Questions about roof replacement and insurance

[COcheesehead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 If you get a hail storm then there is nothing wrong with calling the insurance company and having them look at it. A new roof is worth at least a decade of increased premiums. If you can legitimately get a free roof then there is no reason not to.

Yes, what’s you describe is an insurable event. The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead Yes, what’s you describe is an insurable event. The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

Yeah, just normal wear and tear in obviously not covered. I guess there is a fine line what counts as an "event" but I would expect a strong wind or hail storm to always count towards a new roof. Normal wear from sun and time is not covered.

[SecondCor521]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

As the OP, I disagree with your characterization.

I started this thread as an inexperienced person asking sincere questions about how homeowner's insurance worked with respect to roof replacements amid conflicting advice from multiple roofing companies.

The only quote for a roof which I have solicited was from the reputable company. The less reputable companies all approached me as they were replacing my neighbors' roofs last summer.

[badatmath]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredAndLovingIt That I knew for sure but I was worrying about it being replaced and then rotting again over time. It's a little weird wooden area that the painters always miss when the eaves get painted. You have to actually get on the roof and walk to this area to paint it so improving it has always been on my mind. I simply never thought about it being replaced with a different material that should last forever. Now I just need to figure out what to do to keep the birds from getting under the tile, nesting and tearing up the felt. Some people nail screening over the edge but that looks like crap. Any ideas?

I'm told in AZ it is code for them to do some sort of bird screens on new roofs now. I have the same tile thing going on and need to replace in the next year or so. Supposedly they use longer lasting felt now too, code has been updated to require it.

[misanman]

Might be a long shot but you might want to check to see if there are any lawsuits related to the brand of shingles that you have. The roof on our house started to fail and I think I was just doing an internet search to check for solutions and I found that the brand/model of shingle we had been shown to be defective and we were able to file a claim and get a pro-rated amount toward a new roof. Eighteen years almost seems like early failure to me.

[COcheesehead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 As the OP, I disagree with your characterization. I started this thread as an inexperienced person asking sincere questions about how homeowner's insurance worked with respect to roof replacements amid conflicting advice from multiple roofing companies. The only quote for a roof which I have solicited was from the reputable company. The less reputable companies all approached me as they were replacing my neighbors' roofs last summer.

Posts 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 17 etc interpreted your question the same as I did whether you intended it or not, that is how it appeared.

[d.davis]

When I had my roof replaced about 10 years ago it was quite old but my insurance was full replacement cost not depreciated replacement cost. Shortly after, my insurance company stopped writing full replacement cost policies so there's that.

The good news is I paid 10% more above the insurance payout to upgrade to hail/wind resistant shingles - they refer to them as 50-year shingles. My state insurance department requires my insurance company give a discount for having hail/wind resistant shingles and that discount paid back my additional cost in 3 years. The discount is has increased each year and it's not insignificant.
I don't believe they're hurricane resistant (only a110mph rating) so may not be a good choice for coastal houses but worth considering inland.

[SecondCor521]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead Posts 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 17 etc interpreted your question the same as I did whether you intended it or not, that is how it appeared.

Those posts you cited (with the possible exception of a portion of #8) all talked about unethical business practices on the part of the contractors.

You so far are the only one who has accused me personally of unethical behavior, a characterization with which I will continue to disagree.

I don't really buy into arguments by assertion. But I suspect you won't let it go, so I will let you have the last word if you want it.

[COcheesehead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 Those posts you cited (with the possible exception of a portion of #8) all talked about unethical business practices on the part of the contractors. You so far are the only one who has accused me personally of unethical behavior, a characterization with which I will continue to disagree. I don't really buy into arguments by assertion. But I suspect you won't let it go, so I will let you have the last word if you want it.

I summarized your first post as being about replacement for wear and tear and dealing with dubious contractors.You are making it now out to be a personal attack which I did not do.

[SecondCor521]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead I summarized your first post as being about replacement for wear and tear and dealing with dubious contractors.You are making it now out to be a personal attack which I did not do.

I must have misread your post #41; I apologize for misunderstanding you.

[Exchme]

We had sketchy looking roofing company reps come by saying that with the recent hail storm, we no doubt have roof damage, so just let them up on the roof and they will get it approved with the insurance company.

I told them we didn't have any hail, (we have an old roof so were very attentive, hoping for some) so see you later and have a nice day.

A few minutes later, back they come to tell me that the insurance company (they don't know who we have) had reports of hail in our area and they were sure they could make it happen!

Imagine starting a transaction with an attempt to commit fraud on the insurance company, is there any doubt they would try to pull something over on us too?

[Another Reader]

When I was first buying rentals in Arizona, I bought a house on a cul de sac. The comp shingle roof was not new, but was not in need of replacement. A couple of years later, there was a localized hail and wind event, almost like a mini tornado, and the other owners on the cul de sac replaced their roofs. Not being familiar with the level of damage that could be caused by these storms, I called the insurance company and asked them to inspect the roof. Turned out, a lot of nails were loosened and some shingles were torn. Water had started to seep in because there were problems with loosened underlayment. They replaced the roof and I paid the deductible.

The key is that I called the insurance company, told them about the storm, which is fairly common there, and let them decide. They realized not replacing the roof would lead to even more damage and decided to replace it.

[ncbill]

+1

Now for some lighter roof tales:

Last roof leak I had was caused by...a squirrel.

Sucker had chewed through the OSB/plywood/whatever to get into my attic.

Roofer our HOA uses waited until it was a nice, sunny day so hopefully Mr. Squirrel had gone outside & then used metal mesh & caulk to close the hole.

