A hailstorm just rolled through your Colorado neighborhood. The car has dents, the garden is shredded, and your neighbors are already out in their yards looking up at their roofs. Now what? If you are like most Colorado homeowners, you know hail damage is common here, but you have never actually navigated the insurance claims process. It can feel overwhelming. There are adjusters, estimates, depreciation schedules, supplements, and a lot of paperwork standing between you and a repaired roof.
This guide walks you through the entire process from the moment the storm passes to the day your new roof is installed. No jargon, no fluff, just the information you need to protect your home and get what your insurance policy owes you.
Step 1: Assess the Situation from the Ground
After the storm passes, walk your property and look for signs of hail damage. You do not need to get on the roof. In fact, you should not. Leave the roof inspection to professionals. What you can see from the ground tells you a lot.
Check your gutters and downspouts for dents. Aluminum gutters dent easily and are one of the most reliable ground level indicators of hail intensity. If your gutters look like someone went at them with a ball peen hammer, your roof almost certainly took damage too.
Look at your air conditioning condenser. The aluminum fins on the unit are soft and show hail impacts clearly. Dented fins indicate significant hail.
Inspect window screens. Hail punches small holes or tears in window screens. These are easy to spot and help document the storm's severity.
Check any painted wood surfaces like fence boards, deck railings, and trim. Hail leaves round impact marks that chip paint and dent soft wood. The size and density of these marks help indicate what your roof experienced.
Look at your vehicles. Car damage from hail is among the strongest evidence of storm severity because body shops and insurance companies are very precise about measuring hail dent size.
Take photos and video of everything. Wide shots for context, close ups for detail. Make sure your phone's date and time stamp are accurate. This documentation becomes valuable evidence during the claims process.
Step 2: Understand What Hail Does to a Roof
Hail damage to a roof is not always obvious, even to someone standing on the roof looking right at it. That is part of what makes it so tricky. Here is what hail actually does to asphalt shingles.
When a hailstone strikes a shingle, it displaces the protective granules on the surface, which are the small, sand like particles that give shingles their color and protect the underlying asphalt from UV degradation. The impact also bruises the fiberglass mat inside the shingle, creating a soft spot that weakens the shingle's structural integrity.
From the ground, fresh hail damage can look like random dark spots scattered across the roof surface. Up close, you can feel the soft spots where the mat has been compromised. Over time, the exposed areas without granules deteriorate faster from UV exposure, and the bruised areas crack and fail before the rest of the shingle.
This is why hail damage matters even when the roof is not leaking. The damage is progressive. A roof that looks fine today can develop leaks in one to three years as the compromised areas break down.
Step 3: Get a Professional Inspection Before You Call Insurance
This step is important and often done in the wrong order. Many homeowners call their insurance company first and then scramble to find a contractor. Flipping the order gives you a significant advantage.
Schedule a professional roof inspection with a reputable local contractor before you file your claim. A qualified inspector will get on the roof, document every area of damage with photos and measurements, check the soft metal surfaces like vents and flashing for impact marks, assess the overall condition of the roof system, and provide you with a detailed report.
This independent assessment gives you a baseline to compare against the insurance adjuster's findings. If the adjuster misses damage or underestimates the scope, your contractor's report provides the documentation needed to challenge the assessment schedule a free inspection.
At Gates Enterprises, our inspections are free and include detailed photo documentation. We also attend adjuster inspections whenever possible, which ensures nothing gets missed in real time.
Step 4: File Your Insurance Claim
Once you have your contractor's inspection report, call your insurance company to file a claim. Here is what to expect.
You will provide the date of the storm and a description of the damage. The insurance company will assign you a claim number and schedule an adjuster to inspect your property. Keep your claim number and the representative's name and contact information in a safe place.
A few important notes about filing. File promptly. Most Colorado insurance policies require claims to be filed within one year of the damage event. Some policies have shorter windows. Waiting months to file gives the insurance company reason to question the claim.
Be factual and direct. Describe the damage you observed without minimizing or exaggerating. Let the inspection reports speak for themselves.
Do not make permanent repairs before the adjuster visits. Emergency tarping to prevent further damage is fine and often required by your policy. But replacing shingles or repairing gutters before the adjuster has documented the damage can complicate your claim significantly.
Step 5: The Adjuster Inspection
The insurance company's adjuster will visit your property to assess the damage. Adjusters are trained professionals, but they work for the insurance company and their job includes controlling costs. Some adjusters are thorough and fair. Others rush through inspections and miss damage.
This is why having your contractor present at the adjuster inspection is so valuable. Your contractor can walk the roof with the adjuster, point out damage in areas that might be overlooked, discuss the scope of work required, and ensure the adjuster's documentation is thorough and accurate.
The adjuster will produce an estimate using Xactimate, which is the industry standard estimating software. This estimate itemizes the materials and labor needed to repair or replace the roof at current prices.
Step 6: Review the Insurance Estimate Carefully
After the adjuster's visit, you will receive the insurance company's estimate and an initial payment. This is where things get nuanced, and where many homeowners leave money on the table.
First, understand the two payment structure. Most RCV (replacement cost value) policies issue the initial payment as ACV (actual cash value). This means they withhold a portion called recoverable depreciation until the work is actually completed. The initial check is not the full amount. There is more coming after the job is done.
Second, review the estimate's scope. Does it include everything your contractor identified? Are the material specifications correct? Does it account for code upgrades required in your jurisdiction? Is the pricing consistent with current market rates in the Denver metro area?
If the estimate falls short, which happens frequently, the next step is the supplement process.
