About Right Away Construction
Rated five stars by most homeowners, Google
Two craftsmen, thirty years, one standard. If your roof has usefulness left, we'll tell you; if it needs work, our name is on it.
Right Away Construction is led by Josh Kujawa, a master carpenter, and Lewis May, a master roofer. They first worked side by side in the late 1990s, and for most of the years since, the work grew one referral at a time across the Twin Cities. What is new is that we are finally putting our name out front.
- A master carpenter and a master roofer, with nearly sixty years in the trades between them
- Licensed MN BC630708, GAF Certified Contractor, local crews start to finish
- We do not knock on doors, after a storm or any other time
Home base: St. Anthony and Northeast Minneapolis.
We get on the roof, photograph every slope and every elevation, write it up, and the file is yours whether or not you hire us.
Our Story
Not A New Company. Just Starting To Say So Out Loud.
Josh Kujawa and Lewis May first worked together in the late 1990s. Josh, a master carpenter, was already doing carpentry, trim, remodeling and high-end roofs, learning the building trades the way you are supposed to learn them: on real jobs, with real consequences, where the work either holds up or it does not. Lewis had started in roofing the year before, at nineteen, on a crew.
For most of the years since, the work spoke for itself and that was enough. The crews, the standards and the relationships already existed, and the business grew entirely by referral, roof by roof, across the Twin Cities.
What is new is the decision to step forward, put the Right Away name on the work, and invite the Twin Cities to see how it is done. Two people who have done the work for decades and still care how it turns out.
By Minnesotans, for Minnesotans. The goal is not to get big fast. It is to build a company that grows by reputation, never so fast that it cannot serve its neighbors properly, and that stays in the neighborhoods it works in for the life of the homes it protects.
The Name Is The Promise
Right away is the speed: answering the phone, showing up, and not leaving you waiting when your home is exposed.
The right way is the standard: doing the work so it holds up, not just so it passes a glance from the driveway.
You should not have to choose between the two.
Who You're Hiring
Two Names On Every Job
There is no faceless brand here. Josh and Lewis put their names, their reputations and their systems behind the work, and they are the two people accountable for your job.
Master Carpenter
Josh Kujawa, President And Owner
Josh brings nearly three decades of construction, carpentry, exterior remodeling and leadership to Right Away Construction. He began in the 1990s under a master carpenter, learning the trade through hands-on work before building his own reputation as a trusted contractor in Minneapolis and St. Paul. His career has spanned residential construction, exterior remodels, roofing, siding and gutters.
Josh owns the business and production: the crews, the subcontractors, the schedule, and the standard on the roof. He combines craftsmanship with family values and community trust, and he knows the home, the materials, the crew and the details it takes to make the whole experience work.
"This is like we're married for a couple of weeks. If you don't communicate with me, I can't help you get what you want."
Master Roofer
Lewis May, Manager And Master Roofer
Lewis started in roofing in 1996, at nineteen, on a crew, before moving into crew leadership and sales. His career since has run through storm-restoration markets, residential and commercial roofing, licensed contracting in Florida, thousands of projects, and more than 20,000 hours selling in homes and on commercial buildings.
Lewis is the voice of the company. He owns what we say and how we do it, and he builds the sales and production procedures into a system that runs the same way on every job. His focus is clear communication, dependable follow-through, and making sure every job is handled correctly from start to finish.
"This is a big project where we move thousands of pounds of material, but we've done it so many times that it's just easy for us, and that makes it easy for you."
Together: Josh runs the business and production, and Lewis runs the promise and the customer experience. Two craftsmen, owner-run local crews, and nearly sixty years in the trades between them.
What Master Roofer Means
A Company Built By A Roofer
There is a difference between a company that installs roofs and a company that was built by a roofer.
In practice it means having seen what fails, and why. It means knowing the difference between a roof that looks finished and a roof that is finished. And it means extra attention at the points a homeowner never sees, where leaks actually start: chimneys, wall and headwall flashing, valleys, vents, skylights, and every place the roof meets the rest of the house.
Fair and practical, never cut-rate and never compromised. That is the standard Josh and Lewis built their careers on, and it is the standard every Right Away crew works to.
Not the cheapest roof. The right roof, done with care.
The Right Away standard
How We Work
The Service Starts At The First Ring
Quality is half of it. The other half is how we treat you while we earn it. The service starts the first time you call, not after you have signed something, and it runs through every stage of the job.
Before
Before The Work
We communicate, so you know exactly what is coming. You get a written proposal you can actually read, and a manager contacts you when your work is scheduled and when your materials are delivered.
During
During The Work
We manage the job and keep you informed, so you are never standing in your yard wondering what is happening on your own roof. The landscaping, siding, windows, decks and driveway are protected before the first shingle comes off, and the decking is inspected before anything new goes on.
After
After The Work
A magnet sweep and a full cleanup, then the paperwork: photos, invoices, lien waivers and warranty records become your file. If something comes up later, call us. The relationship does not end when the truck pulls away.
Some homeowners want every detail. Some want the short version and the peace of mind. Either way, you will always know where your project stands.
