HomeInsurance Roofing
Storm damage roofing and honest claim documentation.
Hail and straight-line wind tear up a roof in about four minutes and leave you with an insurance process that can take weeks. We inspect for free, photograph what the storm actually did, and give you a written scope you can hold next to your adjuster's estimate line for line.
Storm damage or wear: the distinction your carrier actually checks
Every policy in Indiana covers sudden, accidental damage from a named peril like hail or wind. None of them cover a roof that simply got old. That line matters because it decides whether a claim gets approved, and it is the first thing we look for before we ever mention filing anything.
Hail bruises a shingle rather than tearing it. On architectural asphalt that shows up as a soft, circular indentation where the mat below the granules has been crushed, sometimes with the granules knocked loose in a ring around it. We check soft metal too, because it bruises more honestly than shingles do: gutters, downspouts, roof vent caps, and window screens all take hail dents that are hard to fake and easy to photograph as corroborating evidence.
Wind damage looks different. Creased shingles, tabs lifted or missing in a directional pattern, and ridge cap that peeled from one edge are consistent with a specific wind event on a specific date, which is exactly what a carrier's claims desk is trying to confirm. Granule loss on its own, without bruising or creasing, is far more often just a roof reaching the end of its service life, and no carrier pays a claim for that.
We tell you which one we are looking at before you file anything. A denied claim can affect how future claims on that address are viewed, so we would rather say "this is wear, not storm" up front than have you find that out from a claims adjuster.
What is actually inside an adjuster's scope
An adjuster's report is not a quote from a contractor. It is a line-item estimate generated in estimating software (most carriers in our area use Xactimate) that prices out a scope the adjuster wrote after inspecting the roof, usually from the ground and a ladder, sometimes from a drone. It includes tear-off, disposal, underlayment, drip edge, flashing, and the shingle itself, each priced separately by the linear foot or the square.
The gap we find most often is in the code-required items. Indiana adopted building code updates that require things like ice-and-water shield at eaves and proper ridge ventilation that a lot of older roofs never had. If the adjuster's estimate does not include bringing the roof up to current code, that is a legitimate supplement, not an argument. We compare our own documented inspection against the adjuster's line items and tell you specifically what is missing before the tear-off starts, not after, because a supplement request is far easier to win with photos taken before anyone touched the roof.
We do not represent you to your insurance company, and we are not a public adjuster. What we do is give you a second, independent set of eyes and a written scope from someone standing on your roof, so you are not comparing your gut feeling against a stranger's estimate.
Reading your claim paperwork: RCV, ACV, and the holdback
Most homeowners get two numbers on their first claim and no explanation of why they are different. Here is what the terms on that paperwork actually mean.
| Term | What it means | Where it shows up | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement Cost Value (RCV) | The full cost to replace the roof with like materials at today's prices, no deduction for age. | Top of the estimate summary. | This is the ceiling number. It is not the check that arrives first. |
| Actual Cash Value (ACV) | RCV minus depreciation for the roof's age and condition. | The first payment issued. | Your deductible is usually subtracted from this check before it is cut. |
| Recoverable depreciation | The gap between ACV and RCV, held back by the carrier until the job is finished. | A separate line, sometimes on the second page. | Most carriers require a paid invoice within a set window, commonly around 180 days, to release it. Miss the window and it can be forfeited. |
| Supplement | Additional scope found during tear-off, such as rotten decking or a code upgrade, not in the original estimate. | Filed as a revised estimate mid-job. | Photograph it before you touch it. Undocumented supplements get disputed. |
| Deductible | The amount you owe out of pocket before insurance pays anything, set by your policy. | Subtracted from the ACV check. | Offering to pay, waive or rebate a customer's deductible to win the job is illegal under Indiana's Home Improvement Contract Act (IC 24-5-11-10.5), and doing it through a falsified invoice can expose both the contractor and the homeowner to insurance fraud charges. Any contractor who offers to eat it is telling you something about how they run the rest of the job too. |
We are not the ones who decide your scope or your payout; your carrier is. What we control is showing up with a camera before anyone touches the roof, writing down what we find in plain language, and giving you a quote priced against real materials so you can compare it to the adjuster's estimate item by item instead of guessing whether the numbers match. If the roof itself is sound and the damage is limited to gutters or downspouts, our gutter replacement team handles that piece separately so it is not held up waiting on the roofing portion of the claim.
How a claim-based roof job runs
- Free storm inspection. We get on the roof, photograph every elevation, check soft metal and screens for hail bruising, and give you the photos whether or not you decide to file a claim.
- You file with your carrier. We do not file claims on a homeowner's behalf. We can tell you what to expect and what to have ready, but the claim relationship is between you and your insurance company.
- Adjuster meeting. If you want a second set of eyes on the roof when the adjuster comes out, we can meet them there, though the final scope and payout decision is theirs.
- Scope comparison. We line up our documented inspection against the adjuster's written estimate and flag anything missing, including code-required items, before ordering material.
- Tear-off and install. Once you approve the scope, the job runs the same as any other roof replacement we do: full tear-off, new underlayment and flashing, install in a day for most homes.
- Final invoice. We give you a paid, itemized invoice so you can submit it to release the recoverable depreciation your carrier is holding.
Warranty on claim-based roofs
A roof funded by an insurance claim carries the exact same coverage as one paid out of pocket: our 5-year workmanship warranty, plus Owens Corning manufacturer coverage on qualifying shingles. See what each Owens Corning warranty covers, including the difference between the two.
Recent storm work
What homeowners ask us about storm claims.
If the damage is widespread across the field, most carriers approve a full replacement rather than a patch, since asphalt shingles are matched by manufacturer lot and an exact color match years later is rarely possible. Isolated damage to one slope sometimes gets approved as a partial repair. The adjuster's inspection decides the scope, not us.
No, and we would tell you to be careful with any contractor who does. Waiving or quietly absorbing a deductible is prohibited under Indiana's Home Improvement Contract Act (IC 24-5-11-10.5), whether it is done through an inflated invoice or a cash-back arrangement. The deductible is between you and your policy.
The first check is usually Actual Cash Value, your Replacement Cost Value minus depreciation for the roof's age and minus your deductible. The remaining depreciation is released once you submit a paid invoice showing the job is finished, typically within a window the carrier sets, often around six months.
That is what a supplement is for. Common misses on older Boone County roofs are ice-and-water shield at the eaves and a ridge vent system that meets current ventilation code. We document it with photos before tear-off and you submit the supplement request to your carrier.
It varies by policy, but most Indiana carriers set a reporting window measured in months, not years, after the date of loss. If you suspect storm damage, get it documented and file sooner rather than later. We keep dated photos on file if you need them later.
It is your roof and your choice. Some carriers offer a preferred vendor list for convenience, but nothing in an Indiana policy requires you to use it. We work directly for the homeowner on every claim job we take.
Within 24 business hours, and usually sooner. Calling gets you a person fastest during office hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Yes to both. Once you approve the scope, the job starts with 50% down and the balance is due when the work is finished and you have walked it with us. If the roof is not fully claim-funded, financing is available on larger projects, so ask us about options.
We do not advertise 24/7 or emergency service to the public. Existing customers who have already had a roof installed with us get priority scheduling if a storm causes new damage. For a first inspection, the normal response time applies.
Where to next?
We will get on the roof and tell you honestly what the storm did.
No charge, no obligation, and you keep the photos either way. If it is wear and not storm damage, that is what we will tell you before anyone files anything.
(765) 335-6475Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm · or text us
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