From Damage To Done: How A GC Secures Full, Code-Compliant Insurance Repairs

How Does Remodel Contracting Help With Insurance Claims?

Ever wonder why the first insurance estimate feels so light? We pull back the curtain on how carriers price to the minimum, what gets missed in Xactimate, and how a seasoned general contractor can turn a lowball scope into a complete, code-compliant restoration. With Sophia Yvette hosting and Jeff Bass in the hot seat, we map the entire journey from the first phone call to the final sign-off, showing you the steps that protect your wallet and your home.

We start with the smart move most people skip: meeting the adjuster on site. Jeff explains how that early collaboration sets a professional tone, ensures the right facts get captured, and signals that the homeowner has an advocate. From there we dissect Xactimate line items—texture matching, painting to a natural break, detach and reset of fixtures, manufacturer-required methods, and code upgrades—and show how to spot the gaps that add up to major quality and safety issues if ignored.

Then we dig into supplements, the tool that corrects the initial estimate without gaming the system. You’ll learn how documentation, photos, code citations, and product specs form an airtight case. Jeff shares two stories: a hazardous granite countertop left on flimsy supports after mitigation, and a whole-floor repair that stalled until the scope was properly negotiated. We also clarify how to handle homeowner upgrades outside the claim, keep projects within the approved budget, and deliver proof of completion so funds release smoothly.

If you’re dealing with storm, water, or fire damage, this is your blueprint to getting made whole—no more paying out of pocket for items that should’ve been covered. Subscribe, share with a neighbor who’s fighting their claim, and leave a review to tell us which part helped you most. Ready for expert help? Call 469-831-5620 or visit Remodelcontracting.net.

To learn more about Remodel Contracting visit:
https://www.RemodelContracting.net
Remodel Contracting
801 Alpha Rd, Ste 133
Richardson, TX 75081
469-831-5620

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
Welcome to the Remodel Contracting Podcast,
where outdated spaces meet theirmodern makeover destiny.
Hosted by Jeff Bass, generalcontractor, home renovation
expert, and guy who firmlybelieves your avocado green
bathroom has gotta go.
Based in the DFW Metro, RemodelContracting is here to help you

(00:24):
level up your living space.
Because hey, you updated yourwardrobe.
Now it's time to update yourhome.
Expect more, live better.
Let's remodel.

SPEAKER_02 (00:36):
Storm damage, water leaks, or fire, insurance claims
can be very stressful.
But here's how remodelcontracting helps clients
navigate the process withconfidence.
Welcome back, everyone.
I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host andproducer back in the studio
today with General Contractorand Home Renovation Expert Jeff
Bass.

(00:56):
Jeff, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_00 (00:58):
Having a wonderful morning.
Thank you, Sophia.
It's good to be here.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01):
Great.
Great to have you back on.
Now, Jeff, let's go ahead andwalk through it.
How does remodel contractinghelp with insurance claims?

SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
So, insurance claims, you know, you have some
damage, whether it be roofdamage, water damage in the
house.
Um, you call the insurancecompany, the insurance company
is going to send theirrepresentative, which is the
insurance adjuster.
Now, most homeowners um don'trealize the insurance adjusters
are trained to write minimumrepairs.
You know, insurance companiesare not in business to give

(01:32):
money away.
They need to turn a profit, andto do so, they're going to
provide the minimum to you.
And that may not necessarilyinclude full code compliance or
true replacement quality.
And that is where an experienceduh general contractor who
understands the insurance uhsupplement process comes to your

(01:55):
aid.

SPEAKER_02 (01:56):
Understood.
Now, getting into those steps,what's the first step when a
homeowner calls you afterdamage?

SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
Well, the very first step is if we can, we like to be
there when the adjuster comesfor the first time to open that
uh line of communication andestablish that relationship with
the adjuster, to honestly to letthe adjuster know that the
homeowner has somebody on theirside, that the homeowner has an
advocate who understands theprocess and is not going to

(02:29):
accept just the minimum.
And that would be a generalcontractor who understands how
to read the estimate.
The insurance standard is what aprogram called Xactimate.
Your uh general contractorshould understand how to read an
Xactimate just like an adjuster.
Um, you need to know where tolook for things that are missed,
whether it be code upgrades, uhhidden damage, scope gaps, and

(02:53):
also how to translate theinsurance language into
construction reality and also bethe liaison for the homeowner so
that the homeowner canunderstand what the insurance
company is offering, what thegeneral contractor is doing to
try to help supplement that.

(03:13):
And what a supplement is, andthis is the important part, the
supplement is the process ofgetting paid for what the
insurance company should havecovered the first time.
And that's the important thingto remember, okay?
The insurance company offers,gives you an offer, and then we
start the supplement process.
Now, the supplement processisn't trying to go above and
beyond anything that thehomeowner deserves.

