Estimates, Missing Items & Supplements

Why is the insurance estimate lower than the contractor's?

This is one of the most common surprises in the whole claim process, and it usually isn't anyone cheating. The two estimates are built differently.

The adjuster's estimate is a first draft. It's typically written in Xactimate (industry pricing software) during a single inspection, sometimes in bad light or from a drone or ladder-edge view. First drafts routinely leave out line items — drip edge, ice & water shield, starter strip, flashing, steep-roof labor charges, detach-and-reset of satellite dishes and gutters. Your contractor's estimate, by contrast, is a bid to actually do the job, so it includes everything the crew will physically have to install.

Other common reasons for the gap:

• Scope differences. The adjuster wrote for a repair or one slope; the contractor priced a full replacement. (See whole roof vs. part of it.)
• Code items. Local building code may require materials the adjuster didn't include. See code-required work below.
• Depreciation confusion. The first check is the Actual Cash Value amount, not the full replacement cost. Many "low estimate" complaints are really recoverable depreciation that hasn't been paid yet.
• Pricing database vs. reality. Xactimate prices are regional averages updated periodically; a busy storm season can push real labor and material costs above them.

The good news: an initial estimate is not a final offer. Missing and underpriced items are handled through the supplement process.

Why are important items missing from my estimate?

Because the initial inspection is fast and the estimate only includes what the adjuster saw, measured, and chose to write. Some things simply aren't visible until tear-off (rotted decking, extra shingle layers). Others are small line items that get skipped when an estimate is written quickly.

These are the items adjusters most often leave out of roof and siding estimates in northern Illinois:

• Drip edge and starter strip
• Ice & water shield (required by code in most of northern Illinois)
• Ridge cap shingles
• Step, chimney, and counter flashing
• Ventilation (ridge vents, box vents, pipe boots)
• Valley metal
• Steep-roof or high-roof labor charges
• Detach & reset: satellite dish, AC lines, gutters, shutters, lights
• House wrap and window wrap (siding jobs)
• Permits and debris/dump fees
• Overhead & profit (O&P) — a general contractor's markup, typically added when three or more trades are involved

A missing item doesn't mean your insurer refuses to pay for it. It usually means nobody has documented it yet. That's exactly what a supplement is for — and it's why a detailed contractor estimate with photos matters so much.

What is a supplement?

A supplement is a documented request to add missing items — or correct underpriced ones — on an insurance estimate after the claim has been approved. It's a routine, expected part of storm claims, not a fight or a special favor. Carriers process supplements every day.

Here's how the workflow typically goes:

1. The contractor documents the gap. They compare the insurance estimate to what the job actually requires and back up each missing item with photos, measurements, and — where it applies — local building code citations.
2. The supplement is submitted to the carrier. The contractor sends it as the repair vendor, the same way any tradesperson itemizes the true cost of their own work.
3. The carrier reviews it. A desk adjuster may approve it from the documentation, ask questions, or send someone out to re-inspect. This can take anywhere from days to several weeks.
4. The estimate is revised. Approved items are added to a revised estimate, and the carrier issues additional payment — often as another check. (See why you got two checks; supplements can add more.)

Some supplements are written before work starts (visible items like missing drip edge); others come mid-job, when tear-off reveals hidden conditions like rotten decking or extra shingle layers.

Who submits supplements?

Usually your contractor, and that makes sense: they're the ones on the roof with the measurements, the photos, and the knowledge of what the job actually requires. As the repair vendor, a contractor can communicate directly with your insurance company about the scope and pricing of their own work — providing documentation, answering the desk adjuster's questions, and meeting a re-inspector on site.

What a contractor cannot do in Illinois is act as your claim negotiator. Negotiating or settling a claim on the insured's behalf is legally reserved for licensed public adjusters and attorneys. The line is real, even if it sounds subtle: "here is what my repair costs and why" is vendor communication; "I'll get you a bigger settlement" is claim negotiation.

