Water Damage and Roofing of Austin is a premier roofing company in Austin, Texas. We are dedicated to providing our customers with top-notch roofing services, including repair, installation, replacement, reroofing, and hail damage repair. Our team of skilled craftsmen is committed to delivering exceptional service and using only the highest quality materials to ensure that your roof is in the best condition possible. Our company was founded on the principles of quality craftsmanship and integrity. We strive to live up to those values in every job we take. Trust us to take care of all your roofing needs, and we will ensure you have a robust and durable roof that will last for years.

Water Damage and Roofing of Austin
9711 Beck Cir Austin, TX 78758
(512) 820-6505
https://austinroofingandwaterdamage.com/

Severe storms can strike unexpectedly in Austin, Texas, causing significant damage for homeowners or business owners.

Your roof stands a big chance of suffering storm damage. Therefore, you could use tips on filing roof insurance claims to prepare for the storm season if you have homeowners’ insurance.

Here are tips by Water Damage and Roofing of Austin on how to get a storm damage roof repair insurance claim.

Filing A Claim For Storm Damage Repair

After the storm passes, you can file an insurance claim by email or phone. However, this is what you must keep in mind:

Read the Insurance Policy

Despite not being the most interesting document to read, you must never ignore reading your insurance policy. This is because you’re likely to find some vital information to help you throughout the process, including:

Nature of roof storm damage covered

Statute of limitations

Amount of your deductible

Maximum roof insurance claims

Policy exclusions

State or local policy that may affect your claim

Every insurance company covers wind damage claims differently. Some companies consider roof repairs but not complete roof replacements. The age of your roof matters to other insurance providers. These may cover roof repair for up to a given number of years.

Related Article: Does Insurance Cover Roof Replacement?

Don’t hesitate to Contact Your Insurance Company

Your insurer has a statute regarding the limitations of filing claims, but you shouldn’t wait until the 11th hour to contact them. When the storm passes, get a storm damage assessment. This allows seeing the extent of storm damage from the ground.

Call a professional roofing contractor to inspect roof damage you can’t see from the ground. A thorough inspection helps you to describe the extent of storm damage accurately.

Don’t wait too long since your insurance policy may have a time frame to file the insurance claim. Besides, doing this sooner speeds up the process of storm damage roof repair.

Another reason is that the insurance company also handles claims from other homeowners. Filing your claim earlier puts you on top of the insurer’s priority list. Have your policy number, inspection reports, or estimates handy before calling the insurance company.

When contacting the insurer, let them understand your family’s specific needs to get special consideration. Inquire when to expect the insurance adjuster to prepare for his visit. A good idea is to have the adjuster’s supervisor’ number in case he’s in a location with broken cell phone masts.

Document Your Loss

The insurance company will send an adjuster to assess the damage and write you a check on the spot. However, the insurance provider may request you to send photos of the storm damage and estimates before approving your claim. It’s the right moment to call a roofing contractor.

An experienced roofer understands how to look beyond broken shingles and structural damage while documenting the extent of the storm damage. The contractor will take pictures that show the significant roof damage, which they will give you, along with a professional estimate.

Take photos of your roof before severe weather, especially when you maintain it, and mark them with a date.

The photos must be from different angles of your roof, and they must show the condition of the roofing materials. These will prove that your roof was in good condition before the severe storm.

Don’t discard all damaged items and materials before having the roof inspected by an insurance adjuster. However, you may do so after taking photos of them if required by your local municipality for safety reasons.

Don’t Wait for the Check

If you have water leaking into your interior because of missing shingles, you don’t have to wait for the check from your insurance provider, especially if you have severe damage on your roof. The company is likely to reimburse emergency tarping to limit the extent of storm damage.

Doing this is very important since insurance claims are not approved the same day they are filed. You’re less likely to get penalized for limiting the hail damage extent before the check comes. The insurance company will send you a check to cover materials and another to complete the storm damage restoration.

You will need a roofing contractor to fix the serious damage on the roof, but some need a deposit to start the job. Starting repairs on storm-damaged roofs is strongly recommended since the check from the insurance company may take some time.

It depends on the number of claims they are handling and how soon you filed your claim. The insurance adjusters also have many homes to inspect before approving your claim.

Avoid Making Impulsive Decisions After Hail Damage

You’re likely to have various roofing contractors knocking on your door after the first day of the hail storm. These come with promises of having solutions to fix the hail damage on your property. The rule of thumb is not to trust an out-of-town contractor to fix the damage to your roof.