Next roof replacement I got to see the roofers cut a piece to replace that chewed-up (chewed-on?) section.

The 1920s house where i lived when young had a slate roof which apparently requires a steep pitch to properly shed rain.

And those slates were as slick as greased glass with any moisture, even the morning dew, so it was tough to find people willing to work on it.

But work was needed, regularly, since the original nails were iron which corroded over the decades, so on a regular basis a slate would slide free and fall three stories to shatter on the ground below.

So most of the original roof has probably been replaced by now, though not by any of the homeowners' choice.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcheesehead ... The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 Hi all, I own a house with, unsurprisingly, a roof. The house and roof are both 18 years old. The roof is standard 3-tab 20-year asphalt shingles. I have home insurance through USAA. I have accurately informed them of the age and type of roof I have on my home. I assume they take that information into account when setting my premium. The roof is largely intact, but the shingles themselves are getting increasingly brittle and a number of individual shingle tabs have broken off in recent windy situations. I am not yet at the point of worrying about leaks, but I can tell the clock is ticking for me to do something. I have had several roofing companies tell me they can replace my roof for just my deductible, and that they would work with my insurance company inspector to make that happen. There have been several data points of this ilk, but all were from companies that seemed of questionable repute. The most recent roofing company I spoke with, who seemed reputable, said pretty much the opposite: that I should work with my insurance company myself, for them to do so is a conflict of interest, and that getting insurance to cover a roof replacement in my situation never happens. I really don't know what to believe, although I guess a good reputation should probably outweigh multiple data points. Questions: 1. Is my USAA homeowner insurance premium intended to cover both unexpected roof replacements (such as a hail storm on a 1 year old roof) and expected roof replacements (such as my 18 year old roof that has just worn out)? Or just the unexpected ones? 2. Am I giving away anything by calling USAA and discussing the situation with them? If so, what am I giving away? 3. If USAA will pay for a new roof, are they going to increase my premium because I am no longer "claims free"? (I've had homeowner's with them on multiple properties off and on for 30 years with zero claims.) Basically, I need to know between the two paths of (A) going through insurance where I pay just my deductible, or (B) paying out of pocket where I pay the whole thing, or (C) some path in the middle. Obviously this might affect the roof product I choose and how price sensitive I am. The reputable company gave me a quote of $12K, FWIW. Thanks.

I didn't read the OP as trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans at all. In fact, the opposite.

The OP talked with some companies that told him that they could replace the roof for just his deductible but was uncomfortable with them and that seemed of questionable repute. The roofing comany that said getting insurance to cover a roof replacement in my situation never happens was characterized as reputable.

Then the OP just asked some questions to understand how this stuff works in practice and where the boundaries are.

[d.davis]

We had hail, half dollar size and larger, on our 3 tab 15yo roof. Called the insurance company and they denied the claim. Their inspector said there was no hail damage.
Since the roof was leaking after the hail (ceiling water damage) I got three estimates assuming I was buying a new roof. Two of the roofers said my insurance company should be paying for it because of hail damage. I asked them to show me. The first one drew lines 10ft x 10ft then began circling the hail impact points on the west side. The second company did the same on the east side.
I called my insurance company with my new data points and they sent out a different inspector who admitted the hail claim was valid as he walked around the chalked areas.

Quite disgusted with my insurance company after that. Been with them over 30 years and that was our only claim. They are not the company they were 30 years ago.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.davis Quite disgusted with my insurance company after that. Been with them over 30 years and that was our only claim. They are not the company they were 30 years ago.

I really expected that last line to read, "They are no longer my insurance company."

[jazz4cash]

We have used a local company that offers “roof tune-ups” for $150-200. They inspect, re-nail shingles, reseal flashing, etc with before and after pics. We called them out when our roof was about 15 and 18 yrs old. At 18 yrs they recommended replacement of the rubber boots on the plumbing vents which cost $75 extra. They said our roof still had a few years of life but we got hail damage 2 years later. There was never a hard sell. In fact I was not even aware they did roof replacement and they were booked solid when we had the hail damage.

[Irishgirlyc58]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazz4cash We have used a local company that offers “roof tune-ups” for $150-200. They inspect, re-nail shingles, reseal flashing, etc with before and after pics. We called them out when our roof was about 15 and 18 yrs old. At 18 yrs they recommended replacement of the rubber boots on the plumbing vents which cost $75 extra. They said our roof still had a few years of life but we got hail damage 2 years later. There was never a hard sell. In fact I was not even aware they did roof replacement and they were booked solid when we had the hail damage.

This seems like a great idea.
Not knowing anything about roofing except having paid for one once, it would seem that this would be a great way for a company to train newer employees.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exchme Imagine starting a transaction with an attempt to commit fraud on the insurance company, is there any doubt they would try to pull something over on us too?

Exactly! That's how I felt and why I didn't go that route.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.davis We had hail, half dollar size and larger, on our 3 tab 15yo roof. Called the insurance company and they denied the claim. Their inspector said there was no hail damage. Since the roof was leaking after the hail (ceiling water damage) I got three estimates assuming I was buying a new roof. Two of the roofers said my insurance company should be paying for it because of hail damage. I asked them to show me. The first one drew lines 10ft x 10ft then began circling the hail impact points on the west side. The second company did the same on the east side. I called my insurance company with my new data points and they sent out a different inspector who admitted the hail claim was valid as he walked around the chalked areas. Quite disgusted with my insurance company after that. Been with them over 30 years and that was our only claim. They are not the company they were 30 years ago.

Half dollar size, now that can cause damage. That's a real hailstorm and worthy of a claim.