Full Episode Transcript

Roofing Talks Episode 3: From Hail Damage to Insurance Claim
Host: John May, General Manager, Petrali Roofing
Guest: Josh Blair, Roofing Consultant, Petrali Roofing

 

Introduction

Hey, this is John May, General Manager here at Petrali Roofing, and we are here with Episode 3 of Roofing Talks, which is the series that we’re putting out to better educate and inform our customers and the community about their roofs, the roofing industry, and lots of different topics.
We’re excited about today’s episode. I have Josh Blair, who is a roofing consultant for us here at Petrali Roofing. Josh has a really interesting history with us, so we’re going to talk about his path to his current position as a consultant. So, thanks for joining us today, Josh.

Josh: Thank you!

Josh’s Background: How He Started at Petrali Roofing

John: First question I want to ask you is, tell us about how you started and came to work at Petrali Roofing.

Josh: Sure. I want to say it was a year after COVID, so that would have been around 2021 or 2022. I was in a job at the ministry [Andrew Wommack Ministries], and I was praying for something different. Michael [owner/CEO of Petrali Roofing] called me out of the blue soon after that and said, “Hey, you remember me? We played basketball like five or six years ago.”

John: That’s awesome!

Josh: He was hiring for either a supervisor or a sales consultant. With our second kid on the way, I wanted something steady as I learned roofing because I didn’t have any prior construction background or knowledge. So he said, “Yeah, come on as a supervisor.” That was around March of 2021 or 2022. I started riding around with Dave [Petrali] and Michael, overseeing jobs, overseeing repairs, just learning everything about it. I had no experience.

What Actually Happens on Install Day

John: Josh is a good example of what we like to do at Petrali, which is give people opportunities, train them up, and raise them up. So, you started as a supervisor and this is something that we’ve talked about on previous episodes as well but, talk about what are the responsibilities of a supervisor. It’s a little bit of a unique role that we have at Petrali Roofing that we offer supervisors on our jobs but, tell me a little bit about what that entails to be a supervisor at Petrali Roofing?

Josh: Yeah, I would say there’s a lot that entails and I’m sure the SOPs for a supervisor are a lot better now then when I was a supervisor.

John: We’re working on it!

Josh: But, it’s a very important job to make sure the process goes well. It’s early in the morning, getting to the job site, double-checking material orders, roofing work orders, overseeing that the crew is doing everything correctly. Lots of pictures, documenting overviews, documenting pictures before the roof starts so that unforeseen items or, in the rare case, a customer complains about something that was damaged. Supervisors are very important to the whole project going smooth. From the crew to the salesperson to the company, it’s a very important role.

They could be supervising multiple jobs so, they’re making sure if they’re short on material, they’re running to the supplier to get it. They’re making sure everything goes smoothly. They’re also checking in with homeowners to make them feel at ease and that their property is being cared for. Some people are there during install, at their house. Some people choose to leave, but either way, that communication, while the salesperson is communicating a lot of stuff, it is helpful, and our supervisor do a great job of introducing themselves, cleaning up trash if it goes into a neighbor’s yard. There’s a ton of stuff supervisors do, I’m trying to think of everything.

John: That is fantastic and I think that captures a lot of the main components there and, that supervisor role is distinct and different from our roof consultant position but both of those roles work hand-in-hand for our customers to make sure that process, that day-of, goes as smooth as possible.

What Josh Learned Without a Construction Background

John: What are some…You didn’t have a background in construction and you came and started working in that supervisor role. So, what would you say are a couple big takeaways either from a construction standpoint or just roofs in general, what were some of the big takeaways that you had while you were working in that role?

Josh: Yeah, I didn’t have any experience and Michael was like, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll figure it out.”

John: Yeah!

Josh: It was just learning all the different styles of the roofs and all the components and just watching the crews do their work. There are a lot of different components and different styles of roofs. Understanding flashings, starter, hip and ridge, field shingles, just all the different things. I don’t know if that answers it

John: That’s perfect! What would be some things from that supervisor perspective that you would like a normal homeowner to know? Like, here are some basics that; a homeowner isn’t always up on their roof, they don’t always understand what’s going on up there. For a homeowner, from that supervisor side, with the installation or the components, what would be some things that you would share with a homeowner?

