Ralph J Burke Roofing Co

Ralph J Burke Roofing is a small family roofing shop in Wakefield, MA. The company says it has been at this since 1928 across three generations, and it is now run by Dan Burke with his son Dan Jr. as the working foreman; the Better Business Bureau records it as a sole proprietorship with an A+ grade and 37 years on file. It does one thing and does it deliberately. The website advertises hand-nailed roofing, rubber roofing, seamless extruded aluminum gutters in fifteen colors, and skylights. Reviewers confirm all of it: a 2024 customer who had done roofing work himself said the crew hand-nails all around for a stronger roof, and a 2023 reviewer described an EPDM rubber roof and gutter replacement on a Reading home and business, planned to limit disruption to the business. What comes up in review after review is that the person who quotes the job is the person on the roof. An April 2026 customer singled that out — the same Dan who gave the quote supervised the work most of the time. A November 2025 customer worked with both Dan Sr. and Dan Jr. on a full roof and gutter/downspout replacement and described transparent explanations of problems as they came up. An October 2024 reviewer had a thorough assessment, was offered the option of replacing 40-year-old gutters and fascia, and had a proposed installation change checked with the shingle manufacturer's technical support before it was made. Cleanup and property care repeat too: a July 2024 crew left the property cleaner than they found it, hauling away debris from an earlier renovation; a 2024 reviewer described steps taken to protect bushes, lawn and driveway. Pricing is described as reasonable and midrange rather than cheapest — a July 2024 reviewer who collected several quotes said Burke was neither the least nor the most expensive and came in on budget. One thing to check: BuildZoom, which lists 200 permitted projects for the company, scores it 0 because it could not verify an active license, noting a Newton roofer license that expired in 2017. That is a directory's record rather than a state finding, so ask directly for current Massachusetts registration and insurance certificates before signing. Beyond that, this is a good fit for a homeowner who wants a small, hands-on crew for a roof, gutters or a rubber roof, and who values the owner being on site over the lowest bid.