Your role as the homeowner is small but important:

• Authorize it. Tell your insurer (or confirm on their form) that your contractor may discuss the scope and pricing of the repair with them.
• Forward paperwork. Estimates, revised estimates, and letters often go to you, the policyholder. Send them to your contractor promptly — supplements stall when documents sit in an inbox.
• Follow up. If a supplement has been pending more than a couple of weeks, a polite call from you — the customer — often moves it faster than another call from the contractor.

You can also write a supplement yourself for straightforward items, but most homeowners are better served letting the contractor handle the technical documentation. For large or badly underpaid claims, a public adjuster is another option.

Can additional damage be added to my claim later?

Generally yes, as long as the damage comes from the same storm (the same "date of loss") and the claim is still open — or can be reopened, which most carriers allow. Insurance claims aren't frozen at the first inspection.

Common examples of damage added after the initial estimate:

• Hidden damage found during tear-off — rotted or cracked decking, damaged flashing under the shingles, wet insulation.
• Damage the adjuster missed — a second slope, gutters, window wraps, garage roof, shed, fence, or siding that wasn't inspected closely.
• Interior damage that shows up later — a ceiling stain from a leak that started with the storm.

The key is connecting the damage to the covered event. Photograph everything before it's repaired or covered up, note dates, and have your contractor document how the damage ties back to the storm. Mid-job discoveries should be photographed before the crew keeps working, then submitted as a supplement.

Two cautions. First, damage from a different storm is a new claim with its own deductible, not an addition to this one. Second, don't wait years — policies require prompt notice, and the further you get from the date of loss, the harder the connection is to prove. See filing a claim for how deadlines work.

Why wasn't my flashing included?

Flashing is the metal that seals the joints where your roof meets something else — chimneys, walls, dormers, valleys. "Step flashing" runs up a wall in overlapping pieces; "counter flashing" caps it at a chimney; valley metal lines the channel where two slopes meet. It's one of the most commonly omitted items on insurance estimates.

Why it gets left out:

• Adjusters often assume it can be reused. Sometimes it can — but old flashing frequently bends, tears, or breaks during tear-off, and reusing compromised flashing is a leading cause of leaks after a new roof.
• It's partially hidden. Step flashing is woven under the shingles and siding, so its condition isn't fully visible until tear-off.
• Code and manufacturer requirements. Many local codes and shingle manufacturers' installation instructions call for new flashing with a new roof; skipping it can even affect the shingle warranty.

If flashing is missing from your estimate, your contractor can supplement for it with close-up photos of the existing flashing's condition and, where applicable, the code or manufacturer requirement. This is a routine, frequently approved supplement item.

Why wasn't my drip edge included?

Drip edge is the L-shaped metal strip installed along the roof's edges that directs water off the roof deck and into the gutters instead of behind them, protecting the fascia boards and decking edges from rot. It's inexpensive per foot, easy to overlook, and near the top of every list of commonly missed line items.

It gets omitted for a few predictable reasons: the adjuster didn't note it during a quick inspection, the software template didn't prompt for it, or your old roof genuinely didn't have it (common on older homes). Here's the thing about that last case — modern building codes in most Illinois jurisdictions require drip edge on new asphalt shingle roofs, whether or not the old roof had it. So even if yours didn't exist before, it likely has to be installed now.

When code requires it, the cost falls under your policy's "Ordinance or Law" coverage — see code-required work below and what insurance covers. Your contractor supplements for it with the measurement (linear feet of eaves and rakes) and the local code citation. Carriers see this supplement constantly, and it's usually approved without drama.

Why wasn't my ventilation included?

Roof ventilation — ridge vents, box vents, turbine vents, and the rubber "pipe boots" that seal around plumbing pipes — lets hot, moist air escape your attic. Without adequate ventilation, shingles age faster, ice dams get worse, and some shingle warranties are voided. Yet vents are routinely missing from insurance estimates.

Common reasons:

• The adjuster wrote shingles only. A quick estimate may cover the field shingles and stop there, treating vents as reusable accessories.
• "No visible damage" to the vents themselves. Maybe true — but plastic and aluminum vents and old pipe boots frequently crack or deform during tear-off, and reinstalling brittle ones invites leaks.
• Ridge vent hidden under ridge cap. If your roof has a ridge vent, replacing the ridge cap shingles requires replacing the vent beneath them, and estimates sometimes miss one or the other.

