Roofs don't last forever. From catastrophic events, hail storms, and hurricanes to small leaks from normal wear-and-tear, your roof will likely need to be repaired or replaced at some point. But, how much should it really cost to repair or replace a roof?
The cost of a roof repair or replacement relies on many factors. The roof size, material cost, complexity of the roofline, and location are the main factors that go into the estimate for your roof repair. However, you also have to take into account the accuracy of the estimate that you receive and whether or not insurance will be involved to handle all or some of the costs. The average homeowner is not privy to the fact that contractors and adjusters have to agree upon a price for the roof repair before the claim can be settled. And, a lot goes into this agreement. Historically, this battle has caused headaches and mistrust between the two groups. This is one of the major reasons why OneClick Code was created. To build trust back into an industry where trust has been lost or was never there to begin with.
So, what goes into an estimate? How can an estimate be inaccurate? Isn't it just measuring the house and choosing the materials? Well, not necessarily. Keep reading to learn the steps needed to find out the real price of your roof repair.
Step 1. Are you going through your insurance to cover some or all of the cost of the repair?
First, you will need to figure out if you will be going through insurance to repair or replace the roof. If your home was just part of a catastrophic weather event, a wind storm, or a hail storm, you should have someone come out to assess the roof for damage to determine what should be covered by your insurance carrier based on your coverage. The most important part of this process is to make sure you do not wait long after a storm to file a claim as there may be a time limit to doing so. Once you file a claim, your insurance company will send out an adjuster to make an accurate assessment of the damage.
Step 2. Get an estimate
After going through your insurance (or skipping that step if you are not using insurance), the next step is to get a range of estimates from contractors who can assess the damage and provide you with accurate estimates based on their findings. The most important part of this process is accurate estimates from both the contractor and the adjuster. For the average homeowner, what goes into that estimate is completely unknown so any number they receive could sound right. Keep reading to find out what you should be looking for in your roofing estimate.
Step 3. Know what goes into an estimate. Here's the bottom line.
What jurisdiction has authority over this property?
Even houses in the same city can have a different sales tax, building code enforcement, and permitting requirements based on jurisdiction. And, this cannot be determined just by the city name or zip code listed in the postal address. So, how does a contractor know what jurisdiction has authority? The hard way is by calling all municipalities in the area until they find the right one, or referencing their excel spreadsheet that they started 10 years ago. The easy way is to use an app called OneClick Code. OneClick Code gives you instant jurisdiction information for 99.7% of properties across the U.S.
And, what building codes are enforced for that jurisdiction?
Building codes can drive estimates up or down by over 25%! Based on the jurisdiction, as highlighted above, properties across the street from each other can have drastically different building codes required. For instance, one house might require an ice and water shield ($1500+) while the other does not because they are in different jurisdictions. There are many line items like this that build up the main parts of the estimate. If you get the jurisdiction wrong, you get the building codes wrong, and in the end, you get the estimate wrong.
And, what is the sales tax in that jurisdiction?
Are you getting sick of hearing about jurisdiction yet? Sorry-not-sorry! Sales tax can be drastically different between properties based on jurisdiction as well. One house could have a sales tax of 4% and another house across the street could have a sales tax of 8%! That adds up.
What is the roof size and complexity?
Roof size is an obvious factor that can drive the cost of the roof up. The larger the roof, the larger the estimate. But, the more complex the roof, the greater the estimate as well. Contractors and adjusters can manually measure to get the size of the roof but this is time-consuming and often leads to errors. Making sure that your contractor and adjuster are using aerial measurement tools like EagleView will ensure that you are getting more accurate and timely estimates.
What material is the roof?
If you are doing a roof repair, matching the existing roof is imperative. Otherwise, your house might look like a pepperoni pizza or a calico cat. Not good. The type of material can make all the difference in a roof cost. Asphalt shingles are the most popular and least expensive roofing material out there. Metal roofs are often times longer-lasting than asphalt but can be more expensive as well. Clay, wood, slate, and solar tiles are other options that range in price but are oftentimes more costly than asphalt or metal due to their complexity and sourcing.
Manufacturers also have the authority to tell the building department whether or not to install the roofing material per their requirements. Does your contractor know what installation is required from the material that they are using? OneClick Code gives them immediate manufacturer requirements that describe what is required by code to get the job done correctly.
The Bottom Line
Building defensible and accurate estimates is the first step that contractors and adjusters can take in order to close claims and build and maintain trust in the industry while providing the homeowner with the most accurate cost for their roof repair or replacement. Technology such as OneClick Code not only provides information to build an estimate but also provides documentation to back up that information to make the estimate more defensible in the negotiation process. Homeowners can be at ease knowing that if their contractor and adjuster are using trusted technology like OneClick Code to build their estimate, they will get the most accurate price for their roof repair.
Accurate Codes, Accurate Claims. OneClick Code.
About OneClick Code
OneClick Code is a trusted data partner, dedicated to streamlining the code-sourcing process for all parties in the roofing industry while also increasing efficiency and transparency for all stakeholders in construction and restoration. They have the only platform to have blazed the trail for data automation of jurisdictional authority for building codes, permit fees, taxes, and manufacturer specifications required for any address nationwide. OneClick Code has been serving customers in the contracting, insurance, and claim adjusting fields by providing instant access to trusted roofing codes, in the click of a button. Offering unique reports that can be easily shared between all stakeholders in the roofing claims industry, OneClick is adding value to all parties and empowering customers to save time and money on every claim. Welcome to restoration intelligence, automated. To learn more, visit our website www.oneclickcode.com.
