Home | Insurance Claims For Metal Roofs
If your shingle roof has been damaged by hail and you have an approved insurance estimate, now is a great time to switch to a metal roof. Maybe you’ve always wanted a metal roof for your home, but the cost just seemed too high. The great news is that when you are replacing a roof because of an insurance claim, you do not have to replace it with the same roofing material. Keep reading to find out more about how this process works and the benefits of a beautiful metal roofing system.
If you file a roof insurance claim after a hailstorm damages your shingle roof, you are assigned an insurance claims adjuster. The insurance claims adjuster represents the insurance company and will inspect your roof for damages. To be approved, hail damage insurance claims must meet a very strict criteria set in place by the insurance company.
Insurance adjusters typically begin their inspection on the ground, before even stepping foot onto your roof. They may begin by looking for collateral hail damage to each elevation of your home. Some of the hail damage they may look for is hail hits to window screens, gutter troughs, gutter downspouts, and fences among other things. As they walk around your home, they will photograph the damage they find. After this, the insurance claims adjuster will use their ladder to access your roof.
When the insurance claims adjuster is on your roof, there is a specific set of guidelines they must follow to fulfill the insurance company’s requirements for the inspection. The adjuster will inspect the field shingles on each directional slope of the roof. All insurance companies have the insurance adjuster mark a 10x10 test square in chalk on each directional slope of the roof. To qualify for a full roof replacement, each insurance company requires a certain amount of hail impacts within the test square. The adjuster will mark each hail hit they see, usually by circling each individual hail hit. The number of hail impacts required per test square varies between insurance companies. It can range from 8 hail hits all the way to 13 hail hits to warrant a full roof replacement, depending on the insurer. The insurance claims adjuster will use their chalk to label each test square and write the total number of hail hits they find within it.
If your roof has enough hail impacts per test square to meet the requirements of your insurance company for a roof replacement, your claim will typically be approved. Once your hail damage insurance claim is approved, your insurance company will provide you with the approved scope of work estimate. The scope of work estimate will include detailed line items of the work needed to repair or replace your roof, as well as the insurance company’s pricing for those items. This price will be the replacement cost for the materials that are currently on your roof.
If you haven’t already, you’ll need to hire a metal roofing company to remove your existing roof and install your new metal roof. A reputable roofing company works for insurance proceeds. Typically, the only cost incurred by a homeowner is the deductible. If you want to take this opportunity to change your roofing material from shingles to metal, this is a great time to do it! All you’ll pay is your deductible plus the difference in price between your existing roofing material and the cost of your new metal roof. This is a great way to get the metal roof you’ve always wanted for a great price.
If you plan on using your roofing insurance claims settlement to switch from a shingle roof to a metal roof, you’ll need to hire a metal roofing company if you haven’t already. Below we’ll discuss some important things to consider when hiring a metal roofing company.
After a hailstorm a lot of roofing contractors and roofing companies send salespeople to the area that was damaged by the storm. These roofing contractors and roofing companies are called storm chasers. Storm chasers travel from city to city, and even state to state, following the destruction of hailstorms, tornados, and other weather events. You may run into a couple of problems if you hire a storm chaser. Storm chasers aren’t always familiar with your city, so there’s a chance that they won’t be up to date on city code upgrades when replacing your roof. A local metal roofing company will be aware of city codes and requirements. Most importantly, if the roofing company you hire is not local, there is no guarantee that they will be around in the future to address any issues with your metal roof installation.
It’s important to hire a local metal roofing company that is familiar with the insurance claims process. Texas has very strict laws regarding homeowner’s insurance claims. In order to comply with these laws, some insurance companies will even require your roofing company to furnish proof of deductible payment. Be sure to hire a metal roofing company that follows all Texas laws regarding insurance claims. At Gravity Metal Roofing we work with all insurance companies and are highly familiar with the insurance claims process. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about changing your roofing material through a roof insurance claim.
Always make sure that the roofing company you choose will provide and sign contracts. A metal roof installation is a major investment in your home and a handshake or verbal agreement is not enough. A reputable metal roofing company will require a homeowner to sign a contract prior to beginning a metal roofing job. Contracts protect both the homeowner and the metal roofing company by laying out the terms and conditions of the contract, the estimated amount of time it will take to finish the metal roof installation, the materials used, and the agreed upon price and payment terms, among other things. Contracts ensure that both parties will fulfill their side of the deal.
