Guys, we're on the cusp of reroofing our home and had questions regarding the roof material. We have elected to use the GAF class 4 tiles/shingles for the reroof but had a few questions for those that have used them. Did you see any discount from your insurance company because you chose this material over the basic? It's supposed to be a higher impact resistance; hence, some insurance companies will give a discount on the homeowner insurance. Did you see a discount and who was your insurance carrier?

We use State Farm but had to get lawyers involved to get them to pay out on our roof. While it's not going to cover the cost of my roof fully, it will chip in about $13,000 after I meet my deduct. The incremental cost to using these shingles over the basic ones is about $2,400. We will be selling the home sometime in the next three or four years, so we struggled a tad on whether to use the upgraded shingles or just go with the basic. My thinking is I doubt I'll get any money back for them when we sell, but we will be better protected until we sell, so hopefully I never have to go through the headache of dealing with homeowner insurance as it pertains to a roof again.

You likely won't get a discount until class 4.

ETA: Just checked State Farm's website.

Discounts

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If you use certain impact resistant roofing products, like hail resistant shingles or class 4 shingles, you may be eligible for a discount on your home insurance premiums.4 Please check with your State Farm agent before installing a new roof.

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I misremembered what it is we're putting in, but I revised my OP. It is a Class 4 roof.

I think your decision to go with class 4 is the right one.

You may not get the value back when you sell the house but it will increase your chances of being able to sell at all without giving concessions for a new roof when the buyer objects to you having installed one ply toilet paper on your roof instead of 2 ply

Thank you for your help.

Within the last year or 2, GAF Timberline HDZ shingles were classified as class 3 rating and TWIA allows a discount if you sign a cosmetic damage waiver. I think class 3 is 10% discount and class 4 is 14%.

I went with class 4 in April. Did not see a meaningful discount. It may be the right product, just expect any kind of payback in the next decade.

We actually got a discount for going with Class III through Safeco/Liberty Mutual.

When I ran the numbers the break even on additional cost going between 3 or 4 was like 7 years plus, assuming the discount stays steady over that time, so we just went with the class III that was fully covered under our replacement cost on our claim. Worth a call to your insurance just to check.

RightWingConspirator said:

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We use State Farm but had to get lawyers involved to get them to pay out on our roof. While it's not going to cover the cost of my roof fully, it will chip in about $13,000 after I meet my deduct.

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Is the $13k because you had to pay the fees for the PA and attorney? I am in the middle of the legal process right now. I was hoping I could come out close to whole on the roof replacement.

From what I have seen the additional cost of class 4 is not worth it financially unless all you ever get is small hail in your area. I have seen 1 1/2 -2 inch smoke a class 4 that was under 5 years old and the homeowners were pretty upset that it did not live up to its selling point after they spent the extra cost.
Also if you want a more durable roof stay away from GAF. Owens Corning and Certain teed have consistently held up better in hail events on roofs I have looked at and or replaced.

Because a 20 year which is now called a 25 year shingle is a 3 tab shingle that is more prone to blowing off, usually only last 10-12 years in the field before failing from heat/weather, is much more prone to impact damage and will show every framing/decking flaw in your roof when the sun hits it.

There is a reason you see 3 tab shingles on tract housing and it's not because the builder is your friend.

rlb28 said:

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With insurance companies not wanting older roofs I had a gentleman tell me the other day he was going to get a cheap, 20-year roof. Why pay a bunch for an expensive roof that insurance will want you to re-roof in 15 years anyway. Hmmm...

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To piggyback JP76….

Be aware the cost difference between 3 tab and architectural isn't that big and there is absolutely zero reason to put on an inferior product.

Also, be aware carriers, like TXFB for instance, will not insure a 3 tab shingle. Several othe carriers are beginning to do the same. You don't want to save all this money and then have your carrier punt you away 4 years in with no way to get coverage. You'll just have to eat a roof you should have put in the first time.

Just something to consider.

Also, I no longer push GAF unless it's requested. They used to take real good care of us with pricing and fixing issues but they have opted not to keep doing that rcebtly and they've stumbled a few times on dealing with issues. I almost exclusively sell Certainteed for the reasons listed above in that I believe they are a much better product and my reps are superior in dealing with issues. At number 6 in the nation for top roofing companies, we tend to take care of the manufacturers that take care of us. I don't have a tolerance for products that aren't backed and supported.

