April 18, 2025 • 11 mins
What Are The Most Important Factors To Consider While Shopping For Roof Insurance?
Your roof is your home's first line of defense against nature's fury, but do you know if your insurance policy truly has you covered? Timothy Walters of The Walters Agency tackles the critical differences between replacement value and actual cash value coverage that could mean thousands of dollars out of your pocket after a storm.
"They don't make shingles like they used to," Timothy explains, debunking the myth of the 30-year roof as he's witnessed newer roofs degrading faster than those installed decades ago. This eye-opening discussion reveals why metal roofs have become the preferred choice for both insurers and savvy homeowners seeking long-term protection and value.
The conversation takes an interesting turn when discussing roof design and materials, with practical advice about when to file an insurance claim versus handling repairs yourself. Timothy shares expert insights gathered from nearly 15 years in the industry, helping homeowners make informed decisions about one of their property's most significant investments.
Ready to find the right coverage for your home, business or family? Call or text for a free 20-minute consultation with The Walters Agency, where insurance meets peace of mind.
To learn more about The Walters Agency visit:
https://www.brightway.com/agencies/tn/knoxville/0237/team
The Walters Agency
7009 Asheville Hwy
Knoxville, TN 37924
423-417-2070
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Walters Agency podcast, where
insurance meets peace of mind.
Hosted by licensed insuranceagent and owner, timothy Walters
, we're here to help families,homeowners and small business
owners throughout East Tennesseeprotect what matters most Our
mission creating win-win-winsolutions for insurance.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Before the next big storm hits.
Do you know if your roof isreally covered or if your policy
could leave you footing thebill?
Timothy Walters shares whatevery homeowner should
understand before choosing roofinsurance.
Welcome back everybody.
Skip Mauney, co-host, slashproducer, here in the studio
with Timothy Walters, licensedinsurance agent and owner of the
(00:54):
Walters agency.
Timothy, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Going pretty good buddy, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I'm doing just fine.
Doing just fine on this.
It's colder than I like.
It's at least the sun's out.
That's a positive right.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I had to freak out the jacket this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's right.
That's right.
At least we don't have ahurricane or a storm that might
rip our roof off.
When we had Helene come throughlast year, I did lose a bunch
of shingles on my house and I'mnow learning the value of roof
insurance and I've got a bigpolish of new shingles in my
driveway getting ready to getput on.
So, very interested.
(01:29):
What are the most importantfactors to consider when you're
shopping for roof insurance?
What should I have done tobegin with?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well, you know, your roof insurance, of course, is
typically going to be bound upwith your homeowner's insurance.
It is important to know whetheror not the roof is covered at
replacement value or depreciatedvalue actual cash value.
That's something you can askyour agent.
It should also be marked onyour policy or the quotes that
you're getting from the agentfor the homeowner's insurance.
(01:59):
The difference between the twois replacement value basically
says that the insurance company,if you do suffer a loss on the
roof, they're going to repair orreplace the roof without
accounting for the age of theroof If you have actual cash
value, depreciated coverage,then they're going to depreciate
the value of the roofingmaterials based on how old it is
(02:20):
, based on how old it is.
So you know, if you have ashingle roof that was replaced
10 years ago and you have anactual cash value and
appreciated endorsement on thepolicy, then they're going to
devalue by 10 years.
And if you have a 30 year roofno such thing that basically
devalues it by a third.
(02:42):
Right?
That's an easy calculation youcan make.
Then you got your deductible.
Of course Some companies willtalk about oh, they pay full
cost of the labor.
Well, yeah, they will, but theinsurance is all about the
material, so replacement value.
On the other hand, if you havea 10 year old roof and a hail
storm comes along and rips it ora hurricane lifts it off of
your house or whatever, then theonly thing you're really paying
(03:04):
out of pocket is going to bethe deductible, which is a big
difference.
So that's important.
The other thing that I advisepeople to consider when they're
looking at houses or they'relooking to replace their roof,
regardless of whether theinsurance is paying for it or
not, is the roof material.
You and I talked about this offcamera a while back.
They don't make shingles likethey used to.
I've noticed this the last 20years or so.
(03:26):
The quality of shingles hasgone way down.
