Upgrading Materials on an Insurance Claim: How to Get the Most Out of Your Claim

Wondering if you can upgrade your roofing or siding on an insurance claim?

We are on a project today and taking a second to address a commonly asked question about upgrading materials on insurance claims. People often ask “do I have to replace my vinyl siding with more vinyl siding?” and “Do I have to replace an asphalt roof with another asphalt roof?” The answer is no, you don’t have to do a direct swap.

In fact, the house we are at today opted to upgrade to LP Smartside siding during replacement of their vinyl siding, even though it was with an insurance claim! Let’s break down how you can do the same.

How to Handle an Upgrade During an Insurance Claim

You need to have two things to upgrade your materials from your existing. 1. You need to know the difference in price between your existing materials and the premium materials you want to upgrade to. 2. You should have a contractor, like Northface Construction, who knows how to work with your insurance company and navigate the insurance claim process.

When working to upgrade your roofing or siding during an insurance claim, there are a few different outcomes you can expect. The most common one is that the insurance will cover the value of an exact replacement. This will leave the rest to be covered by the homeowner. The other outcome is that insurance will cover the cost to replace and help some in the cost to upgrade.

At the end of the day, you should expect to pay the difference for your upgrade. But there are somethings you can do to improve your odds of getting your insurance company to pitch in a bit more. In the case of roofing, if were to upgrade from an asphalt shingle to a metal shingle which is both more fire, wind, and impact resistant, there is an incentive for your insurance company to help as it could benefit them in the long run given your roof will last much longer.

In general, the more durable and resistant your materials are, the better your odds are for getting a portion of it covered by insurance. The good news is, that in a majority of cases, your homeowners insurance will cover the cost to replace. Our homeowner in this case simply had to pay the difference in cost for the upgraded materials. This leaves the homeowner with new and upgraded siding, while only paying a fraction of the price of a full siding replacement.

Common Types of Siding to Upgrade

If someone has vinyl siding, they can definitely replace it with the same material and they’ll probably be just fine for another 15-20 years. But, most other siding materials would be considered a premium upgrade. Potential upgrades for siding include:

• LP Smartside
• Other types of Fiber Cement Siding
• Wood/Cedar Shakes
• Stone Veneer
• Brick

Common Types of Roofing Materials to Upgrade

In addition to upgrading siding, we often see homeowners considering an upgrade to their roofing materials, especially if they were just hit by a severe storm and experienced damage. Often times insurance is happy to work with you when upgrading your roofing materials from asphalt to a stronger material like metal or synthetic. This makes both parties happy because you get a nicer roofing material and the insurance company is able to save some money in the long run since better materials are more resilient to hail and storm damage.

Here are a few upgrades to consider for your roofing materials:

• Metal Roofing
• Davinci Roofing
• Synthetic Shake or Slate
• Cedar Shake

Benefits of Upgrading to Premium Roofing and Siding

As you go through the insurance claim process, or anytime you desire to replace your siding, it’s your opportunity to decide whether to make a larger investment in your home. Updating to premium siding can do a few things for you as a homeowner.

• Boost curb appeal
• Modernize your home’s exterior
• Increase the value of your home
• You will pay less upfront (the rest covered by insurance in this case)
• It’s fun to get something fresh and new

Getting the Most Value from Your Insurance Claim

As you can see, it can be incredibly beneficial to you to upgrade your siding during this time. With a contractor who can help you make it happen, you just need to be able to pay the difference and you will end up with a whole new home!

Contact us at 763.433.2269 for more information on roofing and siding upgrades, insurance claims, and more! We look forward to giving you the home you and your family deserve.