Can someone please explain the Texas roofing contractor business model to me? Had a company come out. They walked the roof. They said damaged roof. We called our insurance company and talked to them. Then the roofing company came out to make their sales pitch for various types of shingles. They were mad that we had talked to our insurance company. WHY?

Then they wanted us to pick a type of shingle - priced on what our insurance company would pay. Well, how would we know what our insurance company would pay. And that we should pay them our deductible.

Is this normal? Obviously it has been a long time since I have had to have my roof replaced.

If you want insurance to pay, I would let them dictate the process and how you should go about things. I would not pay any contractor any amount until the insurance company clarifies how that should work.

Contractor being upset about insurance and then being pushy and asking for money up front sounds a lot like a way to lose some money and not get a new roof, imo.

I had insurance replace a roof recently.

Roofer came and looked at it and assured me it had way more hail damage than what was needed to get it replaced. Adjuster came and looked at it and and said it wasn't even close to being sufficient.
I had the roofer here when the adjuster came and the roofer convinced the adjuster to do a "brittleness test" or something like that, and the shingles were too brittle to allow repair. So the adjuster agreed to put on a new roof.

I think the roofers are heavily biased towards telling homeowners they have enough damage and need to file a claim, even if it's not actually that damaged. They basically get a free gamble that might result in a job for them, but they aren't out anything if it doesn't work out,

The roofing contract was basically for the amount of my deductible plus whatever insurance paid. And an up charge for a higher class of shingle. I think I probably overpaid there, but it looks damn good and should reduce my insurance cost significantly.

If the anyone is getting mad about something like that, I'd find someone else to do the work.

I had mine done 6 months ago. Had the roofer check it out, then had the adjuster and roofer come out together, and we all walked the roof. Adjuster agreed with roofer on replacement.

Roofing co upgraded from 3-tab to architectural for insurance settlement. Very happy with the whole process. I hear horror stories about the inscos/roofers due to my line of work.

I recommend Jason Duke with Infinity Roofing if you're in his service area, which is basically San Antonio to Austin and over to Houston. Jason is a sponsor on TexAgs.

Easy to work with and he was more than willing to meet the adjuster on-site so they walked the roof together. My roof was replaced last year after a hail storm, the initial estimate was about $20k, but when materials shipped, it was closer to $30k because of price increases. Jason worked with my adjuster to get the price squared away and I wasn't out of pocket any additional money beisdes my deductible.

I definitely want the adjuster and roofer there together. If the adjuster is going to decline to replace with the roofer there trying to justify why it should be replaced, he's sure as hell going to decline if he's by himself.

motherrunnersBCS said:

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Can someone please explain the Texas roofing contractor business model to me? Had a company come out. They walked the roof. They said damaged roof. We called our insurance company and talked to them. Then the roofing company came out to make their sales pitch for various types of shingles. They were mad that we had talked to our insurance company. WHY?

Then they wanted us to pick a type of shingle - priced on what our insurance company would pay. Well, how would we know what our insurance company would pay. And that we should pay them our deductible.

Is this normal? Obviously it has been a long time since I have had to have my roof replaced.

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Sorry this is long winded…

First things first….DO NOT PAY THAT ROOFER UP FRONT FOR ANYTHING. More on this later in the post.

The whole story seems a bit unorthodox and strange to me but I may not fully understand where you are in the process. I am going to assume the following:

1.) Your roofer estabished there is damage
2.) You made a claim
3.) The adjuster has NOT been out to inspect the roof and you DO NOT have an approved roof replacement from the carrier yet.

If so.....

First, I don't know why they would be upset over you calling insurance first other than the fact that you may have had damage but perhaps not as much as they would have liked and they want to control all of the narrative. Therefore, it's possible your roofer was worried about something you could have told the carrier that the roofer couldn't walk back. It's weird, but maybe. The people on the phone aren't adjusters, they are just taking the call and have no bearing on your claim other than scheduling an adjuster. Otherwise, I don't know why they would have been mad. 9/10 times your roofer can't make the claim. The insured has to do it. I have made it on behalf of customers but I'd say that's a 1-2% likelihood. It's not happening with Allstate or State Farm.

Second, there is no picking a shingle BEFORE you have an approved claim. Why would you? There is no way a roofer can possibly know that roof will be approved before it's approved. He may have a good feeling, but he doesn't know for sure. Also, there is no "picking shingles that fit in the claim". Part of his job is to look at the final scope the insurance approves and make sure it's appropriate. For me, that means, did they pay enough to put the roof back like it was with a top brand shingle of like kind. If the answer is 'no', then I need to figure out why. Maybe they underpaid, and if so, then I need to 'work' the claim a little and see if I can get it beefed up by making sure they have covered all bits and pieces so I can install a quality shingle properly. I am not folding up and just taking what they give and then picking a crappy shingle to fit. If someone t-boned you in your truck and insurance gave you 500 bucks, and the body shop said "gosh, I guess we'll just grab some spray paint and just do the best we can in the budget" would that be alright with you? Me neither. That's not exactly the best thing for the customer.

Third, there is zero legitimate reason the roofer should be asking for any money prior to job completion. Maybe legit small companies could ask for a little to get going, but that shouldn't be happening without an approved scope of work from insurance and a contract. Just don't. A decent and experienced company should be able to bankroll that job until the last nail is put in and then collect the deductible and first check from insurance. If this is all confusing, please don't hesitate to call. They are essentially asking for money they don't know you will get and you certainly don't have it yet. That's not right.

It doesn't matter where you are in the state, it all works about the same and I'm happy to answer questions if you want to give a call. No strings attached, regardless of which company you choose. There are many good companies but I've seen a lot of shady stuff from not great companies and it can all be prevented.

The way you have laid it out seems fishy to me.

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I think the roofers are heavily biased towards telling homeowners they have enough damage and need to file a claim, even if it's not actually that damaged. They basically get a free gamble that might result in a job for them, but they aren't out anything if it doesn't work out,

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This is 100% true and how roofers leave homeowners in a mess. They tell 10 people they need a new roof, all 10 make claims, 4 pan out, the rest are left with repairs that MUST be made and are under the deductible, or at best a frustrated homeowner. I always give a homeowner the honest answer up front. Maybe really good chance of being paid for, maybe it's iffy, maybe it's a long shot, but I don't know their finances so they need the information to make a good decision.

Also, thank you DSVOGEL05, I appreciate the kind words. It means a lot to me.

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Jason worked with my adjuster to get the price squared away and I wasn't out of pocket any additional money beisdes my deductible.

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Please listen to Jason, and same comment here for my project from last year. I was unsure of the process and Jason came in and got me squared away...There are still some outstanding charges on my invoice but Jason and crew are handling it with USAA for me.

Agree with Jason above as well. There should be a sticky for dealing with insurance claims from hail damage.

They should be talking about what you have, how old the roof is, any other damage you may have to fascia, vents, etc, maybe a coat of paint. If they mention deductible to me, they get to turn around and walk away. If I say it did not hail much here and my deductible is large and they reply they can work me on deductible, I let them know the Texas Department of Insurance would be interested in their marketing pitch.

Don't just vet the roofing company, vet the crew or at least the foreman who will oversee the work. And as others have said, no money up front.

Heck, I would just tell them you will buy the shingles on your own. If they claim they get a better price, then that should indicate they have volume and do not need upfront. If they say they cannot float it, then they are not big enough to get any price better than you.

We finally broke down after doing all this since 1980 and called Josh Schulte & co.
They did all the calling, then offered options that included insurance deductions, even metal!
Never has it been done better, I think they overdid somethings like the angels they are.