After your claim is approved
A To-Do List Before Hiring Roofers After Your Claim Is Approved
Getting the claim approved is the hard part, and it is done. What remains decides whether you get twenty years out of this roof or five — and it is entirely your decision, not your insurer's.
The thing worth understanding first
You will pay your deductible either way. Everything above it is a choice.
With an approved replacement cost claim, the settlement is set. Your out-of-pocket cost is your deductible, whichever contractor you choose. So the question is not who is cheapest — the price to you is the same. The question is what you get for the money the insurer has already agreed to pay.
Two contractors can do the same job for the same settlement and hand you very different roofs: different shingle grade, different warranty tier, different ventilation, different components underneath. One of those roofs is worth substantially more than the other and it costs you nothing extra to have it.
This is the single most useful thing to know before you take a call from anybody. How ACV and RCV work if you are not sure which you have.
One legal point, because it comes up. Texas law prohibits a contractor from paying, waiving, absorbing or rebating your deductible. Anyone offering to “cover the deductible” or “do it for whatever insurance pays” is proposing something illegal — and it puts your claim at risk, not just theirs.
Six Things to Do Before You Contact Anyone
An hour spent here saves a great deal later. None of it requires a contractor's help.
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Read your scope of work properly
Find the document titled Scope of Work or Statement of Loss. It lists line by line what your insurer has agreed to pay for — materials, labor, tear-off, disposal, flashing, ventilation.
This is the blueprint. Any contractor worth hiring will work from it and be able to tell you what it covers and what it misses. If a contractor never asks to see it, that tells you something.
Check whether you are on ACV or RCV while you are in there, and note your deductible. Both change what happens next.
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Get at least three written estimates
From established local companies. Do not take the first roofer who knocks — and after a storm, several will knock.
Local matters here: a contractor with a Houston address understands the heat, the hail, the humidity and the local codes, and has a reputation in the community to protect. One working out of a truck from three states away does not.
Since your cost is the deductible either way, compare on materials, warranty and what is included — not on the bottom line, which is largely set already.
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Verify credentials, properly
Texas does not license roofing contractors, which means the burden of checking falls on you. Ask for and actually verify:
- General liability insurance and workers' compensation — request the certificate, not a verbal assurance
- Business registration and how long they have traded under that name
- Manufacturer certification — and check it on the manufacturer's own website, not theirs
- A physical local address you could drive to
If a contractor is uninsured and someone is injured on your property, that can become your problem. This is the step people skip and regret.
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Check the reputation, not the testimonials
Reviews on a contractor's own website are curated. Look at sources they do not control: Google, the BBB, and how they respond to criticism as much as praise.
Read the negative reviews specifically. Every company with a long history has some; what matters is whether the complaints share a pattern and how the company answered them.
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Understand the manufacturer certification tiers
These are not marketing badges — they determine which warranties a contractor is permitted to register. GAF's strongest coverage, Golden Pledge, can only be registered by a Master Elite contractor installing a full qualifying system.
An uncertified contractor cannot give you that warranty whatever they promise verbally. Ask which tier they hold and which warranty they will register.
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Get everything in writing before you sign
Scope, materials by name and grade, warranty terms, payment schedule, timeline, and who is responsible for permits and clean-up. A verbal promise is worth nothing once a crew has left.
Be wary of any contract you are asked to sign at the door, on the day, before you have read it. There is never a good reason for that urgency.
Ten Questions to Ask Every Contractor
Ask all ten of everyone, and write the answers down. The differences between contractors show up here rather than in the price.
01
“Which warranty will you register, and on which shingle?”
The most revealing question on this list, and almost nobody asks it. Warranty tiers are set by the manufacturer and depend on the contractor's certification plus how many qualifying components go on.
A good answer names both. “GAF Golden Pledge with Timberline UHDZ” is specific and checkable against GAF's published chart. “Full manufacturer warranty” is not an answer — it is a phrase.
02
“Is the shingle impact rated? Which class?”
If hail took your roof off, the replacement's impact rating decides whether the next storm does the same thing. UL 2218 runs Class 1 to Class 4, with 4 the highest.
Ask what you are being put back on. Many Texas insurers also discount premiums for a Class 4 roof, so it is worth raising with your carrier before the work starts.
03
“What do you charge per sheet of decking?”
Rotten decking is found on a lot of replacements, and nobody knows how many sheets until the old roof is off. It is the most common place a signed price grows.
A good answer is a number. Per-sheet prices vary a great deal between companies. Get it in writing before you sign, not after the roof is open.
04
“Are you upgrading the ventilation, or putting back what was there?”
