Fence Showing Hail Strikes

A significant hail and windstorm event moved through Frisco’s Hillcrest Estates neighborhood and left this property with damage that extended well beyond the roofline. The roof took the most obvious hits — marble-sized hail strikes that compromised the shingle surface across more than 27 squares of roofing. But the same storm that damaged the roof also worked over the gutters, the fence, the pergola, and the window screens on the front elevation.

Managing a multi-trade insurance claim of this scope requires more than just calling a roofer. Each trade has its own documentation requirements, its own line items in the carrier’s estimate, and its own potential for being underpaid or overlooked. The homeowner needed a contractor who could navigate all of it — not just execute the roofing work and hand off everything else to separate trades with separate scopes and separate timelines.

The Discovery: What the Adjuster Found and What the Documentation Confirmed

The insurance provider’s assessment documented hail and wind damage across four coverage areas: the primary dwelling roof, the gutters on affected elevations, the wood fence and pergola, and the front elevation window screens. The scope that came back from the carrier covered each trade — but as with most insurance estimates, getting the replacement specification right required direct involvement from Phillips Home Improvements to confirm that every line item reflected the actual condition of the property and the correct replacement standard.

On the roof specifically, the tear-off revealed conditions that supported the full replacement scope — decking work was required as part of the restoration, and the shed roof was also included in the replacement scope. Eight pipe jacks and five box vents needed replacement alongside the shingles, and a power attic vent cover required replacement as well. The gutter damage on the affected elevations was consistent with the hail event — impact marks on the aluminum and compromised hangers that had been stressed by wind load.

The Solution: A Coordinated Four-Trade Restoration Under One Roof

The roofing system went in first. Owens Corning® Duration shingles in Driftwood AR — a Class 4 impact-resistant product specifically suited to the hail exposure this property had just experienced — were installed over Owens Corning® ProArmor® Synthetic Roof Underlayment across the full roof field. Owens Corning® WeatherLock® Mat Self-Sealing Waterproofing Barrier went into the valleys and high-risk transition areas. RizeRidge® AR ridge cap finished the roofline at 138 linear feet, and OC Starter Strip shingles established the perimeter. All eight pipe jacks were replaced and painted, the five box vents were replaced, and the power attic vent cover was upgraded. Drip edge ran 290 linear feet around the perimeter.

On the affected gutter elevations, a new 5-inch K-style aluminum system in Wicker White went in with 178 linear feet of seamless gutter, 15 downspout pipes, and 89 hidden hangers to anchor the system properly against future wind events. The fence and pergola received professional cleaning and staining to restore the wood surfaces to pre-storm condition — 2,384 square feet of fence and gate, 420 linear feet of pergola trim, and 158 square feet of pergola beam work. Twelve window screens on the front elevation were replaced, and glazing bead was restored along 22 linear feet of the front elevation framing.

The Results: A Property Restored to Pre-Storm Condition Across Every Trade

What makes a whole-property storm restoration different from a standard roof replacement is the scope of what gets returned to its original condition. The roof is performing again with a Class 4 impact-resistant system that gives this Hillcrest Estates home better hail resistance than the original shingles provided. The gutters on the affected elevations are new, properly anchored, and moving water away from the foundation the way they should. The fence and pergola — structures most homeowners don’t think of as storm damage candidates — came through the restoration looking the way they did before the hail event. The front elevation window screens are replaced and the glazing bead is restored.

Working directly with the insurance carrier throughout the process meant the homeowner received what their policy actually provided rather than what the first estimate offered. A hail event of this magnitude, documented properly and restored completely, is also the kind of claim that positions a homeowner correctly for future weather events — with a Class 4 roof that many carriers recognize with premium adjustments and a documented restoration record that establishes the property’s pre-storm condition clearly.

Roof Storm Damage Restoration in Progress

Protecting Landscaping & Windows During Roof Replacement

Roofing Materials Staged for Use

Entire Roof Decking Visible After Tear Off

Shingles Staged on Roof with ProArmor® Underlayment Visible

Worker Insalling Owens Corning Duration AR Shingles

Completed Roofing Section After Storm Damage Repair

Materials Specification

Why Proper Preparation Matters

A four-trade storm restoration doesn’t have the luxury of one trade creating problems for the next. On this project, sequencing was the preparation — roofing first, so no new gutter work gets compromised by debris from the tear-off; fence and pergola work coordinated so the wood surfaces are clean and ready before staining begins; window screen replacement timed so the front elevation glazing bead work doesn’t get covered before it’s inspected. Beyond sequencing, the standard roofing prep applied: magnetic nail sweeps, property protection, and a debris management plan for 27-plus squares of old shingles coming off in a residential neighborhood.

