Wood shake Roof estimate

I have a been receiving estimates for the replacement of my wood shake roof as requested by my insurance company “Chubb Insurance” for the past few days. I wanted to know if the items that these roofers have listed is exactly what is needed to be done to replace my roof properly. I will list these for you.

ROOF

  1. Remove 123.80 SQ of Wood Shakes
  2. Replace 148.60 SQ of Wood Shakes - Heavy Hand Split - Fire Resistant
  3. Replace 123.80 SQ roofing felt 30LB
  4. Replace 321 LF of Ridge Cap wood shingles
  5. Additional Charge for high roof 123.80 SQ (added twice?)
  6. Additional Charge for Steep roof greater than 12/12 123.80 SQ
  7. Replace and Replace - Copper Valley - V Channel - High Grade 464 LF
  8. Remove and Replace - Copper Drip Edge 1096 LF
  9. Step Flashing - Copper - 249 LF
  10. Flashing 14" Copper - 70 LF
  11. Fireplace - Chimney Chase cover x 3
  12. Dumpster 40yds x 2

Gutters

Half round - copper 6" - 493LF
High Charge - 356 LF

The dollar amounts for the estimates that I have gotten (3) as requested by Chubb are:

  1. $187,712.56
  2. $169,850.00
  3. $210,449.20

I feel that there exists a hugh difference in pricing here and wanted to know what a roof like mine should be priced at. The roof is extremely high built on a hill and most is over 3 stories in height, it is also very steep. When we originally built the house we asked for all copper flashing to be installed which was done and fire resistant wood shakes. We recently had a pretty severe hail and wind storm come through our neigborhood and the insurance company is now requesting estimates from licensed contractors. I want to make sure that anything needed to replace my roof is not overlooked and added to the estimate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karen Zambelli

I will let the other guys who are more experienced than me with insurance chime in BUT you do not need to get estimates from companies! Find a company who will work with you to get you the most amount of money possible out of your claim.

170k seems to low to be honest.

Your roof is worth more than my house :shock:

Bamm is right.,.,.,You are able to choose a contractor that YOU are comfortable with.
I would choose the contractor that makes you feel positive and who has the best credentials.

You need a contractor who is VERY familiar with insurance claims.The guy that meets an adjuster every now and then can really botch this up for you.You have a very dangerous roof with very expensive material.You need nothing but the best in your corner.

Have you ever considered redecking and installing a heavy weight shingle? I have handled shake claims and the insurance company was delighted to be done with the wood shakes.

I have heard that shakes handled severe winds better than a shingled and even metal roofs.I always thought that that was untrue.,.,.,until today,.,.,In Joplin,Missouri a woodshake roof was missing about 100 shakes while EVERY roof within a 10 block radius was devastated.So now I am a believer.

[quote=“mszambelli”]I have a been receiving estimates for the replacement of my wood shake roof as requested by my insurance company “Chubb Insurance” for the past few days. I wanted to know if the items that these roofers have listed is exactly what is needed to be done to replace my roof properly. I will list these for you.

ROOF

  1. Remove 123.80 SQ of Wood Shakes
  2. Replace 148.60 SQ of Wood Shakes - Heavy Hand Split - Fire Resistant
  3. Replace 123.80 SQ roofing felt 30LB
  4. Replace 321 LF of Ridge Cap wood shingles
  5. Additional Charge for high roof 123.80 SQ (added twice?)
  6. Additional Charge for Steep roof greater than 12/12 123.80 SQ
  7. Replace and Replace - Copper Valley - V Channel - High Grade 464 LF
  8. Remove and Replace - Copper Drip Edge 1096 LF
  9. Step Flashing - Copper - 249 LF
  10. Flashing 14" Copper - 70 LF
  11. Fireplace - Chimney Chase cover x 3
  12. Dumpster 40yds x 2

Gutters

Half round - copper 6" - 493LF
High Charge - 356 LF

The dollar amounts for the estimates that I have gotten (3) as requested by Chubb are:

  1. $187,712.56
  2. $169,850.00
  3. $210,449.20

I feel that there exists a hugh difference in pricing here and wanted to know what a roof like mine should be priced at. **The roof is extremely high built on a hill and most is over 3 stories in height, it is also very steep. **When we originally built the house we asked for all copper flashing to be installed which was done and fire resistant wood shakes. We recently had a pretty severe hail and wind storm come through our neigborhood and the insurance company is now requesting estimates from licensed contractors. I want to make sure that anything needed to replace my roof is not overlooked and added to the estimate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karen Zambelli[/quote]

I’m just guessing but I suspect that the price differences you are seeing are primarily due to the roofers perceptions of the difficulty of the job pertaining to the lay of the land.
A 3 story set-up for a steep roof is no picnic, some companies are better equipped than others for this type of work.