Ventilation must also meet code: local building codes set minimum attic ventilation requirements, and a full replacement is typically when a home gets brought up to standard. Your contractor can supplement for vents with photos, a count of existing penetrations, and the code or manufacturer requirement — the same routine process described above.

Why wasn't code-required work included?

Because initial estimates are written to restore what was there — and building codes often require more than what was there. In Illinois, building codes are adopted and enforced locally by your city or county building department, and a full roof replacement usually triggers current code: ice & water shield along the eaves (standard in most of northern Illinois), drip edge, proper attic ventilation, full tear-off of multiple shingle layers, and sometimes decking replacement or re-nailing.

Code upgrades are paid under a specific part of your policy called "Ordinance or Law" coverage. Two things matter here:

• Whether you have it. Most Illinois homeowner policies include some Ordinance or Law coverage, but the amount varies and a few policies exclude it. Check your declarations page or ask your agent — see what insurance covers.
• Whether it's documented. Carriers generally won't pay for code items on assumption. The supplement should cite the specific local code requirement — your contractor can pull this from the municipal building department, which is also where the permit comes from (permits are usually required for a full replacement, and the permit fee itself is a claimable line item).

If the adjuster says a code item "isn't covered," ask them to point to the policy language, and get the answer in writing. If you disagree with how your policy is being read, the Illinois Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints at idoi.illinois.gov.

Why wasn't my siding included?

Roof damage gets the attention because it threatens leaks, but the same hail and wind that wrecked your shingles often hit your siding too — and siding is easy to under-inspect. Common reasons it's missing from the estimate:

• It wasn't inspected closely. Hail damage to vinyl and aluminum siding — cracks, holes, dents in the "shadows" of the panel profile — can be hard to see head-on. It usually shows best at an angle in low, raking light.
• Only one or two elevations were written. The adjuster paid for the north wall that took the brunt of the storm but not the others, which raises the matching question.
• The damage was called "cosmetic" or old. Some policies carry cosmetic-damage exclusions for metal siding; other times dents get attributed to weed trimmers or balls rather than hail. These calls can be challenged with a re-inspection.
• Your siding is discontinued. If replacement panels no longer exist, the claim gets more complicated — an ITEL report (an independent lab analysis that verifies whether a match is available) is the standard way to document it. Same idea as discontinued shingles.

If your siding took the same storm, have your contractor photograph it properly and submit it — either as a supplement to the open claim or as an added scope item at re-inspection. The full topic gets its own page: siding claims.

Why are the labor hours different between estimates?

Because labor on a roof isn't one flat rate — it depends on conditions, and the two estimates may be assuming different conditions. When the insurance estimate and the contractor's estimate show different labor amounts for the same job, look for these usual suspects:

• Steep-roof charges. Roof pitch is measured as rise over run (a "7/12" roof rises 7 inches per foot). Above roughly 7/12, crews need harnesses and move slower, and pricing software adds a steep charge. Adjusters sometimes underestimate pitch from the ground.
• High-roof charges. Two-story and taller sections take extra time and equipment to ladder and load. If your home is two stories and no high charge appears, something's missing.
• Layers and tear-off. Tearing off two layers of shingles is priced differently than one. See multiple layers.
• Access and complexity. Cut-up roofs with many valleys, dormers, and penetrations take more hours than a simple gable. Detach-and-reset items (satellite, gutters, AC lines) add labor too.
• Repair vs. replacement labor. Small repairs carry minimum charges that look expensive per shingle; replacements are priced per square (a 10×10-foot roofing unit).

These aren't matters of opinion — pitch, height, and layers are measurable facts. Your contractor documents them with photos and measurements and submits the correction as a supplement. If the disagreement is purely about the amount owed and won't resolve, your policy's appraisal clause exists for that — see disputing a claim decision.