Estimating damages to your home after fire, water, or smoke damage

Each and every day new insurance claims are called in all over the country for everything from water and fire damage to hail and storm damage. After you call your claim in the adjuster will be out to inspect the damages and prepare a report detailing the items that need repaired or replaced. As you go through estimating damages, each item will have a price per unit and ultimately these items once added up will determine the total cost of repairs.

So how does an insurance adjuster know the value and cost to provide these items?

They likely will rely on an estimating system called Xactimate. Xactimate is an insurance based estimating damages system that has just about every line item you can imagine. Each line item will be “packaged” with labor, material, procurement, sales tax, and disposal charges.

Is Xactimate accurate?

Xactimate accuracy could be arguably as contentious as sports or politics. The short answer as it relates to accuracy is that it “depends”. Items such as drywall and paint, roofing, siding, and flooring are typically in line with the costs’ associated with repair for the market you are in. Other items such as concrete, masonry, and steep pitches are not always as accurate and may require additional labor hours to be added or a sub bid.

Our advice to our customers

As hard as it may seem do not focus on the price of the insurance companies estimate but instead focus on the scope. We meet many homeowners throughout the year that have sustained substantial damage to their homes and we explain to them that what is “included” in the estimate is much more important than the pricing of any one line item the insurance company has applied to it. If a particular line item is short or under what is required a good restoration contractor will reach out to your handling adjuster to modify the estimate or possibly request a supplement.

Your contractor for repairs will know the costs’ of the work required to repair your home and can make a reasonable explanation to your adjuster if something is off. As a homeowner try to make your focus on getting as much coverage as your policy allows. Questions such as whether or not a carpet can be cleaned or replaced, full roof replacement or partial replacement, etc. are more important to the homeowner than the price.

Also if your contractor is utilizing Xactimate his estimate should be reasonably close to the adjusters assuming he has the same “scope” of repairs.

Built Restoration and Construction Services is a full service General Contractor located in the Charlotte, NC area. We work with all major insurance carriers including USAA, NATIONWIDE, AMICA, FARM BUREAU, KEMPER, CENTRAL, Erie, and many others. Got Water Damage? Better Call Built! 704 604 0245