Attic heat is what ages a Houston roof from underneath, and an insurance scope pays to replace what existed — including inadequate ventilation.
Ask specifically about intake. If your house has no soffit vents, or the insulation is blocking them, exhaust vents alone do very little. Deck-mounted intake vents solve it; most contractors will not mention the problem.
05
“Have you worked with my insurer before?”
Not because a contractor should negotiate for you — they cannot — but because experience shows in the documentation and in whether they will meet your adjuster on the roof.
Be wary of the opposite answer. Anyone offering to handle, file or negotiate the claim is offering something Texas reserves to licensed public adjusters.
06
“What happens if the settlement does not cover the work?”
Common, and it has a name — a supplement. How a contractor answers this tells you whether they will document the gap or quietly cut the scope to fit the check.
The wrong answer is reassuring. “We'll make it work with whatever insurance pays” means something is coming off the roof that should have gone on it.
07
“Who is my point of contact, and will they be on site?”
On a job that runs a day or two, knowing who to call matters. On a job that goes wrong, it matters enormously.
A name, not a department. Ask whether the person quoting is the person accountable, and whether the crew is employed or subcontracted.
08
“What is the payment schedule?”
With replacement cost coverage you are paid in two installments, and a reasonable schedule reflects that.
A large deposit before materials arrive is a warning sign. So is any pressure to sign over the insurance check directly.
09
“How will you protect the property, and clean up?”
A tear-off throws debris and nails a long way. Landscaping, air-conditioning units, pool surrounds and cars all need covering.
Ask specifically about a magnet sweep at the end. Nails in a driveway turn up months later, usually in a tire.
10
“What is the timeline, and who pulls the permit?”
Most replacements are a one or two day job. Permits vary by jurisdiction across the Houston metro, and unpermitted work can cause problems when you sell.
The contractor should handle it. If they ask you to pull the permit yourself, ask why.
Ask all ten of all three contractors. You will find the answers vary far more than the prices do — and on an approved claim, the answers are the only thing that varies at all.
What a Real Estimate Looks Like
You will get two kinds of paperwork. Learning to tell them apart takes about a minute and is worth thousands.
Not an estimate
“Tear off and replace roof per insurance scope — $18,400”
One line, one number, no detail. It matches the settlement, so it looks fine. It commits the contractor to nothing specific, which means anything can come off the job later and you have no basis to object.
An estimate
- Shingle named by brand, line and grade — not "architectural"
- Underlayment and leak barrier specified, with where each goes
- Starter strip, drip edge and ridge cap listed separately
- Ventilation itemised, including intake
- Flashing quantities, and pipe boots by type
- Decking price per sheet, with an estimated count
- The warranty tier being registered, by name
- Tear-off, disposal, permit and clean-up stated as included or not
If the settlement does not cover the work
It happens often and it is normal. An adjuster spends an hour on your roof working from a standard pricing database, and some things are genuinely invisible until the old roof comes off.
The mechanism is called a supplement: the gap is documented with photographs and an itemised estimate, submitted to your adjuster, and the claim adjusted. Commonly missed items are softened decking, code-required upgrades, flashing quantities, steep-pitch access and detached structures.
What you do not want is a contractor who absorbs the gap by doing less. That is where the leak barrier quietly disappears. How supplements work.
Warning signs
Any one of these is a reason to slow down. Two is a reason to walk away.
- “We'll cover your deductible” — illegal in Texas, and it puts your claim at risk too
- Pressure to sign today — there is never a good reason for that urgency
- A large deposit before materials arrive
- No physical local address, or one that turns out to be a mailbox
- Reluctance to show insurance certificates
- Asking you to sign over the insurance check directly
- “We'll work with whatever insurance pays” — scope will be cut to fit
- Offering to handle or negotiate your claim — reserved to licensed public adjusters
- A door-knock quote with no inspection — nobody can price a roof from the street
The Texas Department of Insurance publishes guidance on avoiding contractor fraud after a storm — worth reading, and we would rather you did.
Since we asked you to ask
Our Answers to Our Own Ten Questions
It would be poor form to hand you a list of questions and dodge them. Take these to the other two contractors as well.
And check us the way we told you to check anyone
Sources we do not control.
Want us to be one of your three?
Free inspection, an itemised written estimate, and the answers above in writing. No obligation, and no pressure to sign anything on the day.
Also useful: how Texas claims work · storm damage repair · roof replacement
JC&C Roofing Company · 1431 Graham Dr #266, Tomball, TX 77375 · 1220 Blalock Rd #345, Houston, TX 77055 · hello@jccroofing.com