After the storm, a clear-headed plan.

Safety, documentation, and not signing anything.

The first job, before anything else, is safety. Stay out of standing water near downed lines. Stay off the roof if you are not trained to be on it. Tarp obvious leaks if you can do so safely from inside, or hire a reputable local company to perform an emergency tarp — and document the visit with a written invoice.

The second job is documentation. Photograph everything: the roof from the ground, every elevation of the house, the yard, the gutters, every interior leak or stain, every personal item that was damaged. Date-stamp the photos. Note the time the storm passed. Save the local weather report and, if available, a NOAA storm report for the date.

The third job, and this is the most important one: do not sign anything. Not an inspection authorization. Not an assignment of benefits. Not a contingency contract. Not a 'work to be performed pending insurance approval' form. Door-knockers will arrive within hours of major weather. The right answer is always the same: thank you, we are still assessing, we are not signing today.

“The first 72 hours are when most homeowners make the decisions they later regret. The right answer to almost every paper that gets put in front of you is: not today.”

Reading the document before the adjuster reads it to you.

Before you call your insurance company, read your policy. Specifically, find your declarations page, your deductible (including any separate wind/hail deductible, which in Texas is often a percentage of dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount), your coverage limits, and any endorsements that affect roofing claims — particularly the difference between Replacement Cost Value (RCV) and Actual Cash Value (ACV) coverage on the roof.

RCV pays the cost to replace the roof with new materials, usually in two checks: an initial ACV check and a recoverable depreciation check paid after work is completed and documented. ACV coverage pays only the depreciated value and leaves you to fund the rest. The difference can be tens of thousands of dollars. Know which one you have before the conversation starts.

The companion essay, Reading Your Policy, treats this in greater depth. For storm restoration specifically, the four numbers that matter are your dwelling limit, your deductible, your wind/hail deductible if separate, and whether your roof is on RCV or ACV.

What to say, what to leave out, what to keep.

When you call to file the claim, describe the event factually. The storm date. The general areas of damage you have observed. The fact that you have photographs and are continuing to document. Do not estimate dollar amounts. Do not speculate about cause. Do not commit to a contractor or scope of work. The claim number you receive is the anchor for everything that follows; write it down and use it on every subsequent communication.

Keep a single, dated log of every contact: phone calls (with names and times), emails, voicemails, contractor visits, adjuster visits. The log is your single source of truth if anything in the claim is later disputed. It takes thirty seconds per entry and saves entire weeks if the file ever goes sideways.

Request your adjuster's report in writing once the inspection is complete. The report — usually called a 'scope of loss' or 'estimate of damages' — is the document the rest of the restoration is built on. Read it. If anything visible from your own photographs is missing from it, flag it in writing with the adjuster before you sign off.

The questions to ask and the red flags to walk away from.

Choose your contractor on the basis of the company's record, not the urgency of the moment. Ask how long they have operated under their current name. Ask for their physical local address. Ask for proof of general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage, and call to verify both. Ask for the names of three customers in the same zip code whose roofs they replaced more than three years ago — and call those customers.

Walk away, without exception, from any contractor who: asks you to sign before the adjuster has scoped the loss; offers to 'waive' or 'eat' your deductible (this is illegal in Texas under §27.02 of the Insurance Code and a felony in most circumstances); pressures you to sign an assignment of benefits transferring your insurance rights to them; or refuses to put any commitment in writing.

The right contractor will be willing to wait for the adjuster, willing to walk the roof with you and explain what they see, willing to put scope and pricing in writing, and willing to be paid in the normal sequence that the policy provides. Patience on the front end of a restoration is the cheapest insurance policy you will ever buy.

“Walk away from any contractor who asks you to sign before the adjuster has scoped the loss. There is no exception to this rule.”

What a properly executed restoration looks like.

A properly executed roof restoration starts with a documented tear-off of the existing system down to the deck. The deck is inspected and any rotted or compromised sheathing is replaced. New synthetic underlayment is installed per manufacturer specification. New drip edge, valley metal, and step flashing are installed where required. New pipe boots and any necessary chimney or wall flashings are installed. Shingles are installed per the manufacturer's published nailing pattern — typically six nails per shingle in Texas wind zones, not four.

Ridge and hip caps are installed last, with proper ventilation balance maintained between intake (soffit or edge vents) and exhaust (ridge or off-ridge vents). A working ventilation system is the single most important factor in the long-term life of the roof; under-ventilated attics cook shingles from the underside and void most manufacturer warranties.

Documentation should accompany every step: photos of the bare deck, photos of underlayment, photos of flashings, photos of nailing pattern, and the final invoice with every material noted by manufacturer and product line. Keep this packet. It is the document you will hand the next buyer of your home.

Closing the claim and protecting the warranty.

Once the work is complete, your contractor will provide a final invoice and, in an RCV claim, supplemental documentation for the depreciation release. Submit both to your carrier promptly. Most policies require the supplemental claim to be submitted within a stated window (often twelve to twenty-four months); missing the window forfeits the depreciation.

Register the manufacturer's warranty in your name. Many warranties require online registration within thirty days of installation. The contractor's workmanship warranty is a separate document; keep both, and store them with your photo and invoice packet from the installation.

Schedule a courtesy inspection one year after installation. A reputable restoration company will perform this for free. The point is to catch any settled flashings, sealant issues, or minor defects while they are still simple. A roof that is inspected annually and maintained quietly will last close to its rated life. A roof that is installed and forgotten will not.