Let's say you were 40 and have determined your current house will most likely be the one you retire in. You need to replace the roof in the next couple of years, but you have this dream of it being the last time you have to do so in your lifetime. Home is in a nice older Houston neighborhood developed in the 70s with remodeled homes going for $1 million.

What are the options other than a metal roof? Europe still has great long lasting options like slate and tile. What options do we have here in the US that aren't lighting money on fire?

Metal, slate, and tile.

We went through a similar debate last year. We upgraded to impact-resistant shingles (also Class 4) mainly for peace of mind after dealing with an insurance headache, and honestly, that alone was worth it for us. Our insurer did give a small discount, but it wasn't huge, definitely not enough to fully offset the upgrade cost. Still, knowing the roof can handle hail better helped us sleep at night.

If you're planning to sell in a few years, I agree you probably won't get dollar-for-dollar back, but it can be a nice selling point.

Overall, if you can swing it, I'd lean upgrade just to avoid future headaches.

Jason_Roofer said:

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Standing seam is where it's at. It's cost effective, lasts forever, and when I have golf ball sized hail at my house, I watch it from the porch with a beer without care in the world.

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You don't get dents from the hail? That's my hold back being here in Houston.

It's a lot of money to look like crap from hail damage.

This may differ for non-coastal county homes, but TWIA requires a cosmetic waiver if you want the impact class 3 or 4 discount.

https://twico.com/assets/files/windforms/TWIC-420%2004%2015_Exclusion%20of%20Cosmetic%20Damage%20to%20Roof.pdf

AgLA06 said:

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Jason_Roofer said:

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Standing seam is where it's at. It's cost effective, lasts forever, and when I have golf ball sized hail at my house, I watch it from the porch with a beer without care in the world.

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You don't get dents from the hail? That's my hold back being here in Houston.

It's a lot of money to look like crap from hail damage.

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We got standing seam and had several minutes of baseball and softball sized hail 3 months later. You couldn't tell unless you looked really close, and even then I could only find 3-4 spots that looked like they were very small dents. We've had 1 other hail storm with golf ball sized and a few with pea sized. Still looks the same.

That's good to know.

I remember driving by a house one time with a new looking metal roof and it looked like someone had taken a shotgun to every inch of it. It stuck with me to think someone spent that much money to be stuck with a dented roof.

AgLA06 said:

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Jason_Roofer said:

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Standing seam is where it's at. It's cost effective, lasts forever, and when I have golf ball sized hail at my house, I watch it from the porch with a beer without care in the world.

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You don't get dents from the hail? That's my hold back being here in Houston.

It's a lot of money to look like crap from hail damage.

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As stated, yes, you do get some dents depending on hail size. It also depends on how your roof is constructed. If you are fully decked as most modern homes, then your roof will sustain less damage than if you have a roof like mine that is "skip decked" as it was for cedar shakes.

I'll have to get some pictures but you can only see my hail dents in perfect sun and angle conditions or if I chalk it up. The magic of standing seam is that dents don't render your roof functionally deteriorated. Dents and bruises in your asphalt shingles do, and it will begin to degradation process the moment the sun comes back out.

You mentioned Houston, and while there is some decent hail there occasionally, it is pretty rare to get baseball sized anything that would create enough damage on your standing seam to both be cosmetically and functionally an issue. A standing seam roof would be a smart long term choice, and you'd possibly pick up a IR discount from your carrier.

It also depends on your long term goals for your home. I try to ascertain these kinds of things when consulting with customers. If you are going to be in your home for 10 years or more, then I'd say it's a smart choice to go with standing seam. If you are selling in 2-5 years, well, I'd probably lean more toward asphalt. Every roof, home, family, and financial situation is different.

Here is a pretty standard Hill Country standing seam that has been through two pretty decent hail storms. These impacts would likely be golfball sized or a little bigger. Each 'dark gray' mark is generally hail spatter. It made a mark through the weathered surface but did not dent or damage in many cases.

Here is a pre-purchase inspection. First image is the roof without any markup from me....I can see the damage because I was on top of it, but in the photo, it's pretty tough to see.



Here is the same roof with a little highlighted from chalk markup so you can see the physical size of the typical dents.



And here is another area with my fat finger for scale.



From the ground, this is nearly impossible to see unless the sun is hitting the panel exactly right and you are exactly in teh right spot.

So this is why I say I don't worry much about hail on my roof...it's going to dent potentially, but its going to live through many storms...and every storm that dents this metal is a storm that would have cost me a deductible for an asphalt reroof. That's how I try to think of it.