Couple of questions here. We had a hailstorm go through our area about three weeks ago. Old slate roof on the house, nothing special, probably original (built in the 1920’s). Anyways, hail was the size of golfballs and made large parts of the roof look like the surface of the moon. Had a slate company come out for an estimate and they advised a total reroof.
This company has a good reputation and they’re also the general on a historical renovation project our office is working on. And I’ve had another slate company do some work on the roof before, and wasn’t crazy with their quality. I’ll probably have to get a couple more estimates, but I trust that the first company is probably right. Problem is with insurance. Our carrier sent someone out this weekend and he gave us a check (just to get things going) that’s about 1/10 of the low range given by the slate company. And the rough estimate by the slate company is about 1/3 the value of the house. I’m thinking the insurance company is going to balk when they see the numbers.
I’m trying to plan ahead for what may be some ugly scenarios. The house is fine for us, but it’s not a jewel. The slate was old, and the guy who checked it out said it was a soft slate from Pennsylvania. The original roof didn’t leak, but neither was it in fantastic shape. Some of the skip sheathing is fragile and would need to be replaced if slate were installed. The hail banged up a lot of the metal roll ridge, dislocating some of it, and it wasn’t in great shape originally either. I’d be fine with a fiberglass shingle roof if that were an option, but plywood sheathing would need to be installed. And it’s not a big house (under 1500 sf), but it’s 2 stories with a couple of dormers.
Any theories? Stick to my guns and try to make the insurance company replace everything to match the original? Or be ready to bargain?
Replies
That soft Penn. slate was on borrowed time if was indeed 80 + years old.
I doubt that the Insurance will pay for a brand new slate roof-even though you had on already.
It's more likely they will think like you do-remove the slate,re sheath the deck and install new Arch. shingles at a lot less cost than a slate replacement
Thanks. That's what i'm thinking too. May just have to accept it.
What about replacing with concrete tile/slate roof? Cheaper than the slate and may not be too much more than a new 40+ yr shingle roof when you add in the decking and all.
Just saw Stress Test and the did some roofing tests, and the concrete held up best - better than clay tile even - when subjected to flame tests.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
That's an option. The insurance company still may not want to pay the extra, but i'll look into it, thanks.