Josh: Sure, yeah, that’s a better point. Yeah, just understanding; because as I supervised stuff, I got to see how Petrali…what our standards are; there are some roofs you’ll come across where they’ll either use plastic pipe jacks instead of metal ones that are better quality. Or they won’t do starter on the rakes and they’ll only do it at the eaves. There’s some little nuances that if you don’t get up on your roof or you don’t supervise a job, there’s some things that you would miss. We always paint our pipe jacks. Not every company does that or maybe they only do it if the insurance is paying for it. Same with drip edge. You can get non-painted, galvanized but we always do 2×4 painted [drip edge]. So kind of some nuance in the materials and how it’s installed that, you can cut some corners.

Why Petrali Focuses on Total System Quality

John: When we look at the roofs that we install, we really look at that as a roofing system, not just individual components, and how can we cut corners here or do a cheap component here. When we look at installing a roof, we want to install a Petrali roof, which is high quality at every level. One of the reasons why we do that is, we warranty our roofs.

We have a standard 5-year workmanship warranty that we put on so we want to install a really high quality roof so that we’re not having to come back out and fix repairs or fix issues in the future because we care about the customer, we care about the product, we care about the roof. There’s elements to that roof, that Petrali roof that we’re putting on that go above and beyond and is just a step above on the standard level to make sure that roof that’s going on there is a quality roof. And then we put our name behind it as well, and we’re local and we’re going to be around forever. So, if somebody gives us a call and says, “hey, there’s an issue here”, which Josh said happens rarely…but if there is an issue, we come out and fix it.

Transition from Supervisor to Roofing Consultant

John: So you worked as a supervisor. Talk about that transition, when that happened, and how that came about of moving from a supervisor to roof consultant.

Josh: Sure, So, I had been in the supervisor role for about a year. I remember getting lunch with Michael early in 2023. Kind of an expectations and what are you thinking about for the year and I was thinking about a sales or, I mentioned possibly production but, Charli’s [Production Manager] way better at that than me! And then Michael was like, “I think sales would be really good for you.” And, I did have some previous experience. Before COVID I had a sales job for three to four years, so I was very comfortable being in a homeowner’s house, so I think it prepared me for this.

But, what he was saying was, “when a storm hits, we can transition you in there”. And, about three or four months later in 2023, summer of 2023, that big storm hit and several other storms hit. I started knocking doors, the phones were ringing off the hook as well. I still was supervising a little bit because I still was one of our main supervisors at the time, but Michael was very helpful in helping with that transition. It was a good transition, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
Storms, Insurance, and Why Guidance Matters

John: That summer of 2023 was kind of the last big storm that happened in Colorado Springs. And, I just want to pause a minute to talk about our approach to those types of scenarios because, when that happens and there is hail that will compromise…that can compromise people’s roofs and hail damage. And you want to be able to have a roofer that will walk with you through that insurance process because it is important.

And, our approach to that is kind of like the heart behind doing these types of Roofing Talks episodes where we want to educate and we want to make sure that you are a key part of the process and you’re informed. We don’t want to keep homeowners in the dark, we want to make sure that they know what’s going on, what we plan to do with the roof, hope we can help and support them with the insurance company and those times can be…it can be a little stressful for a homeowner dealing with insurance. It can be confusing, it’s not something that comes up a lot, you’re not filing insurance claims every week so you know the process. It can be challenging. That’s why having a roofer, especially a local roofer like Petrali, who’s well experienced, has been through lots of storms in the past and have helped thousands, if not tens of thousands of customers here is the Springs; having a roofer like that walk with you through that process is really important.

What Happens During a Roof Inspection for Hail Damage

John: With your transition to roof consultant, what are some things that you would share with the audience, with the homeowner on what they need to know, what they should know, what they need to be aware of through that insurance process, through a storm; they’ve had some hail damage, they think their roof needs to be replaced; what are some things from your experience; because now that was ‘23 so now it’s 2026 so you’re coming up on three years in this role; you’ve walked lots of homeowners through the process; what are some things you would share from your experience with a homeowner?

Josh: When a customer calls in…I’m out there, I knock on the door, they think they have hail damage; the first thing I’m going to do is ask them if they were there, if they saw anything, took pictures or videos. Typically, I’ll look up permit information before even getting there. I’ll also look up storm data, we have different software and show the size of hail. And then, another thing I’ll ask them is, who their insurance carrier is. Some carriers are more strict on date-of-loss requirements. I know Dan and Jake [Episode 2 and Episode 1 respectively] have touched on this, so this might be a little redundant.

Basically, what I’m telling them is what insurance is looking for. They look for anywhere from six to 14 hits per square [10×10 area, 100 sqft] on different major slopes. And then we’re also, I’m also telling the homeowner that I’m looking for evidence that damage was here and, soft metals, dents in gutters, dents on the metal vents, paint chipped on the siding, window screens; I’m looking for evidence that shows…tells a story that there was a hail storm here.