A dependable metal roofing company will offer warranties on their workmanship and products. To offer warranties, a roofing company must have established relationships with manufacturers. Be cautious of any roofing contractor that is unable or unwilling to warranty their work. At Gravity Metal Roofing, we stand behind our work and always provide warranties to our clients.
After a hailstorm, insurance claims adjusters are under a lot of pressure to complete a large number of roof inspections in a very short amount of time. It’s not uncommon for the insurance claims adjuster to miss items. Some examples include roof accessories, code required upgrades, incorrectly identified roof accessories, incorrect measurements, or even missed hail damage. An inaccurate scope of work estimate from your insurance claims adjuster means that there may be a shortage of funds to replace your roof.
At Gravity Metal Roofing, our metal roofing specialists will review your scope of work estimate for accuracy. Any missed damage, shortage of materials from incorrect measurements, missed roofing accessories, code requirements, or anything else that got overlooked by the insurance claims adjuster will be submitted to the insurance company as a supplement for approval. Supplements get approved after your roofing company provides the insurance with photographic documentation of missed items, corrected measurements, or documentation from your city’s permitting department regarding code upgrades. If your metal roofing company knows up front which repairs will have to be included in the supplement, it can save time in the insurance claims process.
Ensuring that all measurements are correct, and that all hail damages are covered by your insurance ensures that you get the most value from your coverage. This can help close the gap in the difference in cost between your old roofing materials and your new metal roof. This means less money out of your pocket!
While the upfront cost of metal roofing is typically higher than traditional asphalt shingle roofing, metal roofing can save you money in the long term. Therefore, using the settlement from your insurance roof replacement is a great way to reduce your cost of getting a metal roofing system. Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of metal roofing.
Metal is an incredibly energy efficient roofing material. Metal roofing is highly reflective. This means that your metal roof absorbs less of the solar radiation that can heat its surface. A metal roof’s thermal emissivity allows it to effectively release the heat that it does absorb. Highly reflective and emissive painted or granular-coated metal roofs can reduce your energy consumption. With the addition of heat reflective metal coatings, energy costs can be reduced even further.
A professionally installed, quality metal roofing system is low maintenance. Metal roofing systems are exceptionally durable and can protect your home from a wide variety of weather conditions. Impact resistant metal roofing is naturally tough and resistant to hail damage. Keep in mind that serious hail can still cause cosmetic damage to a metal roof, but it takes a lot to impair the functionality of a metal roof. Metal roofs are also rated to withstand high winds. The large interlocking panels of a metal roofing system resist uplift. This protects your home from water intrusion during heavy, wind driven rain.
There are certain geographical areas where a metal roof really makes sense. A metal roofing system is a great choice if you live near the coast or own another property near the coast. The salty sea air may make you think that metal isn’t the right choice, but aluminum and zinc coatings protect the metal roofing systems from salt air and water. These durable coatings make coastal metal roofing extremely long lasting.
Metal is inherently non-combustible, which is why most metal roofing carries a Class A fire-resistance rating, the highest possible. This doesn’t mean that your home is fireproof, but it does mean that you have an extra safety feature on your home in case of fire.
Metal roofs are virtually 100% recyclable, which is why they are considered one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable roofing materials available. When you do replace a metal roof, you can rest easy knowing that it won’t be going to a landfill. The manufacture of metal roofing panels is also a more sustainable practice because metal roofing materials are made with a minimum percentage of recycled materials. Another thing that makes metal roofs eco-friendly is their weight. Metal roofing weighs less than other types of roofing materials. This means that newly constructed homes can be designed with a lighter structure, so less building materials will be used during the construction of the home.
Metal roofing is incredibly versatile and is available in modern, traditional, and rustic styles to accentuate the architecture of your home. The colors, finishes, and profiles of standing seam and stone coated steel metal roofing allow you to truly customize your roofing system. Metal roofing is extremely attractive and durable. The beauty and benefits of metal roofing typically increase the resale value of a property and is why so many homeowners are taking the opportunity put their roofing insurance claims settlement toward a new metal roof!
At Gravity Metal Roofing we specialize in metal roofing and handle every metal roof installation with the undivided attention that it deserves. We use superior metal roofing materials and value quality craftsmanship. Most of our business is based on referrals because of our hard work and dedication to our clients. Call us at (844) 352-7663 to discuss your switch from shingles to metal. We provide investment-grade metal roofing systems that will protect and beautify your home for years to come!
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