They degrade a lot faster, itseems.
I see roofs that were I knowwere placed 10 years ago.
They look like they're 15 or 20years old, you know, with all
the gravel being lost and allthat kind of thing.
And then you see roofs thatwere actually replaced 20 years
ago that almost look the same orin better shape than the newer
ones.
(03:46):
It's crazy.
So I've been advising people toconsider metal roofs.
If they're properly installed,they're good investments.
They're great for insuranceratings.
Insurance companies love a goodmetal roof and they have really
interesting designs.
Now Some of them even come outlooking like they are shingles
with patterns in there, causeit's kind of neat.
Seen some of those lately.
So that's important.
You know the material and ofcourse, higher quality shingles
(04:09):
can also make a difference.
But the last thing isdefinitely and this kind of goes
back to it, but just the top ofthe roof, like some people are
going to know what I'm talkingabout.
Some people aren't Like thedifference between a gable roof
and a hip roof, for instance.
The design of roofs canactually make a difference on
how well they stand up to, say,winds.
(04:31):
Some types of roof design aremade to stand up to wind damage
better, so all that can be takeninto account.
It's all good things to look atand if you have a good insurance
agent or a good roofingspecialist, if you're looking to
get your roof repaired orreplaced, they can give you a
lot of good details on whatmight be a good, effective
(04:51):
investment.
If you're just replacing a roofor looking at it to buy a house
with a particular type of roof,or if you've had an insurance
claim and you're saying, hey,how can I lower my insurance
rates?
Or how can I make sure that I'mbeing as cost effective as
possible with the roof materialand design and all that kind of
thing, Well, you mentioned metalroofs.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Are there certain materials that are considered
riskier than others?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well, I mean most metal roofs these days, the last
20 years or so, are pretty wellstandardized in most cases.
You know, you have your paintedribbed roofing materials, some
like commercial buildings.
You might see some heavier dutygauge steels for, like
commercial buildings, aluminumof course can be used, you know.
But most of the ones you see onresidential houses are pretty
(05:42):
well standardized these daysfrom what I can tell just from
observation, what I see in myline of work.
Now let's put a littledisclaimer here.
I am not a roofing guy, I'm notin construction.
Do not call me to put a roof ona house.
I will not be able to do thatfor you.
But like I said in almost 15years of being in this business,
from what I've seen for metalroofs, they are pretty well
(06:03):
standardized in most cases forresidential properties you can
put them on as overlays.
If you have an existing shingleroof, you can actually have them
installed over, which, in someserious issues with the shingle
roof, that's actually not a badway to do.
It Gives you a little bit extralayer of protection and
insulation.
Or they can be installed justas a metal roof, with nothing
under it.
Usually what I see.
(06:24):
People are getting themoverlaid over the existing
chamber roofs, though.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
And if it's?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
done correctly.
There's no issue with that.
You want to make sure you havea licensed and bonded contractor
to do that.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, I wish we had done this episode about three
months ago, because I would begoing with a metal roof man.
Unfortunately, I've got twopallets of shingles out in my
driveway, but honestly, I heyman, what 10, 15 years, you get
you another one.
Yeah, sounds good.
Something you said earliercaught my attention.
You said there is no such thingas a 30-year roof.
(06:54):
Can you explain that a littlemore?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Yeah, I'm going to have roofing guys come after me
on that, I think, but it's justmy way of saying it.
Nothing lasts forever.
You can have a brand new roofplaced on your house and a
tornado could come by tomorrowand tear it off.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Right.
But you know what I'm reallytalking about is the degradation
of shingle roofs especially.
Any physical material is goingto degrade over time.
Shingle roofs especially areprone towards just the constant
loss of gravel and the integrityof the shingles.
They're more prone to be liftedoff in a heavy windstorm.
(07:31):
You know, after a windstorm alot of people walk around their
house and they see the gravelfrom the shingles all over the
place, or maybe even actualshingles that have been lifted
off.
And honestly, unless there'slike a huge amount of like,
unless it lifts, you know, a lotof shingles off, that's really
not something you necessarilywant to file an insurance claim
for.
You can just go out and getsome spare shingles, go out
(07:52):
there and put them on.
