Why Did Insurance Only Approve One Slope of My Roof?

How an adjuster actually grades hail: slope by slope, square by square

An adjuster does not look at your roof and decide "damaged" or "not damaged." They climb up, pick a representative 10 foot by 10 foot area on each slope, chalk the corners, and count the hail strikes inside that 100 square feet.

The threshold they are counting toward is internal and unpublished. It varies by carrier, and some use a damage-per-square standard with a different count or a different square size entirely. In our experience working Dane County storms alongside adjusters, the number often lands somewhere around 8 to 10 genuine strikes, but treat that as context, not a pass/fail test you can run yourself from the ground. Hit the number, that slope is totaled. Fall short, that slope is denied. The north slope can pass while the south slope misses by two hits, on the same roof, in the same storm.

What counts as a real strike is specific:

• A round or oval bruise where granules are knocked loose and the asphalt mat underneath feels soft and spongy, like a bruise on an apple
• A fracture in the fiberglass mat, sometimes visible as a crack when you flex the shingle
• Random pattern. Hail does not hit in lines, rows, or tidy clusters around a plumbing vent

What does not count: blistering, granule loss from foot traffic, manufacturing defects, ladder damage, or plain old age. A good adjuster knows the difference. So does a good roofer, and so does a bad one who is hoping you do not.

Why one direction genuinely takes the beating

Hail almost never falls straight down in south-central Wisconsin. It comes in on a driving wind, usually out of the southwest or west as a supercell tracks northeast across Dane, Rock and Green counties.

So the slopes facing into the storm eat it. The leeward slopes are sheltered by their own ridge line. On a plain gable house in Oregon or Stoughton, that can mean a hammered west slope and a nearly untouched east slope, a few feet apart.

Pitch matters, but it cuts both ways. A steep leeward slope hides behind the ridge and can come through almost clean. A steep windward slope is the opposite: wind-driven hail arrives at a low angle and strikes that steep face closer to head-on, so it often takes the worst beating on the house. Low slopes catch more of whatever falls vertically. Two slopes, same storm, legitimately different damage.

Stone size matters too, which is why it is worth understanding what size hail actually damages a roof before you decide the adjuster got it wrong.

The part that gets skipped

Here is where partial approvals go sideways. Test squares take time. On a cut-up roof with six or eight elevations, a rushed adjuster working a storm queue sometimes squares the obvious slope, walks the rest, and calls it from the ridge.

The pattern we see most often: a hip ranch south of Madison, west slope approved, east slope denied, and nobody chalked the east slope. Once it gets squared and counted with the adjuster standing there, the story changes often enough that it is always worth checking.

Soft bruising is genuinely hard to see from ten feet away, especially on weathered brown or driftwood architectural shingles in flat light. That is how a damaged slope gets written up as undamaged.

Soft metal evidence: the gutters tell on the storm

Before you argue about shingles, look at the metal. Soft metals dent and they do not heal, so they are the most objective record of what hit your house and from which direction.

Check and photograph:

• Gutters and downspouts, especially the back faces and elbows
• Gutter aprons, drip edge and valley metal
• Roof vents, turtle vents, turbines and exhaust caps. The soft aluminum tops dent like a soda can
• Aluminum fascia and wraps, window screens, downspout straps
• Siding, AC condenser fins and the grill lid, which help establish stone size and wind direction

If the vents on the "undamaged" east slope are dented, that slope was struck. That does not automatically mean it hits the bruise threshold, but it tells the adjuster the exposure was real and those shingles deserve a chalked square, not a glance. Our walkthrough on how to spot hail damage on your roof shows what the evidence looks like from the ground.

One more thing to sort out early: hail and wind are handled differently in a claim. If shingles are creased or lifted rather than bruised, read up on wind versus hail damage in an insurance claim before your reinspection.

Not sure whether your denied slopes were really inspected? We will walk the roof, chalk test squares on every elevation, and give you a written assessment at no cost. Call (608) 909-9109.

Why the first check is so small: ACV, RCV and your deductible

Most homeowners policies are replacement cost (RCV) policies, but they pay in two steps. The first check is actual cash value (ACV): the repair cost minus depreciation for the age and wear of your shingles, minus your deductible. On a 15-year-old roof, depreciation can be a large slice.