Consider talking to two or three local contractors before making a decision. Compare the service providers by considering aspects such as possession of general liability cover and workman’s compensation insurance. Don’t fall for those whose deals sound too good to be true.

A good idea is to choose a company that offers free inspection of hail damage and estimates. There’s a chance that the contractor will help you deal with your insurance provider to make the claims process more manageable.

Look out for contractors promising to cover or waive your deductible. It’s insurance fraud which is a felony in Texas. Similarly, watch out for those asking for a cash deposit. Due diligence is essential to avoid ending up with more problems.

Find an Experienced Roofing Company to Replace Missing Shingles

Don’t let the claim process intimidate you, although handling things yourself seems overwhelming. Find an experienced roofing contractor with an excellent reputation to help restore your roof from hail damage.

The ideal contractor will help you handle the documentation process and submit the documents to your insurance company. Some insurers have roofers that they recommend after vetting.

However, it’s not mandatory to stick to those.

The rule of thumb is to find a reliable, experienced roofing company in Austin, Texas, to repair or replace your roof quickly and professionally.

You’ll save money in the long run because you can determine the early signs of sagging and rot caused by water damage. Therefore, water won’t have the chance to leak and drip into the walls, which would lead to costly repairs.

Having a functional roof is essential, and your roofing materials keep you safe from the elements. You can also focus on making your home more energy efficient and add curb appeal. However, have you ever considered the cheapest roofing material and what it might be?

We’re here to talk about the cheapest roofing material to replace today, and that term is mainly subjective. It’s crucial to compare price points because you need to balance the cost and the type of roofing material you will consider.

Most homeowners are on a budget and don’t have too much money to spend. Therefore, they require a cost-effective roofing material that protects their homes without paying more than necessary.

How Much Will A New Roof Cost?

New roof installation costs about $9,000 on average. However, you can spend up $12,000 or more if you prefer architectural shingles. The price gets distributed between labor and materials.

Pricing Factors

Three primary factors determine the cost of your roof replacement:

Working Conditions – The contractors must be safe while working. Hot or cold weather conditions might impact the duration of your project and the ease of doing the work. Milder conditions mean that the job gets completed faster.

Damages – Lucky homeowners don’t have any damage to deal with, so they may not have to replace the roof. In that case, they can choose the most affordable roofing material.

Material Removal – Homes with asphalt roofing generally have many layers of asphalt shingles to remove before the new roof can be put on. This takes more time and effort.

Actual cash value coverage is one of the things people benefiting from homeowners insurance aims for when filing a roof damage claim. The reason for this is many insurance policies don’t pay you the value of what your roof may have cost you in the past but rather what it’s worth today.

Investing in roof maintenance is one of the best things you can do if you want to save money from roof repairs and replacements in the future. Nonetheless, some situations are either unpredictable or unstoppable and when those situations strike, you have to spend some money on roof repairs.

We are, of course, talking about things such as hail damage, storm damage, and wind damage. However, what can you do if you don’t have enough money to repair the roof? The answer is to file a roof insurance claim to get enough money for the replacement or repairs needed.

Unfortunately, many people are scared to contact their insurance company to claim their homeowner’s insurance since they think that could cause problems, such as losing discounts in the future. The truth is that even if the process to contact your insurance company can be stressful, you should do it.

Do you want to benefit from homeowners insurance? It’s time to contact a roofing contractor to help you with the matter. Here at Water Damage and Roofing of Austin, we are happy to help you, so call us and tell us how we can help you!

Related Article: How To Get Storm Damage Roof Repair From Your Insurance Company

How Prone Are People To Suffer From Roofing Damage In Austin?

As we mentioned before, homeowners insurance is there to help you when unforeseeable issues damage your roof, but how prone are those issues to happen in Austin?

You have to consider the time of the year we are in since everything depends on the weather. Regarding hail, hail, for example, is not as common as other weather phenomena that could damage your roof. The last hail in Austin was on March 21, 2022.

On the contrary, thunderstorms are much more common in this city, so storm damage could be a good reason to contact your insurance company and file a roof damage claim. Austin gets several sudden storms throughout the year, so insurance companies are used to roof insurance claims coming from this problem.

Wind damage is prone to happen in April since it’s one of the windiest months of the year in Austin. However, you shouldn’t worry about things such as tornadoes or hurricanes since, although they can and have happened, they are not as common as other thunderstorms or other weather phenomena.