Or my dad and I used to put tarout over patches on our roof,
you know, when I was younger.
But you know, like I said, it'sjust that they are more prone
to degradation.
So I always kind of get a kick,especially these days when I
hear the advertisers oh, this isa 30-year roof and I'm like,
yeah, I don't know.
Maybe, depending on the weatherconditions and all that kind of
(08:16):
stuff.
But yeah, I do and I do again.
I'm not a roofing guy.
I'm just kind of speaking offmy own experience in this
business and as a human beingwho lives in houses with roofs
on them.
But I do think the quality ofthe shingles by and large seems
to have gone down and they doseem to degrade a little bit
faster than they used to.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I would agree with that, but I think I told you.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
My unprofessional professional opinion.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Mine's totally unprofessional, but from
experience, the last house thatI owned in North Carolina.
The roof was put on in 2005, Ithink, and when I left in 2019,
and it was in incredible shape.
I had the inspector said yourroof's in great, great shape to
(09:02):
be as old as it is Moved intothis house.
This roof is only about 12years old and every time there's
a storm I pick up at least 10shingles off the ground.
So I hear you.
I think you're right.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
And I don't think it again.
I think it's to the material,not necessarily to the guys
putting it on.
I mean, there's some greatroofers out there.
I think this is the materialthat they're able to buy Again,
because you know there'sinflations killing everybody.
You know everybody's wantingeverything cheaper.
Well, yeah, that's great, butat a certain point cheaper means
(09:33):
lower quality.
You know that's the world welive in.
Absolutely and the most commonrooftops we see around here are
definitely shingle and no.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I don't see many shake roofs.
I used to live in Californiaand there's a lot of shake roofs
.
Are you familiar with those?
They're like shingles butthey're made out of wood.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, yeah, no, I've seen a few over the years.
Come back when I started mycareer with State Farm, we had
to go out and do inspections onevery house that we rode
ourselves, and I saw a few.
You don't see many of themaround here, though.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, I don't think I'd ever seen one until I moved
to California.
Honestly, never seen a swampcooler either, which is an
alternative to air conditioning,but anyway, we could talk about
this for a long time.
Maybe we can touch on roofsagain in another episode.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, yeah, I know, Like I said, there's a lot to
talk about, especially with themarket the way it is.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So Absolutely Well, we'll do it.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
And I'm an insurance nerd, so we'll do it again
sometime.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
All right, man Tim appreciate it and I hope you
have a great rest of the day.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
That's a wrap on this episode of the Walters Agency
Podcast.
Ready to find the rightcoverage for your home, business
or family?
Call or text 423-417-2070 for afree 20-minute consultation.
Until next time, stay covered,stay protected and keep winning
(10:54):
with the Walters Agency.
Welcome to the Walters Agency podcast, where
insurance meets peace of mind.
Hosted by licensed insuranceagent and owner, timothy Walters
, we're here to help families,homeowners and small business
owners throughout East Tennesseeprotect what matters most Our
mission creating win-win-winsolutions for insurance.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Before the next big storm hits.
Do you know if your roof isreally covered or if your policy
could leave you footing thebill?
Timothy Walters shares whatevery homeowner should
understand before choosing roofinsurance.
Welcome back everybody.
Skip Mauney, co-host, slashproducer, here in the studio
with Timothy Walters, licensedinsurance agent and owner of the
(00:54):
Walters agency.
Timothy, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Going pretty good buddy, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I'm doing just fine.
Doing just fine on this.
It's colder than I like.
It's at least the sun's out.
That's a positive right.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I had to freak out the jacket this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's right.
That's right.
At least we don't have ahurricane or a storm that might
rip our roof off.
When we had Helene come throughlast year, I did lose a bunch
of shingles on my house and I'mnow learning the value of roof
insurance and I've got a bigpolish of new shingles in my
driveway getting ready to getput on.
So, very interested.
(01:29):
What are the most importantfactors to consider when you're
shopping for roof insurance?
What should I have done tobegin with?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well, you know, your roof insurance, of course, is
typically going to be bound upwith your homeowner's insurance.
It is important to know whetheror not the roof is covered at
replacement value or depreciatedvalue actual cash value.
That's something you can askyour agent.
