Do you need a new roof?
Follow this 5 step process
If you are in the market for purchasing a new roof or getting a roof estimate, follow this 5 step process below.
Step 1: Understand the Warranty of your current roof
Hopefully you have the warranty documents for your current roof. If you do not have the warranty documents or you inherited the roof from a previous homeowner and the roof warranty is non-transferable, you can disregard this step and go to step 3.
It is important to note that if you purchased a home from a previous owner, they roof warranty may or may not transfer to you depending on how long ago the roof was installed. The warranty coverage potentially changes if you are not the homeowner that initially installed the roof covered by the warranty.
If you are selling your home and recently replaced the roof you will want to keep the roof warranty since many warranties can be passed along to a new homeowner. A good roof with a warranty has the potential to increase the property value of your home when you sell it.
You may have up to 2 roof related warranty documents; one from the roofing material manufacturer and one from the contractor that installed the roof.
In summary:
Review the roof material warranty to understand how old the current roof is and what the warranty covers.
The roof warranty is an important document to retain as long as you live in your house since most roof warranties are over a long duration of time.
The warranty may potentially cover the following costs if your roof requires replacement: roofing material, labor to replace the roof, roofing repairs and other costs.
In some cases the warranty may cover the full roof replacement cost, partial cost, or pro-rated cost depending on the age of the current roof.
Step 2: Find the invoice from the previous roof installation
If you have the invoice for the initial roof installation and any repairs that may have been done, you should retrieve these. These roof invoices are good documents to retain long-term to prove when you installed the roof and who did the work on your home.
If you think you need a new roof or roof repair work done, you should contact the original roofing contractor that installed the roof. If you can not find or do not know the contractor that installed the current roof then no worries you will just need to find a trusted and reliable local roofing contractor. A roofing contractor will be able to tell you if you need a new roof, roof repair or roof maintenance in addition to what the next steps in the process will be.
Step 3: Understand Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy
You will want to check your homeowner’s insurance policy to determine the roof damage and repair coverage you have. This is especially important if the roof damage was caused by a natural event like a hail storm or high winds.
Depending on the coverage you have, your homeowners insurance policy may include: full roof replacement cost, partial replacement cost, or other types of coverage.
Keep in mind that your insurance company will likely send out an appraiser to inspect your roof before paying any claims for roof repairs. Your insurance policy will provide you with contact information about who to contact and what the next step in the claims process will be.
In the event of major hail storm in a neighborhood, large insurance companies may setup temporary claims facilities in your area to simplify and speed up the claims process.
Step 4: Do research online and choose a roofing product that you want for your home
While this step may be largely dependent on your budget, step 4 is probably the most important part of the re-roof process. First, you will want to know your budget and what products you can afford. If you have a pending insurance claim to help pay for your new roof, keep this in mind.
If you live in an HOA or covenant controlled community you may have guidelines about what roofing products can be installed in your neighborhood. If your HOA has certain limitations for what roofing products can be installed, you may need to do some lobbying to get a roofing product approved through your HOA or covenant prior to getting the roof installed by a roofing contractor.
The internet is a powerful tool and there are many roofing products to choose from. It is best practice to research products online and request samples and sales literature from product manufacturers so that you can touch and feel the product before it is installed on your home.
If you are in a fire prone environment you should choose a roofing product that is able to withstand extreme fire resistance and has a Class A Fire Rating. If you live in an area that experiences hail you will want to choose a durable roofing product that is Class 4 Impact Rated.
In summary:
Understand your budget and what products you can afford. If you have a pending insurance claim to help pay for your new roof, keep this in mind.
If you live in an HOA or covenant controlled community understand what roofing products can be installed in your neighborhood.
Do research online about roofing products you want installed on your home.
Request samples and sales literature from the roofing product manufacturer.
If your HOA has certain limitations for what roofing products can be installed, you may need to do lobbying to get a roofing product approved through your HOA or covenant prior to getting the roof installed by a roofing contractor.
