Like generator discussions, we have a lot of home contractor threads popping up, and before I add another, I thought I would make a consolidated one.

We just heard back from our home insurer (Progressive), and their estimate of repairs is laughable. I am going to need to gather quotes for repairs from contractors, maybe even go the independent adjuster route. I knew it would be borderline whether the claim exceeded the deductible, but it feels a bit like they just spit in my face.

Here are the damages we are dealing with, with my educated guess of repair/insurance estimate of repair:

• Roof. Shingles ripped off on edges and some middle sections of roof, I counted a couple dozen on the ground ($20000/$2000)
• Shared Cedar Fence. 260' of 6' + 40' 8' destroyed ($5500/$4000)
• Patio. 500 sqft flag stone patio partially destroyed in tree fall ($5000/$0)
• Cut up and haul off $3' diameter oak tree that glanced off house and shed ($5000/$600)
• Water damage to downstairs and upstairs ($4000+/$2000)
• Shed truss cracked and metal roof mangled where hit by tree ($1000/$37)
• 30' gutter run destroyed where tree hit second story, left scratches/gouge marks on 15 panels of painted Hardie ($2000/$500)
• Replace broken 50A electrical receptacle torn from house in tree fall ($300/$0)

Any one have some good general contractors to recommend for these trades? I'm already talking with roofers.

TL;DR: Anyone got recommendations on contractors for:
tree removal
interior water damage remediation

Is your fence estimate half the actual cost assuming split with a neighbor? $30 a foot is close to going rate which would be close to double your estimate.

I think you're underestimating the cost of your flagstone path. We had to replace a short flagstone path that was damaged by an uprooted tree. It was INSANELY expensive. I want to say like $8000.

When it comes to insurance, get quotes from places you know will be expensive. We had ABC quote us tree removal and flagstone path repair. We submitted the highest quotes to insurance, but then went with cheaper options.

My husband (class of 09) is a roofer in Houston that can handle those trades. He can also check that your insurance actually paid you what they were supposed to.

Aggie71013 said:

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Is your fence estimate half the actual cost assuming split with a neighbor? $30 a foot is close to going rate which would be close to double your estimate.

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Yeah, that was the shared cost. It's at least in the ballpark.

AJ02 said:

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I think you're underestimating the cost of your flagstone path. We had to replace a short flagstone path that was damaged by an uprooted tree. It was INSANELY expensive. I want to say like $8000.

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Good to know. I've had trouble getting estimates for flagstone replacement (two I spoke to tried to sell me on stamped concrete instead) but I will make some more calls.

I'm already in contact with someone from Holden (Lance) for a quote but appreciate it.

Wow. Those estimates are insane.

Is your roof a total loss? Because I got approved for a new roof right before the storm, thanks to all the hail storms we've had the past year. The RCV is right at $28k and the ACV is over $19k. House is 2300 sq ft.

I'm an owner of a roofing company (sounds like you've got that taken care of), and we do work with a great attorney who specializes in fighting insurance companies on home damage claims. He bills the insurance company so there is never any cost to the homeowner. He just got one of our customers 3x the original amount from their insurance adjuster. Happy to pass his info along to you or anyone else in a similar situation as you getting screwed by insurance. Feel free to shoot me a DM

I also have a great framing guy who has done a lot of repairs for us

TXTransplant said:

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Is your roof a total loss? Because I got approved for a new roof right before the storm, thanks to all the hail storms we've had the past year. The RCV is right at $28k and the ACV is over $19k. House is 2300 sq ft.

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In my mind it is. Insurance claims it can be repaired for $2k, which is an unbelievable lie from my perspective.

I think I've discussed this at some point over the past several years but don't get hung up on your insurance estimates. If insurance estimates 2,000 and the actually cost from a reputable person is 4,000, then that's the cost and that's what your insurance will pay. The Company you select should be handling all of this for you and not just leaving you to figure it out on your own.

I use my truck body work as a frequent example. Dude backed into my tailgate. Insurance says "their guy" will fix it for 875 and that's the "insurance price". I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR GUY. I use my guy. At mother Ford's body shop. That guy charges 3400 and that's who repaired it and that's who sent in the bill and that's what insurance paid for. It's my truck and I'll be the one selecting the best contractor based on quality not price. My price is set at 500 because of my deductible. I couldn't care less about what insurance has to pay for it.


Now, for many of these Houston roofs, repairs are under deductibles, so that's a slightly different situation but if you have several trades involved then you'll probably exceed the deductible anyway so the above example is again relevant. Most repairs I've done to date from Katy to Kingwood have ranged from 500-7,000 with most being under 5,000. Once you get past that damage is usually excessive.

Just something else to know if you are navigating claims and repairs.

I'm sure every mortgage co is different, but mine treats claims differently depending on the $ amount.

Anything under $40k, I send the claims check to them, they sign it over to me, send it back, and we all move on.

Anything $40k and over, they hold the funds in escrow and start monitoring/inspecting the repairs as they progress, doling payment out as they see fit. If you are working with multiple contractors for various different repairs that all fall under one claim, this seems like a big headache.

That's how ours works as well. We had two separate claims last year, each for just under $40k. Which was great, because there were things we could do ourselves to save money, or insurance maybe agreed to pay $27k for a new roof and we found a company to do it for $19k. So we were able to keep that difference.

How is the mortgage company informed? I know my policy is on file with them, but I don't escrow and pay for insurance out of pocket. Does the insurer reach out to the mortgage company proactively?

Aggie71013 said:

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How is the mortgage company informed? I know my policy is on file with them, but I don't escrow and pay for insurance out of pocket. Does the insurer reach out to the mortgage company proactively?

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The insurance company knows you have a mortgage and they write the check out to both you and the mortgage company. So you can't cash it without their endorsement. That's why I have to mail the check to them and they have to mail it back.

Before I mailed the check, I had to call my mortgage company. They opened a case file, I provided some basic information, and there is a way I can track progress online.

I guess it's bow the mortgage company protects their asset but this sounds unnecessarily complicated.

I was expecting it, but I completely agree.

At the very least there should be some electronic way for them to endorse the check over to me rather than having to snail mail it. I can deposit checks electronically.

Cost me $90 in UPS fees to send it 2-day both ways with a service I trust.

Aggie71013 said:

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How is the mortgage company informed? I know my policy is on file with them, but I don't escrow and pay for insurance out of pocket. Does the insurer reach out to the mortgage company proactively?

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Generally the mortgage company is going to want to be listed as Mortgagee on your insurance policy. If so, the insurance company is going to cut a joint check.

Anybody know a combined roofing and siding company? Had some shingles come off on the ridges in multiple places and some aluminum fascia on peaked part of the roof line.

My husband, class of 09, can handle roofing and siding

First fence estimate came in yesterday:

- Treated pine - $30/lf
- Cedar - $34/lf

3 years ago, I had a quote for this same section for $24/lf (cedar)...the neighbor couldn't go in on it then...now we'll be paying more.

If you havnt gotten anyone yet, you can give me a shout and I'll get you set up with one of my contacts. He can handle both of those.