Santa Ana, CA
Storm damage, insurance and what to do first
Storm work attracts two kinds of contractor: the ones who live here, and the ones who followed the weather in. Only one of them will answer the phone next spring.
Describe the storm damage job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Santa Ana contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Santa Ana and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a storm damage job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- A written scope you can put in front of an adjuster
- A local address you could actually drive to
- Whether the contractor is licensed and insured in this state
- What the emergency tarp costs, separate from the repair
- Photographs of the damage before any work happens
Do not sign anything that assigns your claim benefits to a contractor until you have read it twice. That signature can hand over control of the claim entirely.
Keep every receipt, including the tarp and the emergency call-out. Reasonable measures to prevent further damage are usually recoverable, and usually forgotten.
A local contractor who inspects and documents properly is more use to your claim than a fast one who is already on the roof.
Locally
Close behind that: enough salt in the air to matter to fasteners over twenty years. The covering will reach its rated life here. Plain galvanised fixings holding it down will not.
About storm damage here
Can I stay in the house while it is done?
Yes, though it is loud, and things will fall off shelves in the garage. Move cars out of the driveway and take anything fragile off the walls of the top floor.
Is moss on the roof a problem?
Yes, eventually. Moss holds water against the shingle and lifts the edges as it thickens. Zinc or copper strip at the ridge suppresses it. Pressure washing an asphalt roof strips the granules and does more harm than the moss did.
Are gutters included in a re-roof?
Normally a separate line. It is the one add-on that genuinely costs less when done at the same time.
How long does a re-roof take?
Two days is typical for asphalt. Add days for steep pitch, multiple layers to strip, tile work, or a roof with a lot of valleys and penetrations.
Get it priced
Three questions, about a minute, and up to three Santa Ana contractors come back to you.