All Forum Posts by: Jake Landry

there are many slab leak professionals. Lots of plumbers specialize in slab leaks. Google plumbers and read reviews to find one if you don't have a better source and when they come out, they can drop a line with a camera atttached down one of the vent stacks in roof and snake the line through the entire drainage system to determine if that's where the leaks are  vs. the supply lines. Lots of times, there are breaks in the sewer lines due to the drought when the land contracted due to dry soil. That could crack a line and/or cause foundation movement. The foundation movement itself could crack the line too. If it's an older home from the late 60's and prior, it could have cast iron sewer lines which tree roots can penetrate looking for water. The tree roots could even cause foundation movement. Some plumbers will run the camera for free if your going to use them to make the repairs. 

 Best of luck. 

most of the problems around low slope roofing is design flaw or bad installation. If installed per specification (which is available on every manufacturers website) they are good systems. The mid west is still one of the regions of the U.S. where EPDM roofs are popular but the best systems today are TPO. They can be installed in various methods whether is be fully adhered or mechanically attached but the best part about them is they have heat welded seams which are the strongest point of the sheet vs. an EPDM seam which is an adheared seam and can fail if water ponds around it. You could build a pool liner out of TPO. Pounding water will not void the warranty on TPO. To control pounding water and have the correct slope for drainage, a tapered ISO insulation board can be used. The tapered design plan and take off can be geneated for very little money. Most of the problems I'm hearing here are with the roofer and not the roof b

I use to work for GAF and the best contractors we had were called Master Elite Contarctors. You can get a complete list of the ones on your area if you go to GAF.COM and search under the property owners tab. There's a place to put your zip code in and the local Master elites in your area will populate and you can read their reviews and check them out before deciding if you want to call anyone on the list. It's extremely helpful for homeowners looking for a good trusted contractor. Also, check with local roofing distributors and ask who they would recommend. Make price your last priority or it could end up costing you way more in problems by hiring the guy that does a bad job and exposes you to more liability. 

Jake

If you go to GAF.com there is a place to enter your zip code and it will populate a list of Master Elite Contractors in your area. These contractors are Certified by GAF which is the largest roofing manufacturer in North America. They all have proper insurance, local and state licenses (if required) and are among the top 2% of contractors in your area. This is the most trusted source to use and there is no fee, no sign up required and no obligation. Just information and resources. Good luck. 

Jake

hey Garrett,

  There are several options these days. When it comes to slate "look a likes" you have to be careful because the attraction that meets the eye is not always the best long term option. Over time, the synthetic slate products made of different plastics and polymers will begin to fade and look less like real slate and more like real plastic. They are initially attractive and more cost effective that natural slate but not necessary a better value in all cases. I would suggest either a high quality asphalt shingle with a Lifetime warranty (50 years material, up to 25 workmanship guarantees) or a natural slate tile. GAF makes an awesome lifetime shingle called Camelot that looks like slate tiles and they also have a system called TruSlate. It's a natural slate roofing system but installs much easier through a batten and hanger system using all stainless steel hanging hardware. I'd be happy to share more detail if your interested. Either way, way all your options and most important, hire a good contractor. I can make recommendations. Good luck. 

Insurance adjusters don't set the price. They simply scope the damage to the property and measure the amount of roofing and other collateral damage. They use different pricing programs to figure the cost to repair or replace the damaged property. Its possible that they don't see all the damage or measure the roof properly but In most cases, they are able to get right on or close enough that there wouldn't be to large of a gap between their estimate and the contractors estimate. If they do miss something or don't measure properly, you and your contractor can file a supplement and the insurance company will pay the difference if there is documentation showing where the missed or unseen repairs are. Depending on the amount of loss or the cost of the repairs sometimes dictates how the claim is paid out. Here is how it typically goes................... ( I'm going to use hypothetical numbers below)

Total amount of claim  +10,000.00

less depreciation          -  2,000.00 (depending on your policy this money may be recoverable if all the work is completed and it will be paid at the end)

less deductible             -  2,000.00 (this is your responsibility. plenty of contractors will cover this for you but you will definitely get a **** job if you choose one of these guys because they will cut every single corner to make up their profit they lost by "covering your deductible")

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ACV (actual cash value) = 6,000.00 - This is usually the first of 2 checks you will receive. After the work is completed, you would file for the recoverable depreciation (2,000.00 from above) and they will send out your final check.

To sum up - You should be able to get your entire roof replaced for no more than your deductible. The exception to this rule is if you decide to upgrade your roof then you would also be responsible for that additional cost which is above and beyond the claim amount.

If for any reason, the contractors numbers and the insurance companies numbers don't match, than someone either mis-measured or one of the parties pricing is off. Either way, the insurance companies number one goal is to get your claim resolved and paid for as fast as possible. Feel free to ask any questions. Hopefully this was helpful.

  Where are you located? I could probably make a couple recommendations on a roofer. Depending on the size of roofing type of roof the price will differ dramatically. If you have a 1400 square-foot home with an attached two car garage and it's a one-story your roof is probably going to be around 23 squares and $4500 for 23 squares of roofing is very cheap. Going any lower than that and I would question the workmanship. Feel free to reach out. 

thanks for all the feedback. Very helpful

Other than creating an excel spreadsheet, does anyone use a detailed rent roll and expense sheet that easily creates a year end operating statement. Is there a cool app that I could access from my IPhone and/or home PC? If not, does anyone have an excel SS they would mind sharing? Id be happy to answer any construction related questions in return for some good geek info :) Gracias