How Insurance Adjusters Evaluate Roof Damage in Texas

The Test Square Method for Hail

For hail claims, adjusters use a test square method. They mark a 10x10 foot area (100 square feet) on each slope and count the number of qualifying hail impacts within the square. A qualifying impact on an asphalt shingle has a characteristic appearance — a dark impact mark where granules have been dislodged, sometimes with a circular bruise visible when the shingle is flexed. Most carriers require 8-10 qualifying impacts per test square to approve slope replacement. Below that threshold, they may approve spot repair instead. The challenge: identifying functional damage versus cosmetic marks. An adjuster who doesn't distinguish hail impacts from factory defects, foot traffic marks, or normal shingle irregularities may undercount qualifying impacts. Having a contractor present during the adjuster inspection — or getting your own inspection immediately before — protects against miscounting.

Soft Metal as Corroborating Evidence

Adjusters look at soft metals — aluminum caps on plumbing vents, gutters, downspouts, metal flashing, A/C fins, mailboxes, garage doors — as corroborating evidence of hail size and density. Shingles can be ambiguous. A dent in an aluminum HVAC cap is not ambiguous — it happened because a hailstone hit it. Dent density and diameter on soft metals help establish the storm's intensity and the surface area of shingle damage it likely caused. Photograph your soft metals before the adjuster arrives and point them out during the inspection. Adjusters sometimes miss soft metal documentation, which matters because it establishes the hail event independently of shingle condition.

Xactimate: How Your Estimate Gets Built

After the field inspection, the adjuster builds a scope using Xactimate. They input the roof measurements (square footage by slope), select the shingle type, and add line items for each required component. The Xactimate database contains hundreds of line items — not all of them get selected. Common omissions we see in DFW claims: drip edge, ice and water shield, starter strip, synthetic underlayment, pipe boots, ridge caps priced at the correct specification, and haul-off at current disposal rates. Each missing item reduces your settlement. When JRH reviews an adjuster's Xactimate estimate for a customer, we're specifically looking for these common omissions and documenting the code and manufacturer requirements that justify supplementing them back in.

Being Present for the Adjuster Inspection

You have every right to be present during your adjuster's roof inspection — and to have your contractor present as well. An experienced roofing contractor on-site during the adjuster inspection can point out impacts that might be missed, reference the test square counts, and document any areas of disagreement in real time. You don't need to be adversarial about it — most adjusters are professional and appreciate contractors who communicate clearly. Call JRH at (469) 888-6903 if you want us present for your adjuster inspection. We can usually coordinate same-day for DFW claims.