Hail Damage and Roof Replacements

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This post comes from Thaddeus Mack our Director of Technical Services.

With the recent hail storms that came through our area on April 7, 2020, you may see an influx of roofing companies in the area looking for work.  Some of these contractors will even go door to door and ask to look at your roof and offer a free estimate to assess your roof.  Being well informed before this happens will arm you with the tools to decipher the good from the bad. 

  • In the State of Illinois, all roofing contractors are required to have a license.  For residential roof work, the roofer is required to have a “limited license.”  For commercial roofing work, contractors are required to have an “unlimited license.”  You can quickly verify if a roofer has a valid license or not by using the State website: https://ilesonline.idfpr.illinois.gov/DFPR/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx

  • The State requires all roofing projects to have at least one licensed roofer from the company on site at all times to ensure the work is being done in compliance with the license and state regulations.  That roofer should have a copy of their license on their person and the license number and company name on their vehicle. 

  • Roofing contractors will offer to facilitate negotiations with your insurance company to get the roof paid for.  What you don’t know is that sometimes the cost of the roof work is far less than the cost the roof company pays out.  It never hurts to get your insurance company involved to do an assessment of the damage before signing anything.  If you’re still unsure, call a local and trusted roofer for a second opinion to see if the costs are in line.

  • Be sure to read the entire “estimate” the contractor is preparing for your home.  Some of these estimates have fine print on the back page that turn the “estimate” into a contract to do the work if the home owner does not specifically call to cancel within a short time period.

  • Do not be pressured to sign anything.  It’s OK to take some time to do research into the customer satisfaction of the roofing company and make sure you’re working with a reputable contractor who is responsive and does a quality job.  You can even ask for other roofs they’ve done in the area and drive by to take a look at their work.

  • Lastly, all roof replacement and major repair work requires a permit.  Permits must be obtained prior to the start of work and must be visibly posted on the street side of the property.  Permit fees are set by the municipality and should be available for you to confirm this cost is included in your quote OR is being provided by the contractor.