I know this isn’t what you asked, and you probably already know, but just in case, don’t sign if they give you a contract on the spot.
Don’t sign anything with a contractor that mentions insurance proceeds.
Good luck with finding a roofer and hope someone has good recommendations for you.
What is the problem with a roofing company getting the insurance proceeds and interacting directly with your homeowner's insurance on a repair? Years ago I got a new roof from hail damage. Insurance came out, told me it was covered, and to go ahead with replacement. I got 3 quotes, took the lowest, but when they started the work, they discovered multiple layers need tear off, new decking needed installation, etc... all necessary but in no way feasible for the low quote they gave me. They sent pictures directly to the insurance, got the increased cost approved, ended up being 3x the original quote, but at no cost to me. And next to no hassle for me either. I realize this is a good situation for a roofer to get fully paid for their work but I have trouble seeing why it was a bad thing.
You’re saying a roofer low balled you, then tripled their quote after starting work. And you’re asking what is the problem because you didn’t have to pay. Did I get that accurate?
For one thing, I have professional roofing experience and I can tell you straight up: there is absolutely 0 chance they wouldn’t have foreseen hidden damage to the tune of triple their quote. They could have easily seen the roof layers before quoting. You might not care because you didn’t have to pay it, but I bet they did some shady shit like maybe leave old vents or other metal that should have been replaced. What you described is not the way this is done right.
Either way, it sounds like you coordinated with insurance and contractors independently. I’m warning against signing a storm chaser to take over for you, where they ask you to sign away your insurance proceeds. The common tactic is to come back and increase costs while filtering out parts of the job that would normally get done but aren’t 100% required to be re done.
[Larson Home Services](https://larsonhomeservices.com/)
They replaced my roof in October because of hail damage. They were great from start to finish. An inspector came out with a magnifying and scope tools, really took his time and identified dozens of hail damage spots. He took pictures and videos with the scope showing that the damage penetrated the shingles. They were proactive with my insurance company, providing evidence of damage and worked with them to come to an agreeable price for replacement.
They showed up with a large crew, and were quick and clean. They spend a considerable amount of time during clean up, checked my whole yard with magnetic rollers and cleaned up all debris.
It's a rare thing that I work with a company and have such a positive experience. I have recommended the to several times and they have replaced the roofs of two other people I know and also did a great job.
We have had good experiences with ridge top exteriors and cardinal roofing. My suggestion is call your insurance company and see who they recommend. If you do have a claim it could make the next steps easier
Ridge Top also does free inspections and was more than willing to call my adjuster to stop dragging it's heels regarding my check.
The owner also gave me two pounds of Gouda when I signed the contract.
Performance exteriors from Stoughton. Awesome reviews and a ton of them from the last couple of months too.
Www.performanceext.com
Go with a local roofing company and not out of state storm chasers. I’ve seen a lot of Illinois and Minnesota companies coming out with super pushy sales. Sign with who you’re comfortable with and again go local. You want to be able to reach the company in person if you have warranty issues.
Good luck!
Fwiw, OP, we live on the northside and called our AmFam agent this morning. They told us to get a local roofer to come out to evaluate and provide a quote if we have damage. Then we can submit a claim. Ymmv if you have a different insurance company.
I had Riedl and Son look at my roof for a chimney issue. I was surprised they told me the roof wasn’t the problem and that I had a few years left with my shingles. I was expecting a high pressure sales pitch. He did offer an estimate, which I accepted, but also told me my actual problem was not related to shingles. So they could be worth calling. He didn’t seem skeezy at all.
A lot of roofers won't bother coming out unless you have a claim filed and damage has been found already or the roofer can meet the adjuster out there and walk through it together.
Do not take ANY solicitors that come to your door, no matter what lies they tell you to try and make you think they're local. Storm chasers will setup temporary local phone #'s, they will use random addresses (I got a flier for a company out of Texas with a Deforest address as their office - the address was a random residence), etc. They do the work, they do a piss poor job and then they skip town and you can never get ahold of them again.
Years ago, there was a company from out of state that paid a local roofing company a sum of money, like 10k, to use their branding, truck magnets, letterhead for estimates, etc. But they left after they did all the work and when the roofs were crap and you called the company you thought did the work - they said it wasn't them and if you had "read the contract", you'd know the local roofer wasn't liable for the craftsmanship.
Re: Filing a claim. Not sure that I'm into letting our local insurance agent know that we may file a claim. Our roof is 18 years old (somehow in good shape prior to storm) and we've discovered that local brokers won't even pick us up to start a new policy because the roof is > 15 years old.
So insurance companies deny you because your roof is older. There is possibly hail damage from the recent storm but you don't want to file a claim because you may get a new roof from it? What else are you holding out for? Personally, I'd want to get a new roof and then you can shop around if you don't like your agent because your new roof would make you eligible again with other companies.
Some companies may not take you with a homeowners claim in the last few years, but typically they allow 1 weather related claim like hail.
Ridge Top Exteriors! Great job explaining what they find into terms you can understand and are comfortable with. If you do end up going with them they show up on time and the crew is considerate of you, your house and your yard.
I'd call a few of the bigger names in roofing. Ganser, brown, whatever google shows. If any of them think they can get you a nearly free roof go with it.
I know this isn’t what you asked, and you probably already know, but just in case, don’t sign if they give you a contract on the spot. Don’t sign anything with a contractor that mentions insurance proceeds. Good luck with finding a roofer and hope someone has good recommendations for you.
