Filing an insurance claim after storm damage can feel like trying to read a contract in a foreign language. You know something’s wrong with your roof. You know a storm just came through. But between the adjuster’s visit, the scope of loss document, the depreciation holdback, and the contractor estimates — it can get overwhelming fast.

That’s a situation I’ve walked homeowners through more times than I can count. I’m Craig Stafford with Holthaus Roofing. I am the steep slope manager here, and before I was on this side of the fence, I was a licensed insurance adjuster. That background shapes just about everything I do when I’m standing on a roof after a storm. If you want to understand what that means for you as a homeowner dealing with a claim in central Illinois, keep reading.

Why the Insurance Claims Process Feels So Confusing

The claims process has a lot of moving parts. You’ve got the insurance company on one side, an adjuster they send out, a scope of loss they produce, and then you — the homeowner — trying to figure out whether what they’re offering is actually enough to cover a proper repair or replacement.

Most roofing contractors come at this from one direction only. They know roofing. They can tell you what it costs and what it takes to fix. But they haven’t sat on the other side of the table, gone through adjuster training, or written a scope of loss themselves. That gap matters. Generally, when I meet a homeowner on a storm claim, they don’t fully understand what’s in that document the adjuster produced — and sometimes the adjuster has missed things too.

That’s not me saying adjusters are out to get you. They’re not. But they’re also covering a lot of ground, especially right after a major storm event. Things get missed. And if nobody’s advocating for what’s actually on that roof, those missed items don’t get added back in.

What “Been on Both Sides of the Fence” Actually Means for You

When I show up to walk a roof with an adjuster after storm damage, I’m not just pointing at shingles. I know how a scope of loss is structured. I know what line items should be there — the code upgrade allowances, the drip edge, the ice-and-water shield requirements under Illinois code, and so forth. I know how to have a conversation with an adjuster that moves things forward instead of creating friction.

I want to be clear about one thing, though: I’m not a public adjuster. I’m not going to negotiate your claim as a licensed public adjuster or step into that role — that’s a line I won’t cross, and honestly, it’s a slippery slope I don’t want to go down. What I will do is be present when the adjuster walks the roof, make sure nothing legitimate gets overlooked, and help you understand what’s in the scope so you can ask the right questions.

That’s a different kind of help than most roofing contractors can offer. And in my experience, it makes a real difference for homeowners who feel like they’re just guessing their way through the process.

For a broader look at what we cover when storm damage is involved, you can start at our complete storm damage and insurance claims guide.

What to Expect When You Call Us After a Storm

Here’s roughly how it goes. You call, we set up an inspection. I’ll get up on the roof and look at what we’ve actually got — granular loss, impact marks on the ridge cap, soft metal damage on vents and flashing, and so forth. Granular, by the way, is the crushed rock coating on the surface of the shingle that protects the asphalt underneath. Granular loss from hail impact looks different than granular loss from age, and knowing the difference matters when you’re documenting a claim.

From there, if a claim makes sense, I’ll help you understand how to get the adjuster scheduled and what to expect from that visit. I’ll be there when they walk it if at all possible. We’ll go over what they find together.

Once the claim is approved and you’re ready to move forward, I show up with the crew on the day of the job. I’ll introduce you to my lead man — he’s the one who’s going to be there all day, and you should know who that is before I leave the site. I check back in around lunchtime and again toward the end of the day. When the crew leaves, the dump trailer goes with them. Tarps go over the shrubbery while we’re working to keep the debris manageable. We try to preserve one clear path in and out of your house throughout the day.

The goal is that when you come home, you’ve got a new roof and you’d barely know we were there — except for the new roof.

Choosing a Contractor for a Storm Claim: What to Look For

Not every contractor who shows up after a storm is someone you want handling your roof and your claim. After a significant weather event, you’ll see out-of-state trucks rolling through neighborhoods. Some of those crews do fine work. Others are in a hurry — on to the next roof, the next storm, the next town. Shingles nailed in the wrong exposure, improper fastener placement, no one around to stand behind their work six months later. That’s the pattern I see when we’re called to fix what someone else did.

When you’re vetting a contractor for storm work, make sure they’re insured, that they have verifiable local references, that their trucks are labeled, and that they’ve got a track record with the Better Business Bureau. Ask whether they’re planning to be around when you call back in two years with a question. A contractor who’s in it for the long run will answer that question differently than one who’s here for the storm season.

You can read more about what to watch for in Red Flags to Watch Out for When Hiring a Roofer.

We Work With Homeowners Across Central Illinois

Central Illinois gets its share of hail, straight-line wind events, and the occasional tornado. If you’ve had damage and you’re trying to figure out where to start — with the claim, with the contractor selection, with any of it — you’re welcome to call and just talk through your situation. There’s no pressure, and I’m happy to answer questions before we’ve even set up an inspection.