Anyone had hail damaged roof??

[Jerry Olexa]

A few weeks ago, our area was hit by a severe hail storm and much damage ensued. Many homes in the area have already been re-roofed and others are approved for the work . Unfortunately, in my case, an adjuster was sent to my home to survey the damage. He approved: repairs on my garage doors (deep dents in the wood), window screens and plant damage But he saw no roof damage!! I protested and he agreed to have it relooked by an independent consulting firm/engineer. My agency later informed me that I should go ahead and get bids for the roof repair. Since then, I have had several licensed contractors inspect the roof and each has certified the hail damage in writing. My meeting w the engineer is next week and I plan to ask one of the contractors to accompany me to help identify the roof damages .Any of you experienced anything like this?? Am I on the right track? The roof replacement cost is considerable. I've been with this insurance company about 25 years (both home and cars) and have never had a claim till this. Amazing how you are viewed differently when a claim is submitted...LMK your thoughts/ideas... This is an important meeting..Thanks

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jerry......I have been with the same insurance company (autos and house)since 1976 though at times I thought they were more expensive than other companies based on what friends told me they were paying for similar coverages. I have submitted very few claims during that period of time. I've been with my local agent since 1983. Though we had a rocky initial meeting....me over the phone in anger.....We've since become friends and occasionally elk hunt, fish and camp together. The one or two times I've submitted a claim it was on his recommendation that I do so as I was ignorant to the fact that my insurance covered an incident and just mentioned it to him in passing. I'd be talking with you agent. Let him or her know that you've gotten several estimates and written roof replacement recommendations from contractors. The agent sees the benefit of your insurance premiums.....the adjuster doesn't directly see those payments. If the independent firm is truly independent I suspect they'll agree with the other contractors. Let us know how things go! Good luck!

[Joe Mioux]

Jerry:

Stand your ground. Insurance companies negotiate. I have had a couple claims over the past 20 years, one hail damage to a roof and the other a stolen car.

My roof damage occured in 1996, the roof was 18 years old, the adjuster approved the new roof. My car, which is actually more pertinent to your situation, was an '82 Cutlass stolen in '84, insurance wanted to give me $1000 less than replacement, we negotiated and I got a fair settlement.

If you have authoritative backup for your position, the ins co will negotiate.

BTW, my house was with SF and my car was with CC. Being from Illinois, I think you know these two companies which are headquarted in Bloomington.

Joe

[Dennis Peacock]

Jerry,

I too have been through the same kind of thing when we lived in Alabama. Hail damage to a roof is something you don't want to let alone. You may need to talk to your agent about it...again if necessary as well as standing your ground. There's no rhymn or reason whey all other roofs get replaced all around you and you are the only one not getting replaced. Stand firm!!!

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I had hail damage to a 17 year old roof in '89. Insurance paid for tear off and new roof. They dropped me at the next renewal date--they stopped homeowners coverage in Indiana at that time (really big hail storm caused millions in damages). I used one of the roofers suggested by the adjuster. Roofer said it would be $450 more than the adjuster approved. One call to my agent and the money was approved. I have been with one agency since '77, but with 3 or 4 different companies. Contact your agent and ask they be at the inspection. If my agent didn't work for me, I'd find a new one.

[Ken Garlock]

OK gents, help me out.

What constitutes hail damage?

How do I know if I have it?

Is it or is it not cosmetic damage?

It seems to me that if you get damage on a roof from hail, less than a baseball in size, you probably have a cheap roof to start with.

I have owned 2 homes in Ohio and two In Texas. I don't think I would know it if I saw it.

Where am I going wrong?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

What I had was much more than cosmetic damage. Shingles were broken and/or had dents which were deep enough to cause a break in the surface of the shingle. My gutters were not damaged. My next door neighbor, about 150 feet to the north, had gutters that looked like dimples on golf balls and no roof damage. My gutters were heavy gauge al. while his were very thin.

[Ray Thompson]

OK gents, help me out.

What constitutes hail damage?
Dented to the point of breakage to shingles. Sometimes not even dented but scouring the aggregate off.

How do I know if I have it?
You need an experienced eye to evaluate possible damage.

Is it or is it not cosmetic damage?
Not necessarily, most times you cannot see any damage from the ground.

It seems to me that if you get damage on a roof from hail, less than a baseball in size, you probably have a cheap roof to start with.
Nope, hail is non-discriminatory, it gets cheap and expensive.