Is The Roof Insurance Claim Process Complex? How To Deal With The Insurance Company

The short answer is that it depends on how severe the roof damage is and the insurance adjuster you deal with. On a basic basis, the process to contact your insurance company and file a roof damage claim shouldn’t be that complex, and you should only need to file the claim and get the benefits of it.

Nevertheless, insurance companies don’t approve all insurance claims, so things get a bit trickier if you want to make a roof damage claim you know your insurance company will approve. This often includes handling some paperwork and studying your insurance policies and what they cover.

Going through the insurance claim process becomes much easier when you rely on a roofing contractor or insurance agent who can help you deal with the insurance company. The reason for that is they will explain every step of the process to you and tell you what you should do to avoid making any mistakes while filing the claim.

When addressing other situations, such as car insurance, people have even called lawyers to help them get the insurance company to get them the money they deserve since insurance companies often do what they can to avoid paying for insurance claims.

Regardless of that, you should be good to go with a decent roofing contractor or an insurance agent.

Can I Get The Actual Cash Value Of What I Lost With A Roofing Damage Insurance Claim?

Actual cash value coverage is one of the things people benefiting from homeowners insurance aims for when filing a roof damage claim. The reason for this is many insurance policies don’t pay you the value of what your roof may have cost you in the past but rather what it’s worth today.

Setting cars as an example, if you got a car for $10,000 when the car just came out, and five years later the car is worth $7,000, the insurance company will give you $7,000 for the accident, which is $3,000 short of what you invested in the first place.

Nonetheless, if you have actual cash value coverage, you can get the full replacement cost of what you need to pay for the roof, so you won’t have to take money out of your own pocket to repair roof damage.

This is something you have to negotiate with your insurance provider and see if the insurance company you enrolled into offers you that. If it does, you and your insurance agent should do your best to get that since that would be the best-case scenario.

Apart from the inconvenience and frustration, a roof leak in Austin, TX, is any homeowner’s worst nightmare. There’s no good time to be in such a situation. By the time you notice a small leak, it may have caused considerable damage.

This post will talk about signs of a leak, such as those in roof valleys or the flashing in a vent pipe, the potential damage, some DIY solutions, and when to call a roofer like Water Damage and Roofing Austin.

Causes Of A Leaky Roof

Here are possible factors that may cause most roof leaks:

Small Holes Resulting From Storm Damage

Austin is prone to storms that may cause small holes in a roof. These are extremely sneaky and may go undetected for years. A tiny hole may cause grievous damage to your home and wallet in the long run.

The roof penetrations will eventually start leaking when you least expect them. Small holes may also appear on your roof if you remove an old antenna or dish where you had anchored it.

Read more: How to Repair Hole in Roof

Age of Your Roof

The older your roof gets, the more chances of developing small leaks, especially in the roof valleys. Regular exposure to harsh weather and temperature changes makes a roof old and tired. It will eventually lose the battle against exposure to water, and leaks will develop.

How long the roof lasts depends on the materials used:

Standard asphalt shingles last about 20 years

Fiber cement shingles last about 25 years

Wood shake shingles last about 30 years

Metal, slate, and tile roofs last about 50 years

A roof becomes brittle and deteriorates with time, making it unable to protect your home from leaks. Damage or neglect shortens the life of your roof, regardless of its roofing materials.

Clogged Gutters

Regardless of your roof design, you’ll likely experience leaks when the gutters are clogged. Falling leaves and debris clog the gutters and limit water flow. It builds up and overflows to cause leaks.

Missing Shingles

The shingles protect your roof and allow water to run into the gutters. All nails holding the shingles ensure they do their job properly to avoid leaks.

Poor installation of the shingles, such as missing nails, may sometimes encourage leaks. Using substandard roofing material during installation is also disastrous.

Storm or wind damage may damage the shingles or blow them off your roof. If your house is near some trees, a fallen branch may puncture the shingles and roofing underneath to increase the chances of leaks.

Damaged Flashing

A roof has metal that goes over joints and seams to protect it from leaks, known as flashing. Its poor installation may encourage water to enter your house. It may also move out of position when not appropriately attached.

Metal flashing is also prone to damage over time from corrosion, allowing water to pass through.

Roof Vents, Skylights, and Chimneys

Your roof has a risk of leaks if it has vents, skylights, or chimneys. Poor installation of these features can allow water to seep into your house. Water may come into your house if the step flashing around the skylight has cracks.

