Project Manager: Jeff Danser

407-385-0697

Partners

Roofing Information and Links

Thanks for choosing to work with me to replace your roof! I specialize in insurance restoration and will work with your insurance company as your advocate. Below is helpful information and links that will help prepare you for choosing a new roof. There are a few options so, I want to give you all the information I can now so you can make the best decision for your home.

If you have an insurance claim, there are a few things we will need to cover when we meet to talk about your roof replacement. If you're paying cash, all I will need is signed HOA app, signed permit apps, check for at least 50% and signed contract. If PAYING CASH: SKIP to Colors

Permit and Notice of Commencement (NOC) -- need signatures on paper (download application form and NOC)
HOA Application form (if applicable) -- need signature and color choices on paper (download application form)

Estimate of insurance coverage (sent to you from insurance company). Please forward a copy to jeff@roofingtopnotch.com
First Insurance check -- if you have a mortgage, this will need to be sent to the mortgage company for their endorsement; I can FedEx (up to 6 to 9 business days) or you can visit a local branch if available (less than 1 day)
Deductible check -- need to collect
Second Insurance check(s): Supplements and depreciation -- additional checks sent by insurance company after work is completed
Color choices: shingles, drip-edge and gutters
Sign documents:
- Hand shake agreement: this allows me to talk with your desk adjuster and negotiate supplements
- Roof Contract

What are supplements?

Supplements are simply fixing mistakes on the first estimates. Most of the time items are left out and need to be added. It can also be new building code requirements, adding tarp invoices and updating measurements. I have a lot of experience with insurance estimates and will make sure everything is correct so you don't have to pay out of pocket for additional expenses from storm damages.

Damaging hail is about 1 to 1.25 inches or larger

Hail can cause more damage when it's dense. Dense hail can appear more white in the center. Slushy or soft hail does not cause much damage. Try to remember to take photos and/or videos when it hails near your house. These can be used to prove when and where the damage occured. (reference)

Shingle Styles and Colors

Certainteed, GAF and Owens Corning are the top of the line shingles in quality and warranties. All architectural styles have many colors to choose from. There are other designer styles available you can choose to upgrade. Please see the link below to view all the different styles. My recommendation is to go with Certainteed. 98% of our business is with Certainteed. So, there are benefits to that which is the option for the best warranty upgrades.

Certainteed

Landmark, Landmark Pro and Landmark Premium Architechtural Shingles

GAF: Timberline HDZ

GAF Timberline HDZ shingles are a high quality shingle one of the best wind warranties (15 years unlimited wind speeds) and ten year workmanship. The colors are linked in the downloads below.

NOTE: Due to COVID-19, GAF is only producing the following colors at this time. The pandemic has forced them to shut down production of some colors until further notice. Below are the colors of GAF Timberline HDZ being produced at this time. Production has been stopped on ALL other colors. Please ask about American Harvest colors to check availability.

Colors Being Produced:

Birchwood
Charcoal
Driftwood
Shakewood
Weathered Wood
Oyster Gray
Pewter Gray

Warranty Comparison Download

Owens Corning: Duration and Duration Designer

Owens Corning Duration shingles are a high quality shingle that has the most colors to choose from and an outstadning warranty with ten year workmanship.

Warranty Comparison

Other Color Choices

Other colors needed for handling flat roof areas:

Florida Building Code Slope Limits for Roofing Materials -- This code says that if you have a part of your roof that is flat, this must be covered with flat roof materials. It will not pass inspection if there are shingles in these areas. Most common area is a dead valley. The drawback of this is that your flashing may need to be replaced which includes removing stucco or siding. If siding is removed, we will need details about styles and paint colors. See more details in the FAQ below.

Dead Valley Flat Roof 2/12 Pitch

Main benefit: Better water run-off and meets Florida building code.
Check for leaks in this area!

Roof Protection Accessories

Your roof will have a long life and most roofs last many years. However, weather can take a toll on your roof and depending on the severity of each storm that passes... A storm can shave off years of life in just a few hours. Because of this, GAF has roof protection accessories that you can use to add extra layers of protection from the weather.

Roof Protection Accessories Download

Recommended Upgrade

Peel and stick the entire roof (replaces underlayment)
I highly recommend using peel and stick (aka ice/watershield) on the entire roof. The reason for this is back in 2021, the state of Florida changed the building codes to require double underlayment on all new roofs. The drawback of this is twice as many nails in the roof and the worst part is that those nails are put right down the middle of the underlayment below it. This defeats the purpose of underlayment as it's meant to shield from leaks that get past your shingles. With peel and stick, no nails are required. Leaving only the shingles that require nails. In addition, the shingle nails will be sealed by the sticky nature of the peel and stick below.

Peel & Stick Entire Roof

Main benefit: LESS NAILS!
Cost is around $30 per square.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an ACV and RCV insurance policy?
ACV is Actual Cost Value (Depreciation NOT paid)
ACV polices only cover what the roof is worth at the time. Meaning they don't pay for depreciation which will not cover the entire cost to replace your roof.

RCV is Recoverable Cost Value (Depreciation paid with proof of work)
RCV polices cover the entire cost to replace your roof. However, it is required to show proof the work was completed with a "certificate of completion" or COC and a final inspection passed before they will send the final check which covers the depreciation.

Why my didn't my insurance company send enough to cover the roof costs?
If you have an RCV policy, the insurance company withholds the depreciation until the roof is complete and they recieve the invoices and a certificate of completion (COC) as proof. Once these documents are sent in, the insurance company will send another check to cover the remaining costs. Another check may be sent to pay for supplements. Supplement payments can be a separate check or combined with the depreciation payment. They can be sent during or after work is completed.

What is the deductible?
The deductible is the amount of the claim that the insurance company expects you to pay out of pocket. This is usually collected by the contractor up front along with the first insurance check. You will see this amount subtracted from the insurance estimate. For example, if you have a $1000 deductible and your roof costs $20,000, your insurance company will send you $19,000 and expect you to cover the remaining $1000 of the total cost.

What is involved with replacing flashing in a dead valley?
In the dead valley, Florida building code requires flat roofing material (pitch is 2/12). This means the new material will need to be run up against the flashing under the stucco. If there is not a leak in this area, we can run the new material next to the flashing under the stucco. If there is a leak in this area, the flashing will need to be replaced. That means we will need to remove siding materials to install new flashing. Then replace and paint the siding afterward which are additional costs. Usually insurance companies will pay for this part of the job through supplements because it's often left out of the first estimate. You can check your insurance estimate to see if they covered it.

Roof Pitch Chart

The most common roof pitch is 6/12. Florida building code requires flat roofing materials on roofs with a pitch of 2/12 and lower.