I can only guess again but I would wager that your home has a pretty cut-up roof.

You have one heck of a house!!! Good thing you got Chubb, they are the best of the best…

The last claim I worked with Chubb they just glanced at my bid and payed it. Several thousand more than the adjuster wrote it for.

Like others have said, don’t get too frustrated trying to save the insurance company money by shopping around for them. When you called Chubb to start your policy did you give them the price of two other insurance providers?

Do some research and let the contractor you trust most work for you by negotiating with Chubb.

Definately not trying to save the insurance carrier any money. I just really was more concerned with the differences in pricing between the 3 contractors. Chubb is not even sending an adjuster out to inspect my property. Which seems really odd to me. They said send us three estimates and tell us which contractor you have chosen and we will send you what they called an ACV check and once the work is complete the depreciation seems a bit retroactive but I am not writing the check :-). Again I am more concerned with the differences in pricing. Wish I knew if the pricing was inline and what I should look for in regards to getting what is needed to replace my roof properly.

Getting three bids in an open market is totaly fine and encouraged. Getting three bids while doing an insurance claim is a waste of two contractors time.

Rather than looking at three estimates interview the three contractors and find out about their company like,
How long in business, current proof of liability insurance (value amount), and workmans comp insurance, subs or has employees, warranty, referance list, the list could go on and on!

The highest priced contractor may not always be the best…

The last Chubb claim they sent out an adjuster to inspect for wind damage but they paid the claim in full before the work was started. The homeowner had a large deductible so that may have played into it. This roof was cheap at $33K compared to yours!!!

Karen:

I work on the adjusting side of things and your most important dilemma is making sure that the scope of the work is reflective of your roof in terms of quantity and operation.

The dollars should not matter.

Having an qualified and competent contractor is the most important thing you can do to help yourself. Based on the work description you wrote, here would be some of the questions I would have!

What about vents? Are there none on this roof?
What about pipe vents?
Are there any permits that need to be pulled?
Do you need Ice and water shield? (typically northern climates)
what weight of copper are they using versus what you have?

The copper being removed has a pretty good salvage value. Is this being reflected in their cost.

I"d ask the question who would be working on your roof? Is the contractor subcontracting this out or is everything in house? Naturally, license, bonded and insured is a necessity.

Ultimately, the company working on your roof should be the best qualified to do this work and they know what they need to make their money. The insurance paranoia in this case is unnecessary. What area of the country is your home located as roofing cost do vary substantially from area to area.

Bamm is right.,.,.,You are able to choose a contractor that YOU are comfortable with.
I would choose the contractor that makes you feel positive and who has the best credentials.

[quote=“pondpro”]Bamm is right.,.,.,You are able to choose a contractor that YOU are comfortable with.
I would choose the contractor that makes you feel positive and who has the best credentials.[/quote]

Hey PondGuy liner dude,Come up with your own replies.,.,.,leave mine alone,Be original,

[quote=“Roofmaster417”]

[quote=“pondpro”]Bamm is right.,.,.,You are able to choose a contractor that YOU are comfortable with.
I would choose the contractor that makes you feel positive and who has the best credentials.[/quote]

Hey PondGuy liner dude,Come up with your own replies.,.,.,leave mine alone,Be original,[/quote]

Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. :smiley:

When I had my wood roof replaced by a local roofer on my area before, I just spend 180+ dollars on all of the expenses. I think the first one is the most realistic.

Chubb does have a good reputation for paying their claims - usually insure higher end properties. For insurance work make sure the contractor has a good deal of experience working on insurance claims. The highest price may not relect the highest quality but the highest price probably reflects what any ins company should be paying based on how ins premiums are calculated.

What you should do is hire a roof consultant to inspect and represent you and the insurance company. A consultant will specify and obtain proper bids for comparison. Also the fees to pay a roof consultant are minimal compared to potential problems of such a large investment.

Ive had similar roofing problems. I received price quotes from multiple contractors for my roof but none of them compared to what Mc-Graw Hill had to offer. I suggest you all check out their site! :wink: