Get Stoned, Get a Roof

It only takes one thunderstorm to see how competitive the roofing wars can get in Denver, with companies offering hundreds of dollars in gift cards and rebates in order to persuade homeowners to spend their insurance money with them.

But one local roofer is plying his trade with another Colorado pastime in order to get a higher return, offering customers $500 in weed if they buy a new roof from him.

Masterpiece Roofing and Painting owner Rex "the Roofer" Corley (though he's starting to confuse that moniker with "the Reefer" lately) released a video on the company's Facebook page over the weekend announcing the unique promotion.

Appearing with fellow roofer Zach Blenkinsopp – known for recently offering a free AR-15 rifle to customers buying a roof from his company in Alabama – Corley offers potential clients $500 in marijuana dispensary vouchers.

"Get a roof, get some weed. And let us turn your roof into a masterpiece," Corley says in the video before a digital green explosion turns into a cloud of smoke over a Masterpiece Roofing sign.

Because the promotion gives away vouchers, it's not violating state laws regarding unlicensed marijuana sales or promotional giveaways. Although no one has officially taken him up on the offer, Corley says the response has been incredible. As of this morning, his video announcement has over 100,000 views and more than 550 shares on Facebook.

Even if he doesn't make one sale through the promotion, he believes the publicity is well worth the effort.

"It's sure driven up the SEO to my website," he says with a chuckle. "One of my competitors came up to me over the weekend and said he was going to get a new roof from me now."

Since the Denver area's last big hailstorm happened in early May, it's hard to measure how effective current roofing promotions really are, the roofer explains. While Masterpiece Roofing will continue to offer customers its customary $500 cash rebate if they prefer that, the heady promotion will stick around for at least the immediate future.

"Our reputation's really good. I don't smoke weed, but if someone chooses to do that, that's fine. It's just like drinking a cold beer. I don't have that stigma attached to it that other businesses would," Corley says. "I just wanted to be the first at this."

Masterpiece Roofing and Painting currently has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.