It should also be marked onyour policy or the quotes that
you're getting from the agentfor the homeowner's insurance.
(01:59):
The difference between the twois replacement value basically
says that the insurance company,if you do suffer a loss on the
roof, they're going to repair orreplace the roof without
accounting for the age of theroof If you have actual cash
value, depreciated coverage,then they're going to depreciate
the value of the roofingmaterials based on how old it is
(02:20):
, based on how old it is.
So you know, if you have ashingle roof that was replaced
10 years ago and you have anactual cash value and
appreciated endorsement on thepolicy, then they're going to
devalue by 10 years.
And if you have a 30 year roofno such thing that basically
devalues it by a third.
(02:42):
Right?
That's an easy calculation youcan make.
Then you got your deductible.
Of course Some companies willtalk about oh, they pay full
cost of the labor.
Well, yeah, they will, but theinsurance is all about the
material, so replacement value.
On the other hand, if you havea 10 year old roof and a hail
storm comes along and rips it ora hurricane lifts it off of
your house or whatever, then theonly thing you're really paying
(03:04):
out of pocket is going to bethe deductible, which is a big
difference.
So that's important.
The other thing that I advisepeople to consider when they're
looking at houses or they'relooking to replace their roof,
regardless of whether theinsurance is paying for it or
not, is the roof material.
You and I talked about this offcamera a while back.
They don't make shingles likethey used to.
I've noticed this the last 20years or so.
(03:26):
The quality of shingles hasgone way down.
They degrade a lot faster, itseems.
I see roofs that were I knowwere placed 10 years ago.
They look like they're 15 or 20years old, you know, with all
the gravel being lost and allthat kind of thing.
And then you see roofs thatwere actually replaced 20 years
ago that almost look the same orin better shape than the newer
ones.
(03:46):
It's crazy.
So I've been advising people toconsider metal roofs.
If they're properly installed,they're good investments.
They're great for insuranceratings.
Insurance companies love a goodmetal roof and they have really
interesting designs.
Now Some of them even come outlooking like they are shingles
with patterns in there, causeit's kind of neat.
Seen some of those lately.
So that's important.
You know the material and ofcourse, higher quality shingles
(04:09):
can also make a difference.
But the last thing isdefinitely and this kind of goes
back to it, but just the top ofthe roof, like some people are
going to know what I'm talkingabout.
Some people aren't Like thedifference between a gable roof
and a hip roof, for instance.
The design of roofs canactually make a difference on
how well they stand up to, say,winds.
(04:31):
Some types of roof design aremade to stand up to wind damage
better, so all that can be takeninto account.
It's all good things to look atand if you have a good insurance
agent or a good roofingspecialist, if you're looking to
get your roof repaired orreplaced, they can give you a
lot of good details on whatmight be a good, effective
(04:51):
investment.
If you're just replacing a roofor looking at it to buy a house
with a particular type of roof,or if you've had an insurance
claim and you're saying, hey,how can I lower my insurance
rates?
Or how can I make sure that I'mbeing as cost effective as
possible with the roof materialand design and all that kind of
thing, Well, you mentioned metalroofs.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Are there certain materials that are considered
riskier than others?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well, I mean most metal roofs these days, the last
20 years or so, are pretty wellstandardized in most cases.
You know, you have your paintedribbed roofing materials, some
like commercial buildings.
You might see some heavier dutygauge steels for, like
commercial buildings, aluminumof course can be used, you know.
But most of the ones you see onresidential houses are pretty
(05:42):
well standardized these daysfrom what I can tell just from
observation, what I see in myline of work.
Now let's put a littledisclaimer here.
I am not a roofing guy, I'm notin construction.
Do not call me to put a roof ona house.
I will not be able to do thatfor you.
But like I said in almost 15years of being in this business,
from what I've seen for metalroofs, they are pretty well
(06:03):
standardized in most cases forresidential properties you can
put them on as overlays.
If you have an existing shingleroof, you can actually have them
installed over, which, in someserious issues with the shingle
roof, that's actually not a badway to do.
It Gives you a little bit extralayer of protection and
insulation.
Or they can be installed justas a metal roof, with nothing
under it.
Usually what I see.