Materials Selected for Long-Term Performance

Owens Corning® Duration shingles carry a Class 4 impact resistance rating — the highest available for residential roofing — which means this Hillcrest Estates home is now better equipped for the next hail event than it was before the storm that triggered this claim. ProArmor® synthetic underlayment outperforms traditional felt in moisture resistance and durability during the installation window. WeatherLock® Mat in the valleys provides a self-sealing barrier at the roof’s highest water-concentration points. The 5-inch K-style aluminum gutter system on the affected elevations is anchored with 89 hidden hangers rated for the kind of wind load that stressed the previous system — a specification detail that matters in a climate where the wind that brings hail also tests every fastener on the gutter line.

The Phillips Approach

A hail claim with four trades in scope is exactly the situation where a homeowner needs an advocate rather than just a contractor. Insurance estimates for multi-trade storm damage are written quickly and often miss line items, underspecify materials, or apply depreciation in ways that leave the homeowner holding a gap between what the policy should pay and what the first check covers. Phillips Home Improvements worked directly with State Farm throughout this restoration to make sure the approved scope reflected the actual damage and the correct replacement standard — not the minimum the first estimate would have supported. The roofing system, the gutters, the fence, the pergola, and the window screens all came back to pre-storm condition. That’s the standard a whole-property hail restoration should be held to.

Questions Related to this Storm Damage Restoration Project

Q: What is recoverable depreciation on a roof replacement insurance claim, and how does a homeowner actually collect it?

Most homeowners who file a storm damage claim receive an initial payment that is significantly less than the full replacement cost of their roof. The difference is called depreciation — the insurance carrier’s calculation of how much value the original roof had lost due to age and wear before the storm hit. On a standard replacement cost value policy, that depreciation is withheld from the first check but is recoverable once the work is actually completed. The problem is that many homeowners don’t know the withheld amount exists, assume the initial check is the full settlement, and never file to recover it.

The process for recovering depreciation requires submitting documentation to the carrier after the work is complete — typically a final invoice showing the actual cost of restoration and proof that the work was performed to the scope the carrier approved. The carrier then releases the withheld depreciation amount as a supplemental payment. The timeline and documentation requirements vary by carrier and policy, but the principle is consistent: the first check is not the final settlement on a replacement cost value policy, and leaving the depreciation uncollected means the homeowner absorbs a cost their policy was designed to cover.

On a multi-trade storm restoration like this Hillcrest Estates project — covering roofing, gutters, fence, pergola, and window screens under a single State Farm claim — the depreciation withheld across four trades can be a substantial amount. Phillips Home Improvements works with homeowners throughout the claims process, including the post-completion documentation phase, to make sure the full entitlement under the policy is recovered rather than left on the table.

Q: What is the practical difference between a Class 4 impact-resistant shingle and a standard architectural shingle for a North Texas home?

Class 4 is the highest impact resistance rating available for residential roofing shingles under the UL 2218 test standard, which simulates hail strikes using steel balls dropped from specific heights onto the shingle surface. A shingle that earns a Class 4 rating resists cracking at the two-inch steel ball test — the most severe level. Standard architectural shingles typically rate at Class 3 or below, meaning they’ll show surface damage and granule loss under the same impact conditions that a Class 4 shingle can absorb. For a Frisco home that experienced a significant hail event significant enough to trigger a full roof replacement claim, installing a Class 4 product like Owens Corning® Duration AR means the next comparable hail event is less likely to produce the same outcome. Many insurance carriers also recognize Class 4 roofs with premium adjustments, which can offset a portion of the upgrade cost over time.

Q: How does working with a contractor who advocates directly with the insurance carrier change the outcome of a multi-trade storm claim?

Insurance estimates for storm damage are written by adjusters working from aerial imagery, software-generated measurements, and standardized pricing databases — tools that are accurate for straightforward claims but frequently miss project-specific conditions that affect the real cost of restoration. On a multi-trade claim covering roofing, gutters, fence, pergola, and window screens, the opportunities for an estimate to underspecify materials, miss line items, or apply depreciation incorrectly multiply with each additional trade in scope. A contractor who reviews the estimate line by line, identifies gaps between what was approved and what the property actually requires, and communicates directly with the carrier’s adjuster to support corrections is doing something fundamentally different from a contractor who simply accepts the first estimate and builds to that number. The homeowner on this project received a restoration that reflected what their State Farm policy actually covered — not what the initial estimate happened to include.