Insulation around the skylight also deteriorates over time, causing a leaking roof. The chimney may break down with time and also contribute to leaks. Poor insulation of the roof vents may contribute to leaks when water goes through.

All shingles must pass rigorous testing to receive this certification. In order to be ready to sell to the general public, the test must be conducted at a national level by expert organizations and is used to rate the quality and resistance of each shingle type.

Weather conditions such as snow, wind, and hail cause a lot of damage to the roofs of people living in Austin, Texas. Bad weather occurs more often at this location compared to other parts of the United States. You should use the best roofing material for your house if you live there or in the surrounding areas. It will help you save costs and reduce the frequency of roof replacement and repair.

This article by Water Damage and Roofing of Austin will explore the common damages and the most durable roofing materials to help safeguard your house.

Roof Replacement

It’s a big decision to decide which kind of roofing material you want for your roof replacement. To take the best decision in any situation, you need extensive studies and tons of data.

The study phase of making this important decision is undoubtedly the most difficult. It’s truly overwhelming how much information there is to take in.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have all of the best roofing materials in one location, along with information on how to choose the correct one for you?

An experienced roofing contractor in Austin can help you find the best roofing materials and help you decide if you need a new roof or just roof repair.

The Best Roofing Materials

There are many roofing options available for your new roof. However, there are some that homeowners from across the nation prefer, particularly in Austin.

The reviews of these roofing materials below should help you figure out the best one for your project.

1. Asphalt Shingle Roof

The most typical form of roofing material you see on homes today is an asphalt shingle roof. Its appeal stems from the fact that it is the most cost-effective kind of roof available.

Asphalt shingles and most other roofing materials of the same substance make up the majority of asphalt roofs. The advantage of Asphalt shingle roofs is that you may choose from a variety of shingles based on your budget and the style you desire.

3-tab, dimensional, and luxury asphalt shingles are the different varieties. Although 3-tab shingles are used to rule the market, dimensional shingles are now the most popular kind used to cover roofs.

Although they cost almost twice as much, luxury-style tiles are just as aggressively pushed as dimensional ones. Check out this post on the three different types of asphalt shingles for a more detailed analysis of your shingle options.

Read more: Shingle Roofs vs Metal Roofs

2. Metal Roofing 

A standing seam metal roof system has several metal plates that are joined together. As a result, as the metal heats up, the panels can freely expand and compress.

Metal roofing is now becoming popular although still not as common as asphalt. This is partly because of the price of metal roofs on the market. Installing a new roof of this type costs two to three times more than the asphalt shingle type.

A metal roof is a versatile component in home designs. You can add it to complement your porch, including flat roof facets, and more when replacing your asphalt roof with a standing seam metal roof.

3. Cedar Shake Roof

A cedar shake roof is a high-quality roofing system made of natural wood components, and it is one of the most aesthetically stunning roofing materials on the market. The actual shingles are created by manually sawing or dividing taper-sawn cedar trees.

Wood that has been hand-split appears more abrasive, whereas wood that has been taper-sawn is considerably smoother. Cedar shingles are made biologically, if any of the parts malfunction too quickly, there is no manufacturer warranty.

The workmanship warranty of a roofing contractor is the only remaining option for protecting your investment. You should understand that cedar shake shingles lose their color as they age. They also crack, curl, and decay based on their environment.

4. Composite Shingle Roof

DaVinci shingles, for example, are comprised of a designed polymer rather than recycled resources, which makes them different from other composite shingles. Because they are made to resemble cedar shake or slate roofs accurately, composite shingles are distinctive.

To achieve the most realistic appearance possible, they employ molds of real cedar shake shingles and slate tiles. You might be able to distinguish between synthetic shingles and the roofing material they imitate if you operate in the roofing industry.

However, from the ground, neither you nor your neighbors or anyone passing by will be able to detect the difference. A composite shingle roof is a fantastic and long-lasting roofing material if you have the money for it.

5. Slate Roof

The primary components of a slate roof, which is a high-end roofing system, are natural slate tiles and other roofing materials.

This makes replacing your old roof with a new slate roof highly time-consuming and expensive. Slate tiles are so heavy that your home must be constructed, braced, or renovated to support their weight.

Slate roofs are among the most attractive and durable roofing materials available. However, they are expensive. It will be the final roof you ever install on your house if you can pay the premium price.

6. Clay Roof Tiles

Like concrete tiles, clay roof tiles are more prevalent in regions with harsh UV rays, such as the Southwest and the desert. While reflecting sunshine and keeping the house cool, clay tiles improve curb appeal. They typically cost between $10 and $24 per square foot and have a 50-year lifespan.

