That’s the thing—one little oversight with flashing or a gutter joint, and you’re suddenly dealing with soggy insulation or even black mold. I had a cedar shake roof on my last place, and after a nasty windstorm, water started dripping in behind the kitchen cabinets. Turned out a tiny piece of flashing had come loose near the dormer. The repair itself was under $200, but the water had already soaked into the wall cavity... ended up shelling out over $2k for mold remediation and drywall work. Insurance barely covered it because they called it “deferred maintenance.” Super frustrating.
Since then, I’ve gotten way more proactive about inspections—especially after storms. I’ve also started looking into green roofs for my new build. They’re not for everyone, but honestly, the extra waterproofing layers and drainage mats give me some peace of mind. Upfront cost is higher, but I figure I’m trading that for fewer surprises down the road. Anyone else tried something similar?
Insurance barely covered it because they called it “deferred maintenance.” Super frustrating.
Man, I feel that. After last year’s hailstorm, I had to replace a section of my asphalt shingle roof—thought insurance would help, but they said the same thing about “maintenance.” Ended up paying out of pocket for new insulation too. Now I check the attic after every storm, just in case. Green roofs sound interesting, but I’m still wrapping my head around the cost.
Insurance and “deferred maintenance” is the classic runaround—been there, too. After a windstorm last spring, I had to walk through the whole claims process step by step. First, I documented every bit of damage with photos (even the stuff that looked minor). Then, I got a couple of quotes from local roofers—turns out, prices can swing a lot depending on who you ask. For my mid-sized shingle roof, repairs plus some attic insulation ran about $6k out of pocket. If you’re curious about green roofs, they’re cool but yeah, sticker shock is real. Maintenance is a whole different animal with those, but at least you don’t have to worry about shingles flying off... just weeds popping up.
I’m still recovering from my first big storm as a homeowner, and honestly, the costs caught me off guard. My place has a basic asphalt shingle roof—nothing fancy—and after a nasty hailstorm last fall, I had to replace about a third of it. Insurance covered some, but they hit me with “wear and tear” excuses for the rest. Out of pocket, I spent around $4,200 just for the roof work. Didn’t even get into attic insulation or anything extra.
One thing I learned: get multiple quotes. The first roofer tried to charge almost double what I ended up paying. Also, don’t skip the small stuff—my gutters looked fine at first but started leaking later because of tiny dents I missed.
Green roofs sound cool in theory, but I can barely keep up with mowing my backyard, let alone managing a rooftop garden. Maybe someday... For now, just trying to keep the shingles where they belong.
That insurance “wear and tear” line gets a lot of folks—happens way more than people realize. I’ve seen some roofs that looked fine from the ground but had hidden hail pitting or cracked seals that only pop up months later. Gutters are sneaky too... even small dents can mess with drainage. I always tell people, after a big storm, walk the property with binoculars or use your phone’s zoom and check everything, not just the obvious stuff. And yeah, green roofs sound awesome in theory, but honestly, most folks just want to keep water out and costs down.
