Storm damage. We handle the paperwork.

Storm damage. We handle the paperwork.

Storm and hail damage is a big chunk of what we do. Insurance claims roofing is its own subdiscipline. There’s a process to document the damage, file the claim correctly, meet the adjuster on the roof, agree on scope, and execute the work to spec. We’ve done it enough times that we can carry most of the load for the homeowner.

Step one is a free in-person inspection. We climb the roof, document hail strikes per square (industry standard for adjusters is 8+ functional hail strikes per 100 square feet to qualify), photograph wind damage, soft metals, and any collateral damage to siding, gutters, or window screens that supports the claim. You get a full report.

You file the claim with your insurance company. We meet the adjuster on the roof, walk through the damage, and reach agreement on scope. We then execute the approved work, manage the supplements if the adjuster missed line items, and close the claim. Most homeowners never climb a ladder during the process.

The claim timeline and what it actually pays.

Most homeowners have never filed a roof claim and have no idea what to expect, so here’s the honest version. From the day you call your insurance company to the day you have a new roof on the house usually runs three to six weeks, sometimes longer in a busy storm season when adjusters are backed up. The company schedules an adjuster to come out, the adjuster writes up the approved scope, the first payment goes out, the work gets done, and the final payment follows once the job is verified complete. It’s not instant, but it moves steadily once the claim is filed, and we keep it moving by handling the documentation and the back-and-forth that tends to stall claims out.

What the policy pays comes down to two letters most people have never heard: ACV and RCV. An RCV policy, replacement cost value, pays to replace the roof at today’s prices. It does it in two checks: the first covers the work minus a depreciation holdback, and the second, the recoverable depreciation, is released once the work is finished and the company confirms it. An ACV policy, actual cash value, only pays the depreciated value of the old roof and never releases that second check, which means a bigger out-of-pocket cost for you. Either way you owe your deductible. We read your scope sheet with you so you know exactly what’s covered, what the holdback is, and what your real cost looks like before any work starts. No surprises at the end.

The adjuster walk is where having a roofer present earns its keep. Adjusters are trained to keep the approved scope tight, and that’s their job, but it means real damage gets missed when no one’s there to point it out. A bruised shingle where a hailstone broke the seal often doesn’t look like much to an untrained eye, and damaged soft metals, dented vents, and collateral on gutters and screens get overlooked. We’ve walked enough adjuster inspections to know what qualifies and how to show it, so the damage that’s actually there ends up in the scope instead of getting written off. That difference can be the gap between a patch job and a full approved replacement.

The mistakes homeowners make going it alone are predictable. They accept the first scope without question, even when it’s missing line items the policy would cover. They miss the supplement window, the chance to get overlooked work added after the adjuster’s first pass. They hire a storm-chaser who disappears before the final inspection, leaving the recoverable depreciation unclaimed. And they sometimes file on damage too minor to clear the deductible, which puts a claim on their record for nothing. Having a local contractor who’s still going to be here next year walk it with you keeps you out of all four traps.

One thing we want every SW Missouri homeowner to understand: a contractor cannot legally promise to waive or eat your deductible, and anyone who does is bending the rules in a way that can come back on you. The deductible is your share of the loss, and it’s owed. What we will do is be straight with you about whether your damage clears the deductible in the first place, because there’s no point filing a claim that pays out less than what you’d owe. We’ve turned plenty of homeowners away from filing when the hail was light and the smarter move was to wait for the next event that does real damage. That kind of honesty is the whole reason people send their neighbors to us after a storm rolls through Polk, Cedar, and St. Clair Counties.