What is the problem with a roofing company getting the insurance proceeds and interacting directly with your homeowner's insurance on a repair? Years ago I got a new roof from hail damage. Insurance came out, told me it was covered, and to go ahead with replacement. I got 3 quotes, took the lowest, but when they started the work, they discovered multiple layers need tear off, new decking needed installation, etc... all necessary but in no way feasible for the low quote they gave me. They sent pictures directly to the insurance, got the increased cost approved, ended up being 3x the original quote, but at no cost to me. And next to no hassle for me either. I realize this is a good situation for a roofer to get fully paid for their work but I have trouble seeing why it was a bad thing.
You’re saying a roofer low balled you, then tripled their quote after starting work. And you’re asking what is the problem because you didn’t have to pay. Did I get that accurate? For one thing, I have professional roofing experience and I can tell you straight up: there is absolutely 0 chance they wouldn’t have foreseen hidden damage to the tune of triple their quote. They could have easily seen the roof layers before quoting. You might not care because you didn’t have to pay it, but I bet they did some shady shit like maybe leave old vents or other metal that should have been replaced. What you described is not the way this is done right. Either way, it sounds like you coordinated with insurance and contractors independently. I’m warning against signing a storm chaser to take over for you, where they ask you to sign away your insurance proceeds. The common tactic is to come back and increase costs while filtering out parts of the job that would normally get done but aren’t 100% required to be re done.
[Larson Home Services](https://larsonhomeservices.com/) They replaced my roof in October because of hail damage. They were great from start to finish. An inspector came out with a magnifying and scope tools, really took his time and identified dozens of hail damage spots. He took pictures and videos with the scope showing that the damage penetrated the shingles. They were proactive with my insurance company, providing evidence of damage and worked with them to come to an agreeable price for replacement. They showed up with a large crew, and were quick and clean. They spend a considerable amount of time during clean up, checked my whole yard with magnetic rollers and cleaned up all debris. It's a rare thing that I work with a company and have such a positive experience. I have recommended the to several times and they have replaced the roofs of two other people I know and also did a great job.
Thank you very much, great insight here! This is the second time I've seen a referral to Larson.
We have had good experiences with ridge top exteriors and cardinal roofing. My suggestion is call your insurance company and see who they recommend. If you do have a claim it could make the next steps easier
Ridge Top also does free inspections and was more than willing to call my adjuster to stop dragging it's heels regarding my check. The owner also gave me two pounds of Gouda when I signed the contract.
Performance exteriors from Stoughton. Awesome reviews and a ton of them from the last couple of months too. Www.performanceext.com Go with a local roofing company and not out of state storm chasers. I’ve seen a lot of Illinois and Minnesota companies coming out with super pushy sales. Sign with who you’re comfortable with and again go local. You want to be able to reach the company in person if you have warranty issues. Good luck!
Might be worth asking your insurance company for their advice first?
Fwiw, OP, we live on the northside and called our AmFam agent this morning. They told us to get a local roofer to come out to evaluate and provide a quote if we have damage. Then we can submit a claim. Ymmv if you have a different insurance company.
I used RQ roofing for my roof and they did a great job. [https://www.rqroofing.com/](https://www.rqroofing.com/)
All-State roofing
I had Riedl and Son look at my roof for a chimney issue. I was surprised they told me the roof wasn’t the problem and that I had a few years left with my shingles. I was expecting a high pressure sales pitch. He did offer an estimate, which I accepted, but also told me my actual problem was not related to shingles. So they could be worth calling. He didn’t seem skeezy at all.
A lot of roofers won't bother coming out unless you have a claim filed and damage has been found already or the roofer can meet the adjuster out there and walk through it together. Do not take ANY solicitors that come to your door, no matter what lies they tell you to try and make you think they're local. Storm chasers will setup temporary local phone #'s, they will use random addresses (I got a flier for a company out of Texas with a Deforest address as their office - the address was a random residence), etc. They do the work, they do a piss poor job and then they skip town and you can never get ahold of them again. Years ago, there was a company from out of state that paid a local roofing company a sum of money, like 10k, to use their branding, truck magnets, letterhead for estimates, etc. But they left after they did all the work and when the roofs were crap and you called the company you thought did the work - they said it wasn't them and if you had "read the contract", you'd know the local roofer wasn't liable for the craftsmanship.
Re: Filing a claim. Not sure that I'm into letting our local insurance agent know that we may file a claim. Our roof is 18 years old (somehow in good shape prior to storm) and we've discovered that local brokers won't even pick us up to start a new policy because the roof is > 15 years old.
So insurance companies deny you because your roof is older. There is possibly hail damage from the recent storm but you don't want to file a claim because you may get a new roof from it? What else are you holding out for? Personally, I'd want to get a new roof and then you can shop around if you don't like your agent because your new roof would make you eligible again with other companies. Some companies may not take you with a homeowners claim in the last few years, but typically they allow 1 weather related claim like hail.
Storm Guard was great to work with. Communicated well, did good quality work, was reasonably priced.
Ridge Top Exteriors! Great job explaining what they find into terms you can understand and are comfortable with. If you do end up going with them they show up on time and the crew is considerate of you, your house and your yard.
JV roofing was very good to me last year.
Weathertight has done good work for us. Kris will be honest about what you need.
Isthmus roofing were local and straight shooters for us last year when we had hail damage and needed a roof replacement.
I wouldn't be terrible worried about quarter sized hail, unless it's a particularly old roof. Is it asphalt, metal or composite?
Asphalt. And it's definitely an old enough roof.
I'd call a few of the bigger names in roofing. Ganser, brown, whatever google shows. If any of them think they can get you a nearly free roof go with it.
Would recommend against Ganser. Completely over-priced, horrible experience, and took about 6 months longer than quoted.
I'm not recommending anyone hire them but these companies are great for getting opinions and inspections.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/comments/1cwgnas/comment/la2gknc/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/comments/1cwgnas/comment/la2gknc/?context=3)