Choose a roofing product that will improve the appearance and property value of your home.
Choose a roofing product that will perform well based on the weather your state experiences.
Step 5: Get a Roof Inspection and Get Multiple Estimates
If you need a new roof you will want to get a roof inspection first. You will want to have a roofing contractor evaluate your roof to determine if you need a new roof, a roof repair, or if your roof is still performing well.
You should understand what roofing products are in your budget and what roofing products you are targeting. You should target roofing products that will provide long-term value and improve the curb appeal and property value of your home.
It is best practice to get multiple roof estimates so that you have options to choose from. Depending on your budget one estimate may be for a basic asphalt shingle roof and one estimate may be for a higher end product like a synthetic roof or concrete roof. If you have already done your research on roofing products and want one specific type of roofing product installed, get multiple estimates from different contractors based on the installation cost of that specific product.
Make sure you choose a quality and reliable roofing contractor to install your new roof. Do research about the roofing company you select, read testimonials and reviews and do not choose a “storm chaser” contractor.
Keep in mind that there are several categories of roof experts that can evaluate your roof including: insurance appraisers, roofing contractors, roof consultants and engineers. Some of these experts will evaluate your roof at no charge and some will expect to get paid.
You should be clear in advance what the costs and expectations for the evaluation will be. Also, roofing contractors will want to perform the evaluation as the first step in selling you a new roof, so be aware that the roofing contractor who visits your home may be a little “sales pitchy” with certain roof products. Remember that you are the homeowner and the decision maker, so do not get swayed by a sales pitch, if you want a certain roofing product like CeDUR, stick to your opinion and push for what you want.
Many roofing contractors specialize in processing insurance claims and will even work with your insurance provider when you purchase a new roof. If you are filing an insurance claim for hail damage certain contractors can help you process the insurance claims to help pay for the new roof. Remember that if you are in the beginning stages of getting a new roof, you should get multiple estimates so you have options that fit your budget.
In summary:
Get a roof inspection. The purpose of the inspection is to evaluate the state of your roof.
Get multiple estimates. Do not rely on just 1 contractor estimate, get 2-3 estimates if you can.
Choose a roofing contractor that specializes in insurance claims if that is one of your needs.
Looking for a new roof? Choose the Best Composite Roofing Product
CeDUR Composite Roofing Products are the best cedar shake alternative for your home. Our composite roofing shakes meet the highest industry standards with regards to impact resistance, wind resistance and fire resistance. If you are in the market for a new roof, look no further than CeDUR.
Installing a CeDUR synthetic roof will help you save money on your Homeowners Insurance Policy. Insurance companies are more and more cautious of advising homeowners to install or repair their natural wood roof, especially in high fire danger zones due to durability concerns and fire risk associated with wood shake shingles. The installation of a CeDUR composite roof means extreme fire resistance and potential reductions in your homeowners insurance cost.
Insurance Benefits are available for Homeowners installing CeDUR roofs
Due to CeDUR’s impact resistance and fire resistant technology, CeDUR roofing products are eligible for impact resistance discounts. CeDUR is listed on most major insurance companies premium credits product listing. This includes companies like State Farm Insurance, Chubb Insurance and American Family Insurance. Homeowners with a CeDUR composite roof have the potential to receive up to 20% in insurance policy discounts, which results in significant long term cost savings.
Lastly, CeDUR composite shakes look just like natural cedar shakes. To match the natural beauty and rustic wood shake look our composite wood shakes are molded from natural cedar shakes. This gives CeDUR unquestionable wood shake beauty while enhancing your home's curb appeal and property value. Our state of the art Polyurethane manufacturing process allows us to create incredibly authentic and realistic polymer roofing products with unique grain patterns and genuine wood tones, textures, depth and hues. The durability and appearance of our synthetic shake shingles can not be matched. A CeDUR roof gives your home classic wood shake beauty without the constant maintenance and headaches inherent in traditional roofing materials and natural wood shake shingles.