(06:24):
People are getting themoverlaid over the existing
chamber roofs, though.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
And if it's?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
done correctly.
There's no issue with that.
You want to make sure you havea licensed and bonded contractor
to do that.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, I wish we had done this episode about three
months ago, because I would begoing with a metal roof man.
Unfortunately, I've got twopallets of shingles out in my
driveway, but honestly, I heyman, what 10, 15 years, you get
you another one.
Yeah, sounds good.
Something you said earliercaught my attention.
You said there is no such thingas a 30-year roof.
(06:54):
Can you explain that a littlemore?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Yeah, I'm going to have roofing guys come after me
on that, I think, but it's justmy way of saying it.
Nothing lasts forever.
You can have a brand new roofplaced on your house and a
tornado could come by tomorrowand tear it off.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Right.
But you know what I'm reallytalking about is the degradation
of shingle roofs especially.
Any physical material is goingto degrade over time.
Shingle roofs especially areprone towards just the constant
loss of gravel and the integrityof the shingles.
They're more prone to be liftedoff in a heavy windstorm.
(07:31):
You know, after a windstorm alot of people walk around their
house and they see the gravelfrom the shingles all over the
place, or maybe even actualshingles that have been lifted
off.
And honestly, unless there'slike a huge amount of like,
unless it lifts, you know, a lotof shingles off, that's really
not something you necessarilywant to file an insurance claim
for.
You can just go out and getsome spare shingles, go out
(07:52):
there and put them on.
Or my dad and I used to put tarout over patches on our roof,
you know, when I was younger.
But you know, like I said, it'sjust that they are more prone
to degradation.
So I always kind of get a kick,especially these days when I
hear the advertisers oh, this isa 30-year roof and I'm like,
yeah, I don't know.
Maybe, depending on the weatherconditions and all that kind of
(08:16):
stuff.
But yeah, I do and I do again.
I'm not a roofing guy.
I'm just kind of speaking offmy own experience in this
business and as a human beingwho lives in houses with roofs
on them.
But I do think the quality ofthe shingles by and large seems
to have gone down and they doseem to degrade a little bit
faster than they used to.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I would agree with that, but I think I told you.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
My unprofessional professional opinion.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Mine's totally unprofessional, but from
experience, the last house thatI owned in North Carolina.
The roof was put on in 2005, Ithink, and when I left in 2019,
and it was in incredible shape.
I had the inspector said yourroof's in great, great shape to
(09:02):
be as old as it is Moved intothis house.
This roof is only about 12years old and every time there's
a storm I pick up at least 10shingles off the ground.
So I hear you.
I think you're right.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
And I don't think it again.
I think it's to the material,not necessarily to the guys
putting it on.
I mean, there's some greatroofers out there.
I think this is the materialthat they're able to buy Again,
because you know there'sinflations killing everybody.
You know everybody's wantingeverything cheaper.
Well, yeah, that's great, butat a certain point cheaper means
(09:33):
lower quality.
You know that's the world welive in.
Absolutely and the most commonrooftops we see around here are
definitely shingle and no.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I don't see many shake roofs.
I used to live in Californiaand there's a lot of shake roofs
.
Are you familiar with those?
They're like shingles butthey're made out of wood.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, yeah, no, I've seen a few over the years.
Come back when I started mycareer with State Farm, we had
to go out and do inspections onevery house that we rode
ourselves, and I saw a few.
You don't see many of themaround here, though.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, I don't think I'd ever seen one until I moved
to California.
Honestly, never seen a swampcooler either, which is an
alternative to air conditioning,but anyway, we could talk about
this for a long time.
Maybe we can touch on roofsagain in another episode.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, yeah, I know, Like I said, there's a lot to
talk about, especially with themarket the way it is.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So Absolutely Well, we'll do it.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
And I'm an insurance nerd, so we'll do it again
sometime.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
All right, man Tim appreciate it and I hope you
have a great rest of the day.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
That's a wrap on this episode of the Walters Agency
Podcast.
Ready to find the rightcoverage for your home, business
or family?
Call or text 423-417-2070 for afree 20-minute consultation.
Until next time, stay covered,stay protected and keep winning
(10:54):
with the Walters Agency.
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