I have owned 2 homes in Ohio and two In Texas. I don't think I would know it if I saw it.
I wouldn't either but an experienced roofer will know. (My Amish guys have taught me a lot)

Where am I going wrong?

Moving from the midwest to the south

The problem with roofing is that most homeowners know very little about what constitutes roofing damage, that is where the scam artists come in and blow a little smoke and make off with your hard earned money.

Ray

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I had my roof replaced about fifteen years ago. I didn't know I had hail damage because I have an old two story Victorian with a steep roof. I can't remember what brought it to my attention, but the insurance company didn't blink an eye. They just told me to have it replaced. I did pay the extra for upgraded shingles.

[Jerry Olexa]

What constitutes hail damage on a roof is almost a science. I really had trouble dealing w it and evaluating it. I learned that they can be granules in your gutters, dimpled soft metal (vents, flashings as well as downspouts), the telltale "hits" on the shingles where the hail hits and partially penetrates, broken seals on your skylights, impact on your A/C units, fins, blades as well as just simple damage anywhere like garage doors, window screens, windows, trim etc etc. I thought I knew a little about construction and had some common sense (not much) but it doesn't help you w hail damage! My particular adjuster may have been a generalist and like most people, not have a knowledge of roof hail etc. Anyway we shall see.....Thanks already for your thoughts and inputs. I need to learn a lot before the big meeting next week. Thanks Guys...

[Jerry Olexa]

[QUOTE=Ken Garlock]OK gents, help me out.


It seems to me that if you get damage on a roof from hail, less than a baseball in size, you probably have a cheap roof to start with.

Ken, not necessarily. I have 30 yr architectural grade shingles and the hail was lot less than a baseball but I have damage. You really need to get up on the roof to spot the hits accurately. I'll try to get you a picture. It also depends on the wind and the velocity of the hail (they tell me). Without this storm, I would've had at least 10 more years of shingle life.

[Ken Garlock]

Yes, Jerry, I would like to see some pictures of the damage if you get an opportunity and do not endanger your self getting them.

As an aside, when we built in 2002 I had Malarkey 50 year shingles put on. They are qualified as level 4 wind resistance, and type 1 fire resistant. (I think it got the right, anyway it is the top rating in each category.) My insurance company, USAA, gave me a 30% discount on my home owner insurance because of the top-of-the-line roofing. In turn, I had to sign a waver stating I agreed that they would not cover cosmetic damage.

So, in view of the above, I was curious to know what hail damage amounted to, and if I had given up too much with the waver. For $600 a year, I stand a lot of cosmetic damage.

[Mike Forsman]

OK gents, help me out.

What constitutes hail damage?

How do I know if I have it?

Is it or is it not cosmetic damage?

It seems to me that if you get damage on a roof from hail, less than a baseball in size, you probably have a cheap roof to start with.

I have owned 2 homes in Ohio and two In Texas. I don't think I would know it if I saw it.

Where am I going wrong?

Ken,

I live near you in the Sachse/Wylie area. About 2 years ago, we had a hail storm come through. The hail from this storm was bigger than an quarter size but smaller than golf ball size. The result from this as a total of the roof on my home which had 30 year shingles (home was only 1 year old at the time). We also had damage to gutters, fence, 4 broken windows, 10 damaged screens, and very large dents in 3 cars. It was not a roofing company that determined the damage, but the insurance adjuster. While I had trouble spotting the damage, the adjuster had no trouble pointing out what was damaged.

Jerry,

Continue to work this. Sometimes a call or letter to the insurance agent can help.

[Jerry Olexa]

Ken,

I live near you in the Sachse/Wylie area. About 2 years ago, we had a hail storm come through. The hail from this storm was bigger than an quarter size but smaller than golf ball size. The result from this as a total of the roof on my home which had 30 year shingles (home was only 1 year old at the time). We also had damage to gutters, fence, 4 broken windows, 10 damaged screens, and very large dents in 3 cars. It was not a roofing company that determined the damage, but the insurance adjuster. While I had trouble spotting the damage, the adjuster had no trouble pointing out what was damaged.

Jerry,

Continue to work this. Sometimes a call or letter to the insurance agent can help.

Mike, sounds like you had a "good" adjuster. I've already talked with the agency and they are helping. They told me to go ahead and get bids on the roof. We'll see. Thanks Jerry

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Jerry,

If you have that many bids that say that there is hail damage, you should have pretty good luck with your claim. I have repaired hail damaged roofs, it can be a REAL pain to replace only the shingles that are damaged