up. We were impressed, so we invited him out to give us an estimate to seal our roof.
After meeting and measuring and asking a lot of questions, Ben came back with his proposal. It was extremely detailed. We knew exactly what we were getting and exactly what it would cost ~ no surprises at the end and no additional charges! In comparison to the other work we’d had done, Ben’s price was admittedly higher, but the contrast in the quality was clear. His 18-year warranty gave us confidence that this job would last; and it’s not pro-rated, so you know they stand behind their work.
You can tell a lot about a company by the way they approach every aspect of their business. For example, each day when the crew would come in, they’d let us know specifically what they were going to be doing that day and how it could potentially impact us. (By the way, we never had to shut down our business while they worked; another great benefit!) The horribly rainy summer of 2019 was certainly a challenge to anyone working outdoors and finding consecutively dry days was difficult. But rather than leaving us wondering, Ben always kept us informed as to what was happening, and they were able to find four days in a two-week period where the rain didn’t hamper them. The fact that they kept in contact and didn’t just disappear was reassuring.
Another clue about the quality of the crew and their dedication to taking care of the customer? While managing the site, the crew even wrapped the cars in our neighbor’s parking lot, just to make sure the chemicals they used didn’t damage the vehicles’ finish through overspray. Who even thinks that far beyond their immediate workspace? The crew at Green Improvements does!
How a company approaches problems is a good indicator of their caliber as well. After the roof was finished, we had yet another downpour and discovered a leak from with the metal at the end of the roof. Ben came out immediately to inspect it and, even though it was a problem that arose from the original construction’s shoddy workmanship, made the repairs -- at no charge! He fixed the original builders’ boo-boo without batting an eye.
If you are considering hiring Ben and his crew from Green Improvements to work on your roof, relax! You’re dealing with a good, reputable company who’s going to finish the job and stand behind their work. And they don’t disappear after the job’s done, which is really refreshing.
Hats off to Ben Schlabach and the Green Improvements team. We wish there were more businesses operating just like them!
- Ziebart, Elkhart, IN
If you’re short on time and want a one word opinion of Green Improvements, it’s AWESOME!! For those wanting more details, read on…
First, a little background. Peabody Public Library is a beautiful building in Columbia City, Indiana, which is about 20 minutes west of Ft. Wayne. Located in 14 acres of beautiful natural wetlands, our building is built into a hillside and the roof is visible as our patrons approach, so our concerns included both function and aesthetics.
Green Improvements’ quote stood out because it was very thorough and met the parameters we had set forth, unlike other bids. They covered everything they would do, start to finish, even going so far as to outline how they would keep the area tidy and protect not just our property but that of our patrons as well.
When they met with the board, we were all very impressed with their professionalism. We confidently chose them for the project, and that good decision was reinforced throughout our experience. Ben and Matt are genuine people, working as hard as they possibly could to take advantage of the rare breaks in the crazy rain we experienced at that time. And, when approached with questions from our community, Ben and Matt were very respectful, diplomatic and kind in their responses, representing not only themselves but the Peabody Library very well. That speaks volumes about them.
As I mentioned earlier, there were some concerns about the roof color. We didn’t want dark because it would absorb the summer heat, and, with our brown brick building, we didn’t want white because it would look too stark in contrast. The solution? We went with tan, so it would be more reflective and efficient for cooling, while complementing our building’s aesthetics.
The icing on the cake is the price. We would have easily spent at least three times as much replacing the roof; restoring it with Green Improvements saved us over $200k initially, and, with the savings we’ll enjoy in the coming years on our heating bill, that's just the start of the financial advantage of working with Green Improvements. So, you can see why I chose the word “awesome” to describe our experience.
I strongly urge you to make the good decision our board did and hire Green Improvements for your roof restoration. You won’t regret it!
- Peabody Public Library, Columbus, IN