The held-back amount is recoverable depreciation. You collect it after the work is completed, when your contractor submits the final invoice and completion documentation. Skip the work and you never see it.

Two things to verify on your declarations page:

• Do you have RCV or an ACV-only roof endorsement? Some carriers now write older roofs on an ACV or scheduled-payment basis. On those, depreciation is never released.
• Do you have a percentage wind/hail deductible (1% or 2% of dwelling coverage) instead of a flat dollar amount? On a $400,000 home, 2% is $8,000, which can swallow a one-slope claim entirely.

One deductible per claim event, not per slope

Your deductible applies once per claim event. Whether the carrier approves one slope or all four, you pay it one time. A new storm on a new date is a new claim and a new deductible.

Your mortgage company will probably be on the check

If your loan is escrowed, expect the claim check payable to you and your servicer. Their loss draft department has to endorse it, and they typically want the adjuster's estimate, a signed contract, sometimes a W-9, and an inspection at completion on larger losses. Start that paperwork the day the check arrives. It is the single most common reason a repair sits waiting.

What the gap actually costs: one slope versus the whole roof

Here are real ballpark numbers so you can price the decision instead of guessing.

In south-central Wisconsin, a straightforward tear-off and reroof with architectural shingles has been running roughly $450-$650 per square (a square is 100 square feet of roof). Steep pitch, two existing layers, rotted decking, complex cut-up roofs, or impact-rated Class-4 shingles push that higher.

So a 30-square house is roughly $13,500-$19,500 for a full asphalt shingle roof replacement. A single 12-square slope on its own usually lands around $6,500-$9,000, because per-square cost goes up on a partial. Mobilization, dumpster, permit and tie-in labor get spread over less area.

Now the math homeowners actually care about. Say the carrier approved that 12-square slope at $7,500 RCV with a $2,500 deductible:

Put that $5,000 toward a $15,000 full roof and you are writing a check for about $10,000. Across typical Dane County houses, that upgrade difference usually lands somewhere in the $9,000-$13,000 range. Your carrier does not pay more because you chose to do the whole roof, so the difference is yours.

Those are ranges to plan against, not a quote. Measurements, pitch and what we find under the old shingles decide the real number.

If the difference is not in the budget right now

Say so out loud, because it changes the right answer. Most roofers, including us, can lay out payment options: third-party home improvement financing with monthly terms, or you compare that against a home equity line or a credit union loan, which is usually the cheaper money if you have equity. Ask for the total cost of financing, not just the monthly payment.

And if the difference still does not fit, taking the partial is a legitimate choice, not a failure. A properly installed partial keeps water out of your house. You can plan the rest of the roof on your own timeline, and if another storm hits the remaining slopes, that is a new claim with its own settlement.

What a partial actually looks like when it is installed

This is the question almost nobody answers, and it decides whether a partial is a clean job or a headache.

New shingles have to tie into old ones somewhere. That somewhere is the ridge, a hip, or a valley, and all three require cutting back into shingles you are keeping.

• At the ridge or hip, the crew has to remove the ridge cap and pull back the top course or two of the slope you are keeping. Twenty-year-old shingles are sealed down hard and brittle in cool weather. Lifting them cracks them. Some breakage is normal and gets repaired, but the older and more weathered the field, the more of it there is.
• Ridge cap rarely matches. New cap cut in across an old faded field is the most visible line on the roof. Sometimes we cap the whole ridge in new material to make it read as intentional, which means touching the old slope anyway.
• In a valley, you cannot stop at the centerline. New shingles have to be woven or cut into the adjacent slope, usually a foot or more up, plus new valley metal or ice-and-water underneath.
• Some slopes cannot be tied in cleanly at all. Continuous hips on a hip roof, dormer intersections, or a slope that dead-ends into a wall can mean the honest recommendation is more area than the carrier approved. That becomes a documented supplement, not an argument.

Timeline and what the day looks like

A single-slope partial on an average house is usually a one-day job. A full tear-off and reroof on a typical Dane County home is commonly one to two days, three if the pitch is steep, there is a second layer to remove, or we find decking to replace.