7. Concrete Roofing

Concrete tiles are lightweight, long-lasting, and simple to install, making them popular in areas with much sun. They are renowned for enduring more than 50 years, having a distinctive Spanish appearance, and being fire and pest resistant. These concrete tiles cost between $10 and $24 per square foot.

8. Low-Sloped and Flat Roof Options

Building materials sych as EPDM rubber, PVC, TPO, and others can help create low-slope and flat roofs. Although not particularly prevalent in the United States today, these roofing materials are a better choice for flat roofs since they are better at avoiding leaks. Materials for flat roofs have a lifespan of 10 to 30 years and cost $6.50 to $15 per square foot.

Here are tips by Water Damage and Roofing of Austin on how to get a storm damage roof repair insurance claim.

Investing in roof maintenance is one of the best things you can do if you want to save money from roof repairs and replacements in the future. Nonetheless, some situations are either unpredictable or unstoppable and when those situations strike, you have to spend some money on roof repairs.

We are, of course, talking about things such as hail damage, storm damage, and wind damage. However, what can you do if you don’t have enough money to repair the roof? The answer is to file a roof insurance claim to get enough money for the replacement or repairs needed.

Unfortunately, many people are scared to contact their insurance company to claim their homeowner’s insurance since they think that could cause problems, such as losing discounts in the future. The truth is that even if the process to contact your insurance company can be stressful, you should do it.

Do you want to benefit from homeowners insurance? It’s time to contact a roofing contractor to help you with the matter. Here at Water Damage and Roofing of Austin, we are happy to help you, so call us and tell us how we can help you!

Related Article: How To Get Storm Damage Roof Repair From Your Insurance Company

How Prone Are People To Suffer From Roofing Damage In Austin?

As we mentioned before, homeowners insurance is there to help you when unforeseeable issues damage your roof, but how prone are those issues to happen in Austin?

You have to consider the time of the year we are in since everything depends on the weather. Regarding hail, hail, for example, is not as common as other weather phenomena that could damage your roof. The last hail in Austin was on March 21, 2022.

On the contrary, thunderstorms are much more common in this city, so storm damage could be a good reason to contact your insurance company and file a roof damage claim. Austin gets several sudden storms throughout the year, so insurance companies are used to roof insurance claims coming from this problem.

Wind damage is prone to happen in April since it’s one of the windiest months of the year in Austin. However, you shouldn’t worry about things such as tornadoes or hurricanes since, although they can and have happened, they are not as common as other thunderstorms or other weather phenomena.

Is The Roof Insurance Claim Process Complex? How To Deal With The Insurance Company

The short answer is that it depends on how severe the roof damage is and the insurance adjuster you deal with. On a basic basis, the process to contact your insurance company and file a roof damage claim shouldn’t be that complex, and you should only need to file the claim and get the benefits of it.

Nevertheless, insurance companies don’t approve all insurance claims, so things get a bit trickier if you want to make a roof damage claim you know your insurance company will approve. This often includes handling some paperwork and studying your insurance policies and what they cover.

Going through the insurance claim process becomes much easier when you rely on a roofing contractor or insurance agent who can help you deal with the insurance company. The reason for that is they will explain every step of the process to you and tell you what you should do to avoid making any mistakes while filing the claim.

When addressing other situations, such as car insurance, people have even called lawyers to help them get the insurance company to get them the money they deserve since insurance companies often do what they can to avoid paying for insurance claims.

Regardless of that, you should be good to go with a decent roofing contractor or an insurance agent.

Can I Get The Actual Cash Value Of What I Lost With A Roofing Damage Insurance Claim?

Actual cash value coverage is one of the things people benefiting from homeowners insurance aims for when filing a roof damage claim. The reason for this is many insurance policies don’t pay you the value of what your roof may have cost you in the past but rather what it’s worth today.

Setting cars as an example, if you got a car for $10,000 when the car just came out, and five years later the car is worth $7,000, the insurance company will give you $7,000 for the accident, which is $3,000 short of what you invested in the first place.

Nonetheless, if you have actual cash value coverage, you can get the full replacement cost of what you need to pay for the roof, so you won’t have to take money out of your own pocket to repair roof damage.

This is something you have to negotiate with your insurance provider and see if the insurance company you enrolled into offers you that. If it does, you and your insurance agent should do your best to get that since that would be the best-case scenario.