(03:35):
It's what should have beenoffered the first time, um, as
opposed to the minimum that theinsurance company offers.
Supplements are not aboutpadding, they're about accuracy
and completeness, basicallyreturning the homeowner back to
the situation they were inbefore the damage occurred.
Um, homeowners need someone whocan prove the missing line

(03:56):
items, not just argue aboutthem.
We provide documentation,photos, current code,
manufacture specs.
We will do everything that theadjuster should have done.
You know, and I gotta tell you,unfortunately, most general
contractors don't know how towrite a proper supplement, but I
do because I know what theadjuster is looking for.

(04:16):
And navigating the process,there's steps, right?
You have an initial, initialinspection and documentation,
review the insurance carrier'sscope of work, which is that's
the exact make they're gonnagive you.
It's gonna be 18 pages long, andyou're gonna look at it,
homeowners gonna look at it, andtheir eyes are just gonna gloss
over.
Writing and submitting thesupplements, meeting the

(04:37):
adjuster on site, executing theproject per the final scope.
And, you know, of course, afterthe work is done, you still have
to prove to the insurancecompany that the work has been
done, and so that's the GC'sresponsibility as well.
And I say it every pre-singlepodcast, we do communication.
Emphasize communication, keepthe homeowner in the loop,

(04:59):
manage expectations, ensure theproject stays within the
carrier-approved budget oncesettled.
And also, just like any otherproject, right, the homeowner
can add to the project.
I mean, if we have, you know, wehave a water damage claim in the
kitchen, and the homeowner says,Well, I want to redo the floor
and this adjoining room as well,but that's not a part of the

(05:21):
scope.
Well, of course, we can alwaysadd that on, you know.
That doesn't affect ournegotiation and supplement with
the insurance carrier, thatwould just be something added on
to the project, which is fine.
I was gonna say something also,I'm talking about the I want to
talk about the homeowner.
You know, this is somethingwhere, again, they need an
expert on their side, right?
If a homeowner tries to do thiswithout a knowledgeable GC and

(05:42):
they just, you know, they've gotChuck in a truck and he's gonna
do the job for them, you know,they're gonna risk being
underpaid, they're gonna riskitems being missed, and they
will risk having to come out ofpocket for things that the
insurance company should havecovered.

SPEAKER_02 (05:59):
Well, that's definitely helpful information.
One other question for youtoday, Jeff.
Can you explain how estimatesand documentation are handled?

SPEAKER_00 (06:08):
Yes.
So the estimate process is welook for scope gaps in the
insurance uh Xactimate.
So an example may be, you know,they may say adjuster says,
well, you know, we're gonnaprovide this X amount for
replacing this amount ofdrywall, but not accounting for

(06:30):
a proper texture match, paintingto a natural break, detach reset
fixtures, bring um, bringcurrent, bring electrical up to
current code, those kind ofthings.
It's my responsibility to knowthose and to find those gaps in
scope and to be an advocate formy client.

(06:50):
Um, and you know, I'll give yousome examples, you know, a real
life example, you know, andhonestly, some of these are even
safety issues.
I had a um uh kitchen that wehad actually been called in
after the initial uh mitigationand after the adjuster had been
there.
And the adjuster instructed thewater mitigation company to

(07:12):
leave the granite countertops,and granite's a stone, it's
hard, right?
And so I'd go into this houseand the granite countertops are
being held up by two by fours.
The people are living there,they have very small children,
and one of the granitecountertops it was on a
ponywall, and because it wasthere was the uh the cabinet was
gone and it was an extensionlike a peninsula.

(07:34):
So the countertop was only beingheld up by a pony wall and a two
by four.
And the granite was heavy andthe entire thing had fallen
over.
And can you imagine if thatwould have fallen on a child?
So, you know, and the granitewas cracked.
I mean, you you you really it'snot safe to take a countertop
out from under a granitecountertop and leave the
countertop there.

(07:55):
The granite was cracked.
So, you know, I had to takepictures and documentation and
show the insurance company thecountertop was cracked, and part
of it is actually fallen on thefloor and shattered.
You know, in doing so, we werewe um were able to argue and get
the countertops replaced.
Other stories I have, I mean, Ihave a, you know, a client that
called me and he had alreadybeen through two contractors.

(08:16):
He needed, uh, he had waterdamage, needed flooring and an
entire first floor, and twobathrooms, and then almost the
entire first floor of sheetrockup to two feet.
And he was frustrated becauseother contractors couldn't do it
for what the insurance companywas paying.
And so what they were lookingat, they were looking at trying
to do the project for what theinsurance company was offering,

(08:37):
as opposed to working with theinsurance company and getting
the claim paid as it should havebeen to begin with, and which we
were able to do and make the uhmake the homeowner whole again.
And that's that's the importantpart is understanding, you know,
having a general contractor whocan negotiate with that
insurance company.

SPEAKER_02 (08:56):
Wow.
Well, thanks again, Jeff.
That was incredibly helpfulinformation for all of us today.
We'll catch you next time withmore expert advice.

SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
Awesome.
Thank you, Sophia.

SPEAKER_01 (09:10):
That's a wrap for this episode of Remodel
Contracting Podcast.
Ready to kick that 90s kitchento the curb?
For a free in home consultation,call 469 831 5620 or visit
Remodelcontracting.net.
Expect more because your homedeserves better.
And honestly, so do you.