Why Your Roofer Should See Your Roofing Estimate Papers

First, there are two types of roofers.  Roofers who know how to roof your house.  They use the same standard methods of roofing for every single house, and 99% of the time they do a decent job.  Then there are roofers, who know the roofing industry, they know the city codes, the manufacturers specifications for warranties, etc.  If you were to show your estimate to a roofer who knows the labor of roofing but not about for example, standard insurance prices, line items that need to be included in every estimate, etc, s/he will not be able to determine if the price being paid by the insurance company is correct.

Most adjusters are reasonable people.  They are not out to hurt anyone.  They are just doing their job.  However, no one can argue that checks and balances are a good thing.  Well roofers who are part of the roofing industry are good for checks and balances when it comes to seeing if any line item was missed, etc.  Here is a recent example, DFW Best Roofing had.  Here was the customer's estimate as provided by the adjuster.

As you can see the adjuster only saw two layers of shingles, but in actuality there were four.  Second, the adjuster missed out anything for flashing, particularly the flashing by the chimney where it was most damaged. Third, the adjuster is supposed to add a line item for waste, as shingles are cut to fit, on average its calculated at 10% of waste factor, also not added here.  Fourth, the adjuster miscalculated the valley metal. fifth, one vent is severely damaged, that needs to be replaced.  Sixth, if a roof has 4 layers of shingles, there is a good chance of decking issues.  

Now, mostly likely when I bring this the adjusters attention, he will make the necessary changes.  I may add a post on how much more we were able to recover at the end of this situation.  Homeowners think by hiding the estimate the roofing company won't know the price the insurance company is paying, that might be true for unseasoned roofers, but those who have experience can tell as soon as they see the house, how much the insurance company should be paying, so it is to the homeowners advantage to sit down with a professional roofer, and go over the estimate, and determine if anything needs to added, or increased. etc.

If you are not sure about want your insurance company is paying for a damage, contact us at 

DFW Best Roofing at 817 381 6855.

Man Hit By Hail

In this picture you will see a man holding a board of wood, this is the plywood that is under the shingles of the house.  The hail came struck the roof, tore through the shingles, broke through the wood, and then came down hit the man leaving a dark red/purple bruise.  That's what a single big hail can do.

If your property gets hit by hail, contact a roofing company like us quickly, because waiting too long can make the evidence go away.  Call us 817 381 6855 to schedule a free appointment today.



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How to Read a Roof Damage Insurance Estimate

The top part of a roof damage insurance estimate contains pretty basic information, such as your name and address, the claim number assigned to your case, the name of the adjuster assigned to your claim and identification of the damaged location.

The main part of the document is the nuts and bolts of the estimate and is often presented in column format

Description	Quantity	Unit Cost	Replacement Cost Value	Depreciation	Actual Cash Value
This column will list every roofing item that needs to be fixed.	This column will display how many of each item is needed for the job.	This column will show the individual cost per item.	This column will display the total amount of an item based on the quantity needed.	This column reflects any amount deducted from the replacement cost value.	This column shows the final price after any depreciation has been taken.

The Description section describes every repair or replace action that will be done to your roof, such as tear off composition shingles, re-nail roof decking, replace flashing, caulk eave, etc., as well as the materials to be used. It is based on what the claim adjuster saw during the inspection of your roof.

The Quantity section indicates how much material is needed based on your roof’s damaged area. The amount may be reflected per square foot, per linear footage, or per each.

The Unit Cost column lists the amount each item costs to purchase, whereas the Replacement Cost Value column displays the total dollar amount of the quantity needed multiplied by the unit cost.

The Depreciation section represents how much, if any, is being deducted for considerations like a decrease in property value, the age of the roof, the condition of the roof and other factors. Depending on your home insurance policy, you may be able to recoup the depreciation amount once your roof is repaired or replaced.

The Actual Cash Value column shows the amount of the Replacement Cost Value minus any Depreciation amount.

If your roof repair involves fixes to your attic or other interior areas of your home, an estimate listing for each damaged location will follow. At the end of the entire insurance estimate is a Line Item Total for each damaged location and a Summary for Involved Coverage that includes:

• The Line Item Total.
• The Sales Tax percentage for your state and the total sales tax for materials needed.
• The Subtotal reflecting the Line Item Total plus the Sales Tax.
• The Overhead percentage, which is calculated from the Subtotal amount and reflects the amount over the repair price for the services of a contractor.
• The Profit percentage is calculated from the Subtotal amount and reflects the contractor’s profit for performing the work.
• The Replacement Cost Value, which is the Subtotal plus the Overhead and Profit amounts.
• The Net Claim, which reflects the Replacement Cost Value total minus your policy’s deductible. It is the amount that your insurance company will pay for your roof damage insurance claim.

It is not uncommon for an insurance companies insurance report to have some mistakes in it.  This why once you get your report you should give us a call at 817-381-6855, we use the same software for our estimates that insurance companies use.  This is why we can negotiate a better insurance estimate for you.

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