What One Of Our Jobs Looks Like
Tarps down over the beds and walks before the tear-off starts.
The lawn covered, so the old roof lands on the tarp and not the grass.
Working the chimney, one of the spots on a roof that fails first.
Old layers off and the deck exposed, where problems get found before anything new goes on.
From one roof replacement in Northeast Minneapolis.
What We Stand On
The Standards We Run On
Honesty Over The Easy Sale
We tell the truth even when it costs us the job. We will be the first to say you only need a repair, or that you do not need us yet. We never create or inflate an insurance claim, never play games with your deductible, and never hide behind a big brand name.
Service Is The Product
Roofing is simple. Service is not. The feeling you want back, safety, consistency and control, comes from how we communicate and follow through, not just from the shingles.
Premium, But Inclusive
We are not the low-price leader, and we are not the top of the market with nothing behind the price. We sit fairly in the middle and serve everyone who values quality and service, without fake luxury and without talking down to anyone.
Craftsmanship Is Non-Negotiable
The best materials for the budget, installed to the manufacturer's instructions and local code, with extra care at the spots that fail first. You get one shot to do a roof correctly.
People Caring About People
We hire for character and attention to detail, buy locally where we can, and keep real people on the phone. When you call, you get a person.
The Standards We Refuse To Break
- Low-grade materials, or reusing a damaged accessory, unless the older piece is the better part
- Skipping the inspection steps on our own work
- Skipping the extra fifteen minutes that makes a finished roof noticeably better
- Charging top-of-market prices with no added service behind them
Storms And Insurance
Where We Were After The Storms, And Where Our Lane Ends
Storms bring crews to Minnesota who leave when the season does. We live here, and we work storms the way we work everything else.
No Door Knocking
We Do Not Knock On Doors
Not after a storm, not ever. If you found us, it is because you went looking, which is the way we would rather do it.
June 19, 2026
We Went Back Six Weeks Later
We walked and drove the north metro neighborhoods under that storm in the first week of August, six weeks after the hail, and wrote down what we found, street by street. The map and the record are on our June 19 hailstorm page.
September 21, 2025
We Found It On A Roof
We found this storm on a roof in Bloomington almost a year after it passed, in a city where nobody had reported hail from the ground that night.
Minn. Stat. 325E.66
Where Our Lane Ends
We document what is on the roof, and if you file a claim, we talk to your adjuster about two things: what is damaged, and what it costs to fix. We do not represent you, adjust your claim, or negotiate on your behalf. Minnesota law does not let a roofer tell you what your policy covers, and we do not pretend otherwise.
How We Approach Storm Work
The whole approach, from the first look to the finished roof, is on the storm and hail damage page.
Local
Built Here, And Staying Here
Committed To Locally Sourced Materials
Whenever possible, we buy the materials for your project from Minnesota suppliers and manufacturers. Your investment stays in the community and supports the skilled trades and factory workers who make the materials. It is one more piece of the Minnesota way: caring, strong and attentive.
Where We Work
Home base is St. Anthony and Northeast Minneapolis, where Josh has worked for more than twenty years, and we are based at 2917 Silver Lake Court NE. From there we serve Hennepin and Ramsey counties, Columbia Heights and Fridley, and south down the I-35 corridor through Eagan, Burnsville and Apple Valley to Lakeville. Find your city.
Answers
Questions People Ask Before They Hire Us
No. Josh and Lewis have worked in the trades since the 1990s and first worked together in the late 1990s. The business grew entirely by referral for most of those years. What is new is that we are putting our name out front.
The opposite. We are Minnesotans who have been here for decades and will be here decades from now. We do not knock on doors, and we never create or inflate a claim. On a storm job we document what is on the roof and talk to your adjuster about what is damaged and what it costs to fix. We do not represent you, adjust your claim, or negotiate on your behalf.
For thirty years the work came entirely by referral, so there was never a reason to collect online reviews. Now that we are public, we would be grateful for yours. In the meantime, our license is public record and our work is on this page.
Our crews, and the subcontractors Josh manages directly. Anything that is not right is ours to fix. Josh owns production and the standard on the roof. Lewis owns the promise and your experience of the job.
Yes. Minnesota license BC630708, which you can verify on the state's license lookup, and we carry insurance on every job. We are also a GAF Certified Contractor.
We always get on the roof. We look at every slope, because hail and wear are directional, photograph every slope and every elevation, write it up, and the file is yours whether or not you hire us. If the roof is fine, we say so.
No. Roofing, siding, gutters, windows, exterior painting, additions and decks, and apartments and condos. Josh's carpentry is the backbone of the exterior work. Everything we do is on the services page.
The Ask
Meet The People Whose Names Are On The Work
Book a free evaluation. One of us gets on your roof, looks at every slope and puts what we find in writing.
If it needs work, you get a proposal you can actually read. If it does not, we say so, and that is the end of it.
Local crews, start to finish. Done the right way. Right away.
Get Your Free Roof Evaluation
Six fields. A real person calls you back.