$90,000.00 Hardishake Claim - Engineers Broke Shingles

Just got off the phone with a young man named Jonathan. Here's his Hardishake story...

His family just had engineers sent by their insurance company come out and inspect their Hardishake roof for a possible claim today... that's usually your first clue that your insurance company may not want to pay your claim. I only say that because they'll usually tell you it is to protect both of you. However, in my experience, the engineering firm is sent out to help your insurance company deny a claim more often than they help you get your claim approved.

The engineering firm is not the final authority on whether or not you will get your Hardishake roof replaced. Although there are many variables that go into determining whether or not your Hardishake claim is paid, the insurance company would like for you to put more credence into their "findings" than perhaps you should.

Think of the engineering firm as a expert witness in a trial. They are your insurance companies expert witness... you should have your own expert witness too... maybe another engineering company that does not owe a significant portion of their livelihood to your insurance company.

Jonathan went on to tell me that while they were on the roof, the engineers broke 16 tiles while walking around. The engineering firm is suggesting repairing the broken shingles rather than replacing the roof.

Here's 3 Reasons Why This Is A Problem:

#1 Many insurance companies refuse to insure a Hardishake roof. If this family decides to move, is transferred or has to sell - it may cause an undue hardship to get the roof replaced. It could end up eating into their equity. They may have to take out a home-improvement loan or settle with the new buyers on a "as-is" price. Remember, this particular claim is $90,000.00. Do you have that much equity built up in your home?

#2 It is circular reasoning to say you can repair a roof that was the subject of a settled class-action lawsuit using shingles that were the reason for the class-action lawsuit. That would be like taking a recalled toy back to Wal-Mart only to have it replaced with another recalled toy. Thank you very much for your business. What just happened? As they say in the South, "You got took!"

#3 Your insurance company is not responsible for your defective roof - they are responsible for insurable damage to your defective roof. Broken tiles caused by a inspection requested by your insurance company are the responsibility of your insurance company.

Final Analysis:

Nobody likes having a roof that is falling apart, a roof that has been through a class-action lawsuit or a roof that is a liability (to the insurance company and the homeowner). They are expensive to replace, but somebody is going to have to pay for it... who will it be?

That's why it pays to get expert advice from the very beginning. If you have a Hardishake roof, pick up the phone and call the Hardishake Specialist today. Dial (817) 781-9982.

Mike

Decking On A Hardishake Roof

I took a call from a Senior level claims adjuster for one of the big three insurance companies this week about decking on a Hardishake roof?

So, here's the scoop on Hardishake Decking:

Back in the early '90's, Hardishake had two different levels of installation and they both related to the Fire Rating. You could get a "Class A" Fire Rating by using solid decking or a "Class C" Fire Rating from installing the product over an open lathe deck.

Why would anyone want to install Hardishake over the open lathe?

Great question... Hardishake first came to prominence in the Southwest as a high-end replacement product for wood roofs. The Hardishake shingles were more expensive than even the highest quality fire-treated wood shingles, but were within reach if the homeowner was willing to pay a little more or the roofing contractor may have be willing to discount their normal rate to get the job.

The problem was that wood roofs were built on the open lathe decking system (great for ventilation when using wood shingles). So, almost by default, most of the Hardishakes that were originally installed were the "Class C" variation. The old wood shingles were torn off and the new Hardishake shingles were installed without putting down a solid dock. Primarily because adding the solid decking would be a major financial investment.

Fast forward to the mid-late 90's and we find several new home builder specs using Hardishake as the roofing product. With these types of installation, it was almost as cheap to build the roof system using solid plywood or a full sheet of particle board. Depending on the price of lumber, it may have been cheaper than using the open lathe system... and was certainly easier for the construction crews to build. Open lathe is an art form taking more disciplined measurement and oversight. So, with it being cheaper and easier to use full sheets of decking, these later new-home installations were almost always "Class A" versions.

If you're trying to get your old Hardishake roof replaced, you'll most likely be wondering what type of high-end roofing products you have to choose from - a lot of your choices will come down to what type of decking system you have installed already.

Open up your attic and look at the bottom of your roof. If you see solid plywood or decking, you'll have many more choices. If you see slats of plywood (open lathe), your choices will be more limited unless it is the practice of your insurance company to pay for new decking.

If you need help getting your Hardishake roof replaced, contact the Hardishake Specialist today.

Finally, You Can Get A New Roof

If you live in South Arlington or Mansfield, there's a good chance that you can now replace your old Hardishake, Maxishake or FireFree roof. We recently had a hailstorm and now is the time to act on this. You need to pick up the phone and call me right now.

I no longer do the actual roofing, but I am still well connected in the industry and will help you get your roof replaced. Call me now (817) 781-9982.

The Specialist in Dallas Ft. Worth Texas

If you are having trouble with your Hardishake roof, contact Michael D. Coday II (817) 781-9982.

Hardishake Inspections

I have spent quite a bit of time since November of 2005 doing fiber-cement roof inspections. What I'm seeing here in the DFW Metroplex is a lot of broken, chipped, and missing shingles... mainly caused by small hail, high wind, and broken tree branches falling on the roof.

I've looked at so many roofs lately that I've thought about buying a moped just to save a little on gas. This area still has a lot of these roofs. Usually, I'll get a call when someone is buying/selling a home and having trouble making the deal go through. That is because nobody wants the liability that comes a long with this type of roof.

If you are buying or selling a home with a Hardishake, Maxishake, Cemwood, or FireFree fiber cement roof, you owe it to yourself to call me (817) 781-9982. I may just be able to help you replace that roof without paying a dime out of your own pocket.

Allstate Insurance

I am often asked, "Which insurance company is the best?". While I do not have an answer to that question, I would like to give high marks to a member of Allstate's CAT team. His name is Greg (last name removed).

Greg was especially professional and gave the homeowner the kind of attention and respect you would expect from a company that uses the slogan "Good Hands". I was impressed at his desire to help.

No, I can't tell you who the best insurance company is... I'm sure it is all relative anyway. It depends on who you get to work with. On this day we worked with one of Allstate's finest. Thank you Greg.

Hardishake - Corner chips and breaks

Many Hardishake roofs here in North Texas were installed using the varying width shingles of 6", 8", and 12". Seldom do I see a Hardishake roof where every shingle is the exact same width. There are a few (usually 12") but they are uncommon.

As a result, corner chips and breaks can be a significant problem. Some concrete roofs (Not usually Hardishake or Maxishake) are "Half Bonded" meaning the shingle above and the shingle below are spaced halfway between each other. Please see the picture below for an example of "Half Bonded". The picture is actually of paving tiles but you'll get the idea. The tile below is halfway across the tile above:



By lapping the shingle above halfway across the shingle below you have quite a bit of water protection if a corner was to chip or break off due to small hail. In other words, half the shingle would need to break off in order to over expose the shingle below.

However, when you have a Hardishake roof with varying widths, a corner chipped away could easily cause overexposure to the shingle below. The shingle beneath is vulnerable. If there's a way for water to get into your home, it will eventually find it's way inside. Here's an example of a chip in a varying width installation...

Often Hardishake corner chips are as small as 1/2"... but not all of them are! Many are 2"-3". It isn't unusual to see a roof with several smaller corner chips AND a few shingles that are also chipped in half.

Anytime your roof is falling off in pieces, you need to be concerned. If your roof has corner chips and breaks, pick up the phone and call me (817) 781-9982.