Either way the day runs the same: tarps and plywood over landscaping and AC units, dump trailer positioned, tear-off, decking checked for soft or delaminated sheathing, ice-and-water shield at the eaves and valleys, drip edge, synthetic underlayment, shingles, ridge vent, then a magnet sweep of the yard and driveway. Same crew, same details, just less of it on a partial.

The matching problem: this is the real fight

A one-slope approval sounds fine on paper until the new shingles go on. Then you see it.

Asphalt shingles fade. Fifteen Wisconsin summers of UV, plus freeze-thaw cycling and granule wear, and a "Weathered Wood" roof from 2009 is nowhere near the color of Weathered Wood off a pallet today. The new slope reads brighter, sharper, cleaner, and the line where old meets new shows from the sidewalk.

It gets worse when the color has been discontinued, which happens constantly. Manufacturers retire colors and reformulate granule blends. Now your roofer is matching to the nearest current option, and the nearest option can be off in a different direction entirely.

On a complex roof with dormers and changes of plane, a partial can disappear. On a plain gable or a hip ranch, it looks exactly like what it is.

Does your carrier owe you a roof that matches?

Be careful with what you read online, because this depends on your policy language.

Some policies contain wording about restoring a reasonably uniform appearance. Others say nothing about appearance and simply pay to repair or replace the damaged portion with material of like kind and quality.

So do this:

1. Read your actual policy, specifically the loss settlement section and anywhere the words "uniform," "appearance" or "matching" appear.
2. Ask your carrier in writing how the policy handles matching on a partial roof replacement, and ask them to cite the provision.
3. Keep the answer in writing, not over the phone.

If you have questions about how your claim is being handled, or you want to file a complaint, Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance takes homeowner inquiries. We are roofers, not attorneys or public adjusters. We will not tell you the law entitles you to something. We document your roof honestly and let the policy and your carrier decide.

Will a two-tone roof hurt resale?

It is rarely a deal breaker, but it does get noticed. A buyer's home inspector will flag a partial replacement almost every time, usually worded as differing shingle ages with limited remaining service life on the older slopes. That is a fair note, and it hands the buyer a negotiating point.

Appraisers care about condition and remaining useful life more than color, so a mismatch by itself does not usually move an appraisal. The exposure is age: if your older slopes are 18 or 20 years old at closing, expect a credit request, and know that some carriers get picky about writing a policy on a roof that age for the new owner.

Practical takeaway. If you are selling in the next couple of years, keep every document: the claim paperwork, the shingle brand and color installed, and the invoice. A partial you can explain with paper is a much smaller issue than a mystery patch.

"My neighbor got a full roof from the same storm"

Different outcomes on the same block are normal, and the explanation is usually boring.

• Different carrier, different internal threshold, different loss settlement language
• Different geometry and orientation, windward versus leeward, steep versus low
• Different roof age and shingle type. Brittle 20-year-old three-tab bruises far more readily than a newer laminated shingle
• Different documentation. A roof test-squared on every elevation with soft-metal photos gets scoped differently than one that got eyeballed
• Their claim may not be finished. Plenty of full roofs started as partials and got there through a reinspection or supplement

Your practical options after a partial approval

You have more moves than "accept it" or "fight it forever."

1. Request a reinspection

This is the highest-value step available and it costs you nothing. When someone is on the roof pointing at chalked squares and lifting shingles to show a fractured mat, denied slopes get revisited far more often than when photos get emailed.

Call the claim line and say exactly this:

"I am requesting a reinspection with my contractor present. Please have the adjuster chalk and count test squares on all elevations, including the slopes that were previously denied."

Then write down, in one place:

• Your claim number and date of loss
• The adjuster's name and the name of whoever took your call
• The date and time you requested the reinspection

Follow up with a short email repeating the request so there is a written record.

2. Build the documentation

Dated photos with chalk or a coin for scale. Chalked test squares on every denied slope with visible strike counts. Soft-metal damage on all elevations. A written contractor assessment listing shingle brand, color, approximate age, and whether that color is still produced. A manufacturer discontinuation notice carries weight.

3. Request a supplement, and ask about Ordinance or Law coverage

If the approved scope missed items, your roofer submits a supplement with photos: an extra layer found at tear-off, rotted decking, drip edge, flashing, pipe boots.

