Hail Damage! I am getting a new roof and have questions

We recently had a large hail storm…baseball size hail (cant post links so Goggle search Fishers, Indiana hail storm) in Indiana. I had my adjuster out few days ago and he said that they would only replace the roof, gutters, repaint wood trip and power wash ceder fence…and rework/ replace the siding on the damaged side of the house (basically 1 out of 4 sides) . I have had a few contractors provide me quote for the damage (roof, siding, gutters, fence, wood trim, etc.) and some have indicated that the siding should be replaced by the home owners insurance if the siding is out of style and doesn’t match…is that true? We have our home owners insurance through the Hartford. If they insurance company does pay to replace more siding I am tempted to do so myself because I am considered the 18 year old siding will look strange next to the new stuff…anyone have any tips or ideas here?

Also does anyone have any opinions on have a general contractor (damage repair specialist) represent you with when deal with the homeowners insurance company vs. you working with several different contractors and deal with the homeowners. What should I be looking for in a contractor besides…material, location, services records, etc…
I am a little nervous about hiring a contractor that does them all because each trade is different and what the work done with a high quality.

Now the roof questions:
We had an issue in our two story house that second story is hotter during the colder and colder in the winter (sometimes up to 5 degrees) w/ the HVAC system running…I know heat rises but tying to fix the issues somewhat.

I had my attic insulation check…R50 blown in.
A construction contractor gave me a price to install an attic fan…$1,400 dollars for two Air Vent PowerCool Plus 12 with humidistats…had him about today to look at the hail damage and he said that with getting a new roof I should not install a ridge vent if I do install the attic fans…what does everyone think? I have Soffit vents w/ soffit vents on the inside to allow air flow with the blown in insulation. Would the Soffit provide enough air movement for the attic fan?
The roof I am thinking of install the attic fan on is 9.26 squares, 32 feet of ridge and has a slope of 8/12.

Another question about singles how do Duration 30 singles compare to Certainteed landmark singles? Any tips on picking a roof contractor?

I know it a lot but any help would be great! Thanks, P

paging Authentic Roofer in 3…2…1…

those fans cost about $125 with a 5 year warranty…
If they came after the roof was done to install them…
then I can understand their pricing…But to install them while the roof work is being done is an easy add-on. Have you looked into solar powered ones?

Oh yeah, electrical work would add to the cost.
Adding a plug wire to the unit before installation
allows them to just plug into existing attic duplex outlets.

[quote=“thebaycompany”] Have you looked into solar powered ones?

Oh yeah, electrical work would add to the cost.
Adding a plug wire to the unit before installation
allows them to just plug into existing attic duplex outlets.[/quote]

Are those a good option…solar powered? What do you think about not installing the gable vent when I have the roof redone?

Anyone have any idea if the attic fans will create an issue with my sub slab radon mitigation system in my full fished basement?

Is there a website that ranks shingle from different manufactures against each other?

Thanks for the help! P

Good day,

Regarding your contractor choice, there’s so many options, I can understand how and why you are experiencing confusion.

Re: your comment about multiple trades from one contractor:

Many roofing contractors work closly with other trades, and are able to (and often to) source out work to them. In other words, if you ask a roofer to replace your eaves trough and he says sure, he may bring in a specialist and sub-contract the work to them. In most cases, you would not be made aware of this, and it’s quite common. Whether or not it’s a good idea, depends on the roofing contractor you’ve selected. A professional will source out work to professionals and you’ll end up with a professional job. The opposite is true also. On this note, let’s go to my next reply topic…

Re: how to select a professional contractor:

At the end of the day, you never know until you try, that’s the bottom line. At the same time, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk of ending up with a poor contractor. Here are a couple things you can look for:

  1. Track record with the better business bureau
  2. References ie: phone numbers of their previously satisfied clients (often just the fact that they provide you with numbers is a good sign
  3. Ask them outright “Prove to me that you’re a professional!”. Watch them squirm or watch whem shine, it’s a simple tactic that works.
  4. Assess their appearance, grubby shaggy vrs. clean cut and presentable. A good roofer, dressed as one, often isn’t experienced in the business side of the industry and can run a company into bankruptcy. And a clean cut guy with no roofing knowledge is not likely able to help you too much either.

There’s more I have to say on this but don’t want to run this reply too long…you can read more on this by visiting an article posted on my website at www.calgary-roofing.com/calgary_roofing … must_haves.

All the best!

Eric the Roofer

Thanks for the reply thus. Last post really helped me with in picking a good contractor!

A few of my questions i want to ask the pros on this forum from my earlier very long post still remain (Sorry my post was very long at first!)

  1. If I install two Air Vent PowerCool Plus 12 with humidistats would it be ok to install a new roof without ridge vent? I have Soffit vents w/ soffit vents (the form stuff between the rafters inside) on the inside to allow air flow with the blown in insulation. My ultimate question is Would the Soffit provide enough air movement for the attic fan or could i be pulling air from inside the house?

  2. Are there radon issues/ concerns with install attic fans? I have a radon mitigation system now.

  3. How do Owens Corning Duration 30 singles compare to Certainteed landmark singles? Should I be worrying about the single or are most of the shingles out there now in the 25 year + category good? I will be upgrading to the 3D singles.
    Thanks all for your help! Things are starting to be a little bit clearer.
    Thanks,
    P

If you are getting a bunch of bids to do insurance work from several contractors you are wasting both your time and there time. The only time you would want to do this if you were looking for the lowest possible bidder to pocket some insurance proceeds. The home owners that do this typicaly don’t stay in the home long after the repairs are made so they care very little about quality.

How insurance works on a home claim is they ask you to find a contractor you want to work with and then the contractor and the insurance company/adjuster/claims rep. hash out the numbers. Of course some insurance companies recommend contractors but they walk a fine line when they do that. I know of one insurance company who recommends a contractor I’ve heard many bad things about. They also have a lot of problems on the BBB.

If you were just hit with baseball sized hail there will be a lot of roofs in your area in need of repair. That being said the “good” local roofing contractors will be booked for the next 3-6 months or even longer. The storm chasers will go around stating they can have your roof done within two weeks but they typicaly overbook and take risks with shody crews.

Have any contractors told you about any holes in your shingles, valleys, or vents? If so you will either want to do a replacement sooner or later or a repair for now and a replacement later.

If I were in your shoes I’d start searching for a quality roofing/general contractor and start interviewing them. Don’t ask about price now just ask about there business history, references, warranty, and how they plan to work with your insurance company. Some offer more than offer, including free uprgrades and yard sign allowances to cover deductibles, which may be illegal in your state. It’s legal here in MN.

If you decide to go with Certainteed or Owens Corning make sure the installers are certified by the manufacturer so they can offer added warranties.

My order of shingle preferance would be,
Landmark,
Duration,
Heritage,
Cambridge,
any other 30 year laminate on the market,
Timberline

Just find a local roofer that has been around for longer than 2 weeks.

Call Reese and they wil give you 3 contractors that they recomend. (may be me, may not) :mrgreen:

John Reese is a stand up guy and runs a great supply house.

317-202-8200

They contractors that they recomend are going to be the ones that have been around for years, and they pay there bills. Those two go hand in hand with a quality business.

ABC supply supports the storm chasers, as does RSG.

good luck

And no you do not install the ridge vent if you are going with the power vents. You want the power vents to pull the cool air from your soffit. Not from the ridge 18" from he power vent.