Step 7: The Supplement Process
A supplement is a formal request for additional insurance funds, backed by documentation showing that the original estimate did not cover the full scope of necessary work. Supplements are a normal, standard part of the insurance restoration process. They are not adversarial. They are a mechanism for making sure the estimate reflects reality.
Common reasons for supplements include damage that the adjuster missed or underestimated, code upgrades required by local building codes that were not included in the original estimate, material price differences between the estimate and actual current costs, additional work discovered during tear off (like damaged decking hidden under old shingles), and ventilation or flashing requirements that were not addressed.
Your contractor prepares and submits the supplement with supporting documentation, including photos, measurements, code references, and line item pricing in Xactimate format. The insurance company reviews the supplement and either approves additional funds or negotiates.
An experienced insurance restoration contractor has filed hundreds or thousands of supplements and knows exactly what documentation gets approvals. This is one of the most important things to evaluate when choosing a contractor. A company that does not file supplements is either accepting underpayments or passing the shortfall to you insurance restoration support.
Step 8: Depreciation vs. Replacement Cost Value
This is one of the most confusing parts of the insurance process, so let us break it down clearly.
If you have an RCV (replacement cost value) policy, your insurance company will ultimately pay the full cost to replace your roof with equivalent new materials, minus your deductible. However, the initial payment is typically issued at ACV (actual cash value), which means they subtract depreciation based on the age and condition of your roof.
For example, if the full replacement cost is $20,000, your deductible is $2,500, and the depreciation is $4,000, your initial check will be $13,500 ($20,000 minus $2,500 minus $4,000). After the work is completed and documented, you submit a request for the recoverable depreciation, and the insurance company releases the remaining $4,000.
This two step payment structure catches many homeowners off guard. They receive the initial check and think that is all they are getting. Do not make that mistake. The recoverable depreciation is your money, and you are entitled to it once the work is done.
If you have an ACV (actual cash value) policy, the depreciation is not recoverable. You receive the depreciated value minus your deductible, and that is it. ACV policies are increasingly common in Colorado and can leave homeowners with a significant gap between the insurance payout and the actual replacement cost. If you are unsure which type of policy you have, call your insurance agent and ask.
Step 9: Choose Your Contractor and Schedule the Work
With your claim filed and estimates in hand, it is time to select your contractor and get the work scheduled. Here are the key factors to evaluate.
Manufacturer certifications determine the warranty programs available to you. A GAF Master Elite contractor can offer the Golden Pledge warranty with 25 years of workmanship coverage backed by GAF. A non certified contractor cannot our certifications.
Insurance restoration experience determines how well the contractor navigates supplements, adjuster negotiations, and the documentation required to maximize your payout.
Local roots mean the company will be here if you need warranty service or have questions after the project is complete. Out of state storm chasers may do the work and disappear.
A detailed, itemized estimate means the contractor has thoroughly assessed the job and is not going to surprise you with change orders or cut corners to fit a vague quote.
Step 10: Timeline Expectations
Here is a realistic timeline for the insurance restoration process in Colorado.
Week 1 to 2: Professional inspection, claim filed with insurance company.
Week 2 to 4: Adjuster inspection, initial estimate received, initial payment issued.
Week 3 to 5: Contractor reviews estimate, supplements filed if needed.
Week 4 to 8: Supplement reviewed and approved, materials ordered, installation scheduled.
Week 6 to 10: Installation completed, final documentation submitted, recoverable depreciation requested.
After major storm events that affect thousands of homes simultaneously, these timelines can stretch. Adjuster availability, material supply, and crew scheduling all get tighter during peak storm season. This is another reason to act quickly after a storm rather than waiting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Waiting too long to inspect or file. Evidence degrades over time. Granules wash away. Other weather events muddy the picture. Acting within the first week after a storm is ideal.
Not having a contractor at the adjuster inspection. Your contractor is your advocate on the roof. Without them, damage gets missed and estimates come in low.
Accepting the first estimate without review. Initial insurance estimates are frequently incomplete. Always have your contractor review the estimate and file supplements for anything that was missed.
Pocketing the insurance check without repairing the roof. If you cash the check and skip the repairs, any future damage to the unrepaired areas will not be covered. You also forfeit the recoverable depreciation and leave your home vulnerable.
Hiring a storm chaser. Out of state contractors who show up after storms and disappear after the job offer no long term accountability. If a problem develops in six months, you will not be able to reach them.
Your Rights as a Colorado Homeowner
You have the right to choose your own contractor. Your insurance company may recommend a preferred vendor, but you are not required to use them.
You have the right to a thorough inspection and a fair estimate. If you believe the adjuster missed damage, you can request a re inspection or hire a public adjuster.
You have the right to file supplements when the initial estimate does not cover the full scope of work.
Filing a weather related claim in Colorado cannot be used as the sole reason to raise your premiums or cancel your policy. Hail damage is an act of nature, not a reflection of risk behavior.
Gates Enterprises: Your Insurance Restoration Partner
Navigating hail damage and insurance claims is what we do every day. We have completed over 7,200 roofs across the Colorado Front Range, and a significant percentage of those have been insurance restoration projects. Our team handles every step, from the initial free inspection to the adjuster meeting to the supplement process to the final installation.
We hold all four major manufacturer certifications (GAF Master Elite, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred, Malarkey Emerald Pro, and CertainTeed Shingle Master), which means we can install the best products with the strongest warranties regardless of manufacturer our certifications.
If your roof was hit by hail, call us at (720) 766-3377 or schedule a free inspection online schedule a free inspection. We will document the damage, walk you through your options, and handle the insurance process so you do not have to.