Depends on your home insurance type. With a depreciated replacement coverage, the insurance adjuster will estimate the remaining life of the roof at the time it was damaged, and pay that portion of the total replacement cost. If you have a 25 year rated shingle that is 10 years old – insurance of this type would replace 15/25th of the cost assuming they were in normal condition for that age shingle. If you don’t know the age of the shingles the insurance adjuster will estimate that too, generally on the older side of course. Of course, if your roof was a 30 year or less rated shingle (almost certainly, especially if that old) and original shingles, then they would say it is past its life and pay nothing for the roof replacement.
However, in Texas because of the number of storms we get THE VAST MAJORITY of homeowners have insurance that provides for full replacement cost coverage and pays the entire fair market cost to replace the roof and water damage, without deducting a percentage for depreciation.
Your renewal statement probably, and policy certainly, will say if you have replacement cost coverage or not – either as a type of policy, or as a rider maybe. If it does not say, then almost certainly is depreciable value coverage only. If you do have the depreciable value coverage, it might be a good idea to see about changing it.
A powerful rain and wind storm damaged the asphalt shingles on my home. My neighbors are telling me I need a new roof. I think it can be repaired. The wind blew off a few shingles here and there. The roof is only three years old, so I don’t feel it’s an age issue. What should I look for up on the roof to evaluate if the roof needs to be replaced?
Answer:
It’s hard to speculate what might have caused your shingles to blow off. One thing is certain: The wind was able to get up under the shingles that are now on the ground. Once the underside of the shingles is exposed to the wind the lifting and tearing force can easily defeat the roofing nails that hold the shingle in place.
Modern shingles come with a self-sealing asphalt cement designed to interlock the bottom of each shingle with the one below it. If the missing shingles are on a steep north-facing side of your roof, it’s possible this sealing compound never got to activate as well as it should have.
When the sun’s rays hit shingles, it heats them up, causing the self-sealing compound to activate. In most situations, this compound does a magnificent job of welding the shingles together.
Your neighbor’s have great intentions, but you should get a professional roofing company to come out and give you their expert opinion. Any ethical roofer will tell you the truth and most are far too busy during the busy Texas storm season to try to push through a weak insurance claim for a roof replacement. We suggest that you always use RCAT member to assure you are working with a true pro.
My roof started leaking after the last round of big storms. I am not a particularly handy person, is there an easy way to detect where the leak is so I can make sure I don’t get any more damage before I can get it repaired.
Answer
Leaks are hard to find because they usually start away from the visible damage. To find the leak, follow the old roofer’s adage “think like water.”
Water typically comes in through worn, broken, or in your case probably missing shingles; where nails have worked loose; or through corroded or poorly sealed roof flashing around vents, skylights, or chimneys or along the intersections of roof planes.
Once water passes the roofing, it flows along the sheathing, roof rafters, or topside of ceilings until it finds a place to drip down—inevitably onto your favorite piece of furniture.
Always search for a roof leak during the day. Go into the attic with a bright flashlight; step only on secure framing members and never on the insulation or topside of the ceiling below—neither of these will support you! Start above the place where the drip has occurred and work your way uproof, looking for wetness along the framing members.
If the weather has been dry for a while, look for water marks, stains, or discolorations on the wood made by moisture. Then switch off the flash light and try to find a hole where daylight shows through the roof. If it’s still raining, put a bucket under the leak in an area with proper support. Let the bucket collect the drips and call a professional roofer for a repair estimate.
