All About Roofing Supplements

What Are Roofing Supplements?

Roofing supplements are when the contractor asks for extra materials, trades, or labor to be added to an insurance claim. The insurance adjuster might not add all the extras to the insurance claim, and these supplements will be added to the claim so that the job can be done completely and correctly. By adding these supplements to the claim, the contractor knows that there will be enough money for the job. Many times, those extras are required by the building codes.

Some companies supply these supplements for your insurance claims. There is a roofing supplements company for nearly every roofing company. They can help you when you need it the most. 

This article will help you to learn more about these supplements and when to use them. It will give you a list of things that you should know as a newcomer to them. As a reminder, if you are using these, you need to have a photographic proof for the adjuster. 

Good Residential Roofing Companies

Roofing Supplements That Get Overlooked

  1. Gable Cornice Strips – the adjuster often overlooks these because they cannot be easily seen and if they are seen, the adjuster thinks they don’t need to be replaced. The truth is that if there is roof damage, the gable cornice strips will often be damaged as well. These should be a supplement that is added to the claim.
  1. Drip Edge – This is another overlooked area that needs replacing when the shingles are replaced. See here to learn more about what a drip edge actually is: https://www.angi.com/articles/roof-drip-edge.htm.  Since this is another thing, the adjuster does not see easily, they are not added to the adjustment. These especially need to be replaced if the water and ice shield has been tucked under the drip edge. If this doesn’t need to be done if they are still intact and the water and ice shield haven’t been replaced. 
  1. Flashing – Many adjusters will want you to reuse your flashing, but this is not the best idea. The nail holes in the old flashing will make it more susceptible to leaks, even if you reuse the same nail holes. The nails will not always fit snugly, and your roof will leak in these spots. You will need all types of flashing including headwall, end wall, and step flashing. 
  1. Starter Course Shingles – Adjusters sometimes think that the contractor can use regular grade shingles to make starter course shingles. What they do not realize is that it takes more time and more materials to do this. This means it will cost more money and if they aren’t added to the supplement list, you won’t get paid for the extra labor. Starter course shingles are already to be placed on the roof and will save you and the insurance money if you use them.

Also Read: From Landscaping to Roofing: 7 Ideas to Enhance Your Home’s Exterior

Supplementing Terms That You Should Know

  1. Roofing Supplements – These are additional payments that roof companies offer their customers. These payments will help the homeowner to pay for replacing or repairing their roof. It is a separate payment from the insurance claim and is usually offered by the roofing company.
  1. Insurance Supplements – Insurance supplements often use roofing supplements to help to pay for the cost of roof repairs or replacement. You can learn more about insurance supplements here. A homeowner will often file an insurance claim to their insurance company when their roof is damaged. If you have extensive damage, your insurance company might not be able to cover the entire cost of the repairs or replacement. In that case, the roofing company will be able to offer roofing supplements that can help the homeowner to pay for the new roof. 

This happens when the adjuster does not include all the materials and labor. The roofing company will add things to the claim that were not paid for, which is known as supplementing the insurance. Things that might not be added are items that were ignored, not paid enough, or found while the roofing company is working on the roof.

  1. Supplement Adjuster – A supplement adjuster works with the insurance company and the roofing company. They are sometimes referred to as an independent adjuster since they work for both companies. They must ultimately answer to both companies so that the customer gets taken care of the right. 

The job of the supplement adjuster is to inspect all the claims that involve roof damage. They will then estimate the cost of repairs to the roof. They will be paid on commission, which means that they will get part of what is saved on each claim. This will make the supplement adjuster work harder to find all the savings for the customer. The insurance adjuster and the roofing company will split the amount of savings between them after all the expenses have been deducted. 

  1. Supplemental Damage Estimate – An estimate that is prepared by the roofing company to show all the additional damages that were not found in the original estimate is called a supplemental damage estimate. This estimate will be used to get additional money from the insurance company for the damage that was not originally found. This helps to make sure that the insurance company is fairly compensated for its work.
  1. Xactimate – This is a software program that helps the roofing company to create better estimates. It uses different formulas to compute the labor and materials for replacing or repairing a roof. Most roofers will use this program since it is considered an industry standard.

Conclusion

Roofing supplements are adding all the extras that were not added in the initial estimate from the insurance adjuster. These items can include parts of the roof that are not easily seen and are often overlooked. There are many terms that you need to know if you are going to add roofing supplements to your estimates when repairing or replacing roofs. These terms will help you to do the right thing when it comes to writing your estimates. As a roofer you want to be able to do the best for your customers.