Our roof is nearing the end of its lifespan (insurance, new house)

[riaelise]

Ugh. Guess we knew about this going in, as the house is 30 years young; however, we were hoping to get five more years out of it. It is original.

Given the mass cost associated with the replacement, one of my contractors has put me in touch with roofing companies that almost always seem to specialize in filing insurance claims. He says wait until the next big storm. We've never filed a claim in all our years as owners. The roofing companies make the process seem relatively simple, with minimal cost to the owner. Of course, I'm skeptical. While stringing up lights, a contractor took pictures of our roof and noticed hail damage from past storms, inadequate repairs by prior owners, and erosion of the shingles so that the fiberglass is exposed. Thankfully there's no interior leakage, but that doesn't mean that the roof isn't failing. We'll need to address it this year.

My question is, if I file a claim with a 30 year old roof, is it likely that I'll be successful? I don't want to waste time and get my hopes up that we'll receive *some* assistance with this massive cost. Also what is the going price for a new roof system with gutters? The current one is pretty dang good, it's supposedly 25 years but it's 30 and technically still hanging in there. I'd probably need to also add new gutters on both stories. Cost is a factor but I don't want to cheap out too much with this house because it's a nice house, outfitted with nice things.

[Trainwreck20]

How is your homeowner's insurance deductible set up? Is it one percent of the home value? Or is it the 'older' $500 or $1,000 flat deductible? Some newer policies offer lower premiums with a two percent deductible. If it is a two percent one, then it is less critical (usually) that you get it covered, as your deductible may be a large portion of the cost.

And, although I sometimes hate it, the roofers definitely are the pros at getting a roof covered under insurance. The company we last used a few years ago is hated by many people due to their somewhat aggressive approach in trying to get you to use them, but others love them for their effectiveness in getting insurance to cover it. We did have hail damage, which was likely the result of multiple hail storms over the years; however, the guy put in our address in his tablet and said "oh, this MUST have been the storm from April 22, 20xx. It was really bad here between 2:00 and 4:00 pm!" and then used that in filing the claim. The also add a bunch of 'upgrades' to the construction order - higher quality felt, ridge-vent replacement/upgrade, etc. but specify in the contract that they will only charge for those items if the insurance company approves them. In short, you get the upgrades but will not pay for them. I think they just wear the insurance companies down, which is fine by me as I have still paid in WAY more than I have ever gotten out of insurance.

Anyway, these contractors have plenty of experience of looking at a roof and knowing what any given insurance company will pay for. And they know that most people won't go for a big-name roofing company unless insurance covers it, so they will work for it if they have to.

PM if you want the name (you likely have it).

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Ugh. Guess we knew about this going in, as the house is 30 years young; however, we were hoping to get five more years out of it. It is original.

Given the mass cost associated with the replacement, one of my contractors has put me in touch with roofing companies that almost always seem to specialize in filing insurance claims. He says wait until the next big storm. We've never filed a claim in all our years as owners. The roofing companies make the process seem relatively simple, with minimal cost to the owner. Of course, I'm skeptical. While stringing up lights, a contractor took pictures of our roof and noticed hail damage from past storms, inadequate repairs by prior owners, and erosion of the shingles so that the fiberglass is exposed. Thankfully there's no interior leakage, but that doesn't mean that the roof isn't failing. We'll need to address it this year.

My question is, if I file a claim with a 30 year old roof, is it likely that I'll be successful? I don't want to waste time and get my hopes up that we'll receive *some* assistance with this massive cost. Also what is the going price for a new roof system with gutters? The current one is pretty dang good, it's supposedly 25 years but it's 30 and technically still hanging in there. I'd probably need to also add new gutters on both stories. Cost is a factor but I don't want to cheap out too much with this house because it's a nice house, outfitted with nice things.

Double check your insurance now, pay more to get the deductible structured how you need it to be. Make sure your roof is covered.

Wait for the storm in the next two years, make the claim and then reduce your insurance.

[Bp25]

Couple of things to keep in mind:
- Don't ask your insurance company whether they will cover it or not. If you buy insurance through an independent insurance agent, you can ask your agent. If you call insurance company or a dedicated agent, they will log it as a claim.
- Insurance coverage does not depend on the age of the roof, generally speaking. If you get a hailstorm next year, they will have to cover the roof since they accepted the risk when they first issued the policy on a old roof. Some companies does not even write policies on such an old roof.

- If you don't get a hailstorm, it will be harder to get a claim through because the damage can be there from an old storm before the current policy was issued. You will have to prove that the damage is recent and without a record of a recent hailstorm in you area, it's hard to prove.
- Some policies depreciate old roof, so you will only get a partial reimbursement. Read your policy provision for depreciation and know your deductible. Your deductible may be more than your depreciated roof value. Then talk to your roofer to see what they think.

[cBach]

following

[rangergrit]

There is a time limit on hail damage claims. I think 2 years. The adjusters have meticulous records of recorded hail on your street. So do many roofing contractors.

I don't think Texas allows depreciation.

[TokyoJo]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Cost is a factor but I don't want to cheap out too much with this house because it's a nice house, outfitted with nice things.

If you can afford a nice house, outfitted with nice things, why would you be considering what sounds like it's approaching insurance fraud?

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by TokyoJo

If you can afford a nice house, outfitted with nice things, why would you be considering what sounds like it's approaching insurance fraud?

Next.
Take the sanctimonious attitude elsewhere as what I'm discussing is not approaching "insurance fraud" and what I can or can't afford is irrelevant. If you read my post, you'd see that I was exploring options including asking about the price for a new roof without filing a claim. Of course I would avail myself of ways to legally mitigate some of the cost. There's plenty of people who have new roofs courtesy of insurance, and if the previous owners had filed a claim when the first two hailstorms damaged it, I wouldn't be having to deal with this.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions guys. First things first, I'll read the policy.

TW, I'll be in touch.

[10scoachrick]

Our four year-old roof was replaced after the hail storm of '08. We had paid less than $1000 in premiums for our first year here and the insurance claim was for TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND dollars!!!!! We had the 1% deductible($4000); BUT insurance paid for NEW garage doors and paid to have the deck powerwashed and stained AND gave an allowance for the cosmetic damage to our patio furniture!!!


From what we saw in that first year here, it's hard to imagine going 30 years with an asphalt roof! One neighbor got his roof replaced the week after the hail storm...two weeks later, he got slammed by another hail storm!!!



Interestingly, a brand new house up the block had only one side of their roof replaced as the storm struck from the north and virtually all damage was limited to that side.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

From what we saw in that first year here, it's hard to imagine going 30 years with an asphalt roof! One neighbor got his roof replaced the week after the hail storm...two weeks later, he got slammed by another hail storm!!!



Interestingly, a brand new house up the block had only one side of their roof replaced as the storm struck from the north and virtually all damage was limited to that side.

A new roof can often handle a hail storm that destroys an older roof, so although it happens, it is pretty rare that a brand-new roof gets destroyed. The shingle are so much more pliable in the first years of their 'life'. Once they hit a certain age, even a minor hail storm can cause significant damage.