Some people don’t know the difference between a general contractor and a restoration contractor. I’ve written down some of the general differences between the two, so that you can better decide what kind of contractor you need to look for.
General Contractors:
General contractors deal with the remodeling of a home, both interior and exterior, usually, for cosmetic purposes or if it’s something the insurance will not cover. Most general contractors don’t have the knowledge or experience in dealing with the insurance companies. If you are wanting to pay for a finished basement, add a room, or just change the color of your siding, a general contractor is who you look for. One good thing about using a general contractor is that you get to pick and choose whatever you want. The downside is you have to pay out of pocket for these things.
Restoration Contractors:
Restoration contractors deal with the insurance companies to help get your roof, siding, windows, decking, and pretty much anything that has been damaged due to fire, wind, water, hail, etc. to be paid for by the homeowner’s insurance company. Restoration Contractors do hold a General Contractor license though, they just specialize in working with the insurance companies. A lot of what restoration companies do are: Damage assessment (probably the biggest one, we know what hail and wind damage looks like and make sure the insurance company sees the damage), scope agreement (this is the work we are agreeing to do for the homeowner), estimating (customers that decide to go with a restoration contractor only have to worry about paying their deductible whereas with a normal General Contractor they run the risk of change orders and increasing the estimate price), and insurance company negotiations (we negotiate fair pricing in order for the property to be restored to whole or pre-storm condition). The one downside to having your insurance cover the cost is that you have to get items equal to or lesser value than what you already have. Or pay the difference if you want something better. But at least you wouldn’t have to pay for the whole thing, just the difference in cost.
These are just some of the differences you need to look for when figuring out how you want to go about getting your house a new roof, new windows, siding, etc. If your area has had recent storm damage call a restoration contractor to come take a look. More than likely they give a free estimate. Most restoration companies will cancel any kind of contract that you sign if your insurance denies the claim. What is the harm in giving it a try and see if you can be covered by insurance instead of paying out of pocket? All the insurance company can do is say no.