Then, once I explain that, I get up on the roof, inspect it thoroughly; 21-Point Inspection; all the flashings, take pictures and videos. And then, when I get off the roof, I show them what I’m seeing and then, if they do need to file a claim, I tell them to please check their deductible and see if they have that in their budget. Deductibles are rising now, so they can be 1% [of their total dwelling coverage]. But that’s the process, asking them who they have and that’s the first part of it.
Helping Homeowners Understand Insurance Estimates

John: What are some other ways you provide support to the homeowners as they’re going through the process, if they’re looking at a claim summary; and again, things a homeowner just isn’t used to looking at; how are you providing support through that claim process?

Josh: After they’ve filed the claim, I let them know to keep me updated when the adjuster’s coming. I’m happy to meet the adjuster out there to be on the same page, as far as damage that we’re seeing. Then, once the adjuster makes the decision, let’s say they paid for the new roof and gutters and different things…once they [the homeowner]get the estimate or the summary, I will reach out to them, we’ll sit down and go over it line-by-line. We’re looking at the line items, RCV, depreciation, ACV, and then some policies are ACV so there’s non-recoverable depreciation, so I’m helping them navigate. We look at these things every day but to a homeowner that this happens to once every 10 years it can be confusing and a lot of legal ease.

Adding Value Beyond Insurance Scope

Josh: So, we just help them walk through it, show them what they’re paying and then from the supervisor to sales side, how that integrates and how that helped me is looking at the components they’re paying for letting them know that insurance is paying for 15lb felt but we’re automatically going to use synthetic. You have plastic pipe jacks…we’re going to put metal ones. You have…they’re paying for plastic turtle vents, but we’re going to put metal turtle vents. Letting them know how we, at Petrali, do it, whether insurance is paying, we’re always trying to add more value. If they’re [insurance] not paying for starter on rakes, we still do that, we take the hit on that. We’re not charging the customer extra. Even if pipe jacks weren’t painted, we’re going to paint them. I’m pointing out those discrepancies and what their current roof system is to what we’re going to do at that price.

Why Experience Matters

John: Even painting pipe jacks; that’s such a little thing but it really increases the look of the roof and makes it look better from the road or from the backyard or wherever. Those are just those little things that we like to do at Petrali to elevate that experience that the homeowner are having. And, we really do see that roof as a product. It’s not just something we’re trying to get through, get over with, and get done with. We really want to put a good roof on people’s houses that’s functional, obviously, that doesn’t leak, doesn’t have any problems like that but also just looks good. That something that can increase the value of your home. You can enjoy it when you’re out in the backyard mowing your lawn and you look up at the roof and be like, “that’s a Petrali roof. Look at those painted pipe jacks. Look how good they are!”

Josh has been doing a great job for us on the roofing consultant side and I hope you see that and hear that. From his experience on the supervisor side, coming over to the roof consultant side, there’s a lot that goes into a roof. Lots of components…lots of things that are there that a normal homeowner might not know exists on a roof. They just look up and see shingles, they see the little vent-type things up there but to a normal homeowner, it’s just a bunch of shingles up there but there’s a lot that goes into it. There’s a lot of pieces, a lot of components and when you have someone like Josh who’s looking at walking with you through the insurance process, through the claim process, looking at the summary with you, you’re in a better position to maximize what you’re getting that insurance claim but also with Petrali, we go above and beyond to make sure that, even if insurance isn’t paying for something, we have our standards that we set, that we put on the roof that either looks good or is a better component for you as well.

Final Thoughts

John: Anything else to close, that you’d like to share?

Josh: Obviously, take a look at our reviews. We’re in the community, we’ve been here a long time. We give back with our Hearts & Hammers. It’s a great company to be a part of. There’s a lot of roofing companies in town, but I would say, do your research. And obviously, we’d love to help with any of your roof projects.

John: Excellent! Thanks for joining us today on Roofing Talks, I hope you learned something from Josh. That was really awesome to hear about your journey through Petrali. Thanks for joining us, thanks for watching. If you want to have this Petrali experience and see the difference in how we approach insurance claims or installing your roof, give us a call, 719-375-8773. We can schedule that inspection, we’ll get up on your roof, see the condition of it We are your local roofer here in the Springs, here in the Pikes Peak region, and we want to help. We want to serve with quality, with excellence, as we’ve heard today from Josh. Thanks for watching! We’ll see you next time!