Nick from C&N, along with many other contractors were in our area dropping off flyers for roof inspections. It wasn't until I spoke with one of his satisfied customers (my neighbor) that I gave him a call for the free inspection. I was nervous about the whole process at that point and watched everything he did while he was up on my roof. He pointed out the dents on my vents and gutters and explained how it was evident that hail had been through the area and suggested that I file a claim with my insurance due to the quantity of shingles that were affected.
Nick said C&N would work with my insurance company and "speak the language" to each other about the damage he saw when he was up there. If the claim got approved, he said he would ensure it all gets handled appropriately. We called my insurance company together on speakerphone ... they took down my information and told me an inspector would call me to set a date. At that point, Nick showed me the C&N contract that stated I would use them as my contractor if the claim was approved (this made sense to me because they were already doing work by speaking with my insurance and by being present the day of inspection).
I was able to text Nick the inspection date and he arrived, on time, with his boss to ensure it went smoothly. My insurance company is known for being one of the most frugal in their awards, so Nick's boss went up with them to help point out the damages and ensure the inspector noted them. Both C&N and my insurer took pictures while they were up there to document the damages for future use. The inspector drew his test squares (areas they use for assessment of damage which can, conveniently, exclude some of the singles in question), and send the pictures back to my insurer. After they came down, the inspector had me Face Time with the adjustor and I was told I'd get a call back with their analysis.
My deductible was $1,000 and in total they said that there was enough damage to my roof to approve about $2,700 of repairs. I was not happy with this assessment so I told the adjustor to put my claim on hold. He said I had to either accept or refuse it, he was pushing me to accept it and suggested that we later file a supplement for the remaining costs of replacement (close to 10k), which I said was not acceptable. The claim was put on hold and I called Nick to tell him the news, he said that some companies will do this at first glance and that if I wasn't happy with it that I had the right to file for a re-inspection (I didn't know I could do that because the adjustor didn't give me that option, I was happy Nick knew the process). Nick said it was best that I request a reinspection by someone who is an actual employee of my insurer. After being re-assigned to another adjustor for no apparent reason, I told them I'd like a re-inspection with an employee and had Nick email in the additional photos of the damage we saw. They received the photos and reinspection was scheduled.
This time, the proper employee of my insurer showed up with a "ladder assist" who was the one that went up on the roof. We showed them which test squares to use this time, which they did, and I got approved for a full replacement. Nick explained the quote/cost for the replacement, including what the insurance would pay and what I would need to pay (deductible for most people), then went through next steps which were to get the permits from the city and to make my first payment which was the same amount the insurance company released to me... or about a third of the total cost.
After looking into the top 10 mistakes contractors make when installing a roof, I learned about High/Low nailing, drip edges, ice/water shields, proper ventilation, over/under driven nails, ridge caps, and other such roofing lingo. I told Nick I had a few more questions before they started construction, so I emailed them to him (as wordy as this review no doubt). He answered all of them and postponed the installation until confirming my understanding. The installers they use came out to begin work at 8AM on Monday, they finished by 4PM that same day. I watched them carefully and have photos to prove proper nailing and installation was done.
The approval of the install and the warranty took about 48 hours. At that point the final invoice was given to me, the same amount we agreed upon after approval. I made the last payment and have a beautiful new roof (mine was 15 years old) which I trust will last another 30 years. Thank you to Nick and the whole C&N Construction crew for dealing with my constant need for explanations, for working with my incredibly difficult insurance company, and for always making me feel like my roof was as important to you as it was to me. If I had to do it all again I would a) not use this insurer due to the difficulty of approval b) ensure I have "code upgrade" on my homeowners policy c) use C&N. read more