Then ask your adjuster about Ordinance or Law coverage, sometimes listed as code upgrade coverage. That is frequently the funding mechanism for items current code requires but your original roof never had, like ice-and-water shield at the eaves, proper intake and exhaust ventilation, and drip edge. Two caveats so you are not disappointed: not every policy includes it, and where it exists it is usually capped at a percentage of your dwelling limit and only pays for code-required upgrades triggered by covered damage. Naming the coverage in a supplement matters. Asking for "extra stuff" does not. Supplements are a routine part of the insurance claim process, not a confrontation.

4. Ask whether your policy provides appraisal

Many policies include an appraisal clause for disputes over the amount of loss: each side names an appraiser and the two select an umpire. Check whether yours has one, what it requires, and who pays. It is a formal step, so know what you are walking into.

5. Know when a public adjuster or attorney is worth it

A reinspection with a competent roofer on the roof solves most partial approvals, and it is free. A public adjuster works on a percentage of your settlement, so on a one-slope claim with a $2,500 deductible their fee can eat most of what you gained. They earn their keep on large, complicated or badly stalled losses.

An attorney belongs in the picture when the dispute is about coverage rather than scope: a flat denial you believe contradicts your policy, a carrier that will not respond, or a claim closed without an inspection. Do the free steps first.

We do this work alongside homeowners every storm season. We meet your adjuster on the roof so damage gets documented while everyone is standing on it, instead of arguing about photos three weeks later.

Straight answers to the questions people hesitate to ask

"Will a reinspection or supplement raise my premium or get me dropped?" A reinspection or supplement on a claim you already filed is not a new claim. The loss is already on your record. Rate and non-renewal decisions come mostly from total claim history, your carrier's regional losses, and statewide filings after a bad hail year. Ask your agent about your specific policy if you want it confirmed.

"My roofer offered to cover my deductible." Walk away. In Wisconsin, a contractor paying, waiving, rebating or absorbing your insurance deductible on a property claim is not legal, and the money has to come out of the job somewhere, usually the parts you cannot see. Same goes for anyone guaranteeing a full roof approval or asking you to sign in the driveway before anyone has been on the roof.

"Does a partial replacement void my shingle warranty?" Material warranties generally follow the shingles, so the new slope carries its own coverage and your old slopes keep whatever prorated coverage remains. The catch is enhanced system warranties, which typically require a complete roof installed to manufacturer specification with matching components. A single slope does not qualify. If a stronger warranty matters, that is an argument for a full roof, and it is worth asking what a GAF Master Elite installation qualifies for.

When accepting the partial approval is the smart call

Sometimes the honest answer is: take it.

Accepting one slope makes sense when the other slopes genuinely test clean, your policy says nothing about uniform appearance, your shingle color is still in production, the roof has enough planes that the new slope will not stand out, or the damaged slope faces away from the street.

It also makes sense when your remaining shingles have real life left. A 9-year-old architectural roof with one hail-blown slope is a good candidate. A 22-year-old three-tab roof is a different conversation, because you are putting new shingles against material that is nearly finished regardless of hail.

And if the upgrade difference is not money you have right now, take the partial, get it installed correctly, and keep your documentation. That is a reasonable decision, not a compromise on your house.

Get a second set of eyes on the roof, free

If you are holding a claim decision that covers one slope and you cannot tell whether that is fair, do not guess and do not sign anything yet. Have somebody chalk the denied slopes and count.

Call Buckshot Exteriors at (608) 909-9109 for a free, no-pressure hail inspection anywhere in Dane, Rock and Green counties. We climb the roof, test-square every elevation, photograph the soft metals, check your shingle color against what is still in production, and hand you a written assessment you can take straight to your adjuster. If your denied slopes really are clean, we will tell you that. There is no charge to find out and nobody will lean on you in your driveway.

We have been family-owned since 1979, and we handle hail and storm damage restoration start to finish. One timing note: your policy sets the limits for completing repairs and submitting supplements, and the longer the roof weathers, the harder it gets to tie bruising to a specific storm date. A free roof inspection now protects your options later.

Call (608) 909-9109, or reach out through our contact page and we will get someone on your roof.