Not sure if this is the right place or not but here goes...
I just bought my first house in the spring so im kinda new to house stuff. We are having a wicked wind storm at the moment and some of my shingles have blown off. The roof is about 15 years old and some shingles are starting to curl at the edges of the roof. First of all how big of a concern is missing shingles, other than being ugly. Right now it looks like 5 or 10 have blown off but its still blowing badly. Second is it worth it to call the insurance company? Is there a chance they would replace the roof? Any help would be appreciated, sorry if this is the wrong place for this. Thanks!
Hello ABledsoe: Yes, the missing shingles are a problem; they will allow leaks in the next rain. My roof had considerable damage from the wind today too. I think one bundle of shingles will repair it and than's far less than my $500 deductible with Farm Bureau. The average life of the new fiberglass shingles is 12 to 20 years. I know, they have a 20 year LIMITED warranty (notice one word is larger than warranty). Roofing companies can show you at least 15 things you didn't do according to the instructions, thus voiding the warranty. In your case I would recommend removing the old shingles and replacing them with new ones. Take several detailed pictures of the roof and see your agent (check your deductible first) and you may even want to get an estimate of the cost first. Your agent knows several roofing companies that work well with him and will be glad to tell you their names.
The insurance company might also only send someone to replace the missing shingles. I had a three tab that only lasted about 7 years, which is the average in my area. I went with a laminated shingle which looks much better and you'll get closer to the warranty for life expectancy.
If yoru shingles are curling the roof is way older then 15 years. This is typically a sign that the roof is about 20+ years old. Regardless of this the reason for this curling is the roof is dried out. As the shingles curl they pull loose of the little ashphalt strip that holds the shingle tabs down in the wind. This will not cause the roof to leak to soon as the overlap of the shingles are such the water will still drain away. But you still need to replace the roof. Wind damage by some insurance claims are acts of god. I do not think you will get much if at all from the insurance company. But it does not hurt to ask. They will prorate the age of the roof against the cost. Leaving you with a little more then what you deductable is. And a increase in your insurance costs down the road.
Be sure to remove all of the shingles before replacement. Even if you only have one layer. The new roof set ontop of the old roof will be bridging any gaps between the missing old shingles. This causes stress on the new shingles and a shorter life span. Shingles are designed to lay on flat surfaces. What roof shingles cost these days you want the longest life you can get.
Posts: 1435 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006
HCC is absolutely correct. You need a new roof and if the shingles are in the condition you describe then don't let them talk you into shingling over them, even though a tear-off will add considerably to the cost.
Since you recently purchased your home, was an inspection done? And did you also purchase a 2-10 buyer's warranty? If so, then that would be the first place to check for coverage, although some homeowner's insurance companies and coverage are much better than others.
Good luck!
Posts: 261 | Location: VA, AL, GA | Registered: 23 October 2007
There are different things that come into play. If your roof was damaged along w/ MANY others in the area due to a storm (I'm in Texas and used to hail storms) the insurance companies will send out teams from other areas to go out on the claims they get. If yours is not in that scenario then you would still call it in as you would any other time and they would send out an inspector. If they deem it does indeed have damage and the amount needed to replace it is more than your deductible they will either send a check to you or write one then minus your deductible. If the damage is MINOR and you believe that your deductible amount is MORE than or close to the **$ needed to fix the roof.......... DO NOT CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY! Go ahead and pay out of pocket to fix it as this is what you will have to do anyway. On top of that you NOW have a MARK for a claim against you. They DO keep track in a national data base on how many claims are made. Even if your only thinking you MIGHT have some damage I'd call a roofing company to come out and look first before calling my insurance company in order to keep that claim off of my record. Now, if you DO have damage and it warrants the insurance company they will give you the check and if you have a mortgage on it the check or rather INSURANCE DRAFT (these are indeed DIFFERENT than a normal check) that must first be endorsed by the mortgage company before you can sign it and deposit it. The mortgage company may also require proof that the roof was indeed repaired/replaced. The only way around not having the mortgage company on the check is if the property is paid off or the amount on the mortgage is substantially less than the market value. _________________________________________________________________________ beat a marijuana drug test | passing a drug test | Polywood lawn furniture | pet car seats
