Stephen Duff Construction

"Showed up on time (which is rare on Cape Cod), good quality work and no more leaks." That 2018 line from a roof customer is about as good a one-sentence summary of Stephen Duff Construction's written history as exists. The Barnstable company works out of 1586 Hyannis Road, and the BBB — which grades it A+ though it is not an accredited business — lists 45 years of general contracting behind it. Roofs are what the reviews are about. Homeowners writing in 2017 and 2018 described estimates the next day and jobs done inside a week, crews they called professional and courteous, and cleanup they were happy with. Two things come up more than once and they are the ones people usually get burned on: price and scope. A 2018 reviewer who gathered three or four estimates said Steve took the most time examining the roof and gave the most accurate appraisal, and did not try to sell anything extra; another that year said the bid was low by a little and the scope was never expanded on them. In 2019 a homeowner re-shingling a roof plus a deck and doors said his was the most affordable of four quotes and came with a military discount. The cautions are equally specific. A 2019 reviewer scored the job three stars and described a contractor running too many jobs in far-apart places — hurrying off, clipping a tree in the driveway and shattering a van window, with glass shards still left behind afterwards, and a final polyurethane coat that came out less shiny than the earlier ones. In 2018 another reviewer, otherwise satisfied, said the cleanup of nails and gutters could have been better. Worth knowing too that the detailed written history runs 2017 to 2019 — the only account since is a short 2024 Google note. The item to settle first: Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration 121941 is in the state registry under Stephen A. Duff Co, and it comes back expired. BuildZoom separately lists an inactive or cancelled HIC #188860 and a general contractor number shown expired back in 1998; Houzz simply describes the company as licensed and bonded, which is that directory's word, not a check. Registration is what stands behind a homeowner's Guaranty Fund claim in Massachusetts, so ask where it stands now. Worth a call for a straightforward Cape roof or exterior job where a fair, un-padded quote matters most. Confirm the registration and insurance, pin down cleanup expectations in writing, and ask how many jobs the crew is running the week yours is scheduled.