We are speaking with Butch Buis, the founder of the Continental Roofing Company, and Maria Mares, the Chief Operating Officer. Butch, you and I go back many years. I'm sure you've seen a lot of changes in the roofing business. Yes. Now, continental Roofing has been in Madison for 19 years, is that correct? That's right. We, we've installed our first roof in 2006. We're actually sitting in our first office when we started our, our company. I've seen a lot of changes in the roofing business. Um, uh, most of the good few challenges over the years, the, you know, material has improved. Uh, technology has helped a lot. We don't have to hand measure roofs anymore. And also the, um, I think most roofing companies are, uh, provide a very professional experience for homeowners. So what do you see as challenges? Most of our residential work is with, uh, in, uh, you know, storm damage and so you have to bring an insurance company in. So the rising costs and the insurance company, keeping up with those costs, what they will or will not pay for is, is kind of a challenge. A lot of our homeowners are getting a letter saying they must replace the roof before they'll renew their policy. Deductibles have have really risen quite a bit, and of course a code upgrade is, is, is getting that covered by the insurance company. It's been a, a little bit of an issue. So you mentioned cost. We know we've seen prices on everything go up. So what have you been seeing regarding the cost of a new roof? So, I think it's safe to say that roofing replacement has nearly tripled since 2006. So if your roof damage was storm related and you have homeowners insurance, don't get stuck with a 15 to $20,000 roof replacement bill. Have your roof inspected by someone you trust. Wow. That really is a large increase. So what do you mean when you say what will or what won't be covered by an insurance claim? So if your roof, for example, is damaged by hail or wind, these are typically covered. The challenge is when the insurance adjuster performing the inspection does not feel that there's enough damage. We will not advise the homeowner to open a roof claim if there is not sufficient damage. However, if there is, we will work for the homeowner. The homeowner's interest is what matters to us. So would you say that Continental is an advocate for the homeowner? Absolutely, and always. I would say that is also a big change in the roofing industry. We feel a responsibility to install the best roof possible, but also to maximize the homeowner's insurance claim and minimize their out-of-pocket expense after all. Isn't that why homeowners have insurance policies? Yeah. And, and Butch, you mentioned deductibles earlier. What concerns do you have there? Well, deductibles are definitely on the rise. Um, I remember a time in deductibles for $500, had one a few weeks ago, which surprised me 'cause that's the first one I've seen in years. Typically, they're gonna be in the 5,000 range. As an example, my insurance agent sent me a policy a few years back and I'm reading through the policy and I see a thousand dollars deductible, which is seems standard. The next line, it said $5,000 deductible for my roof. And so of course I called and had that changed and I'm glad I did. I happened to have a roof replacement needed that year. So 5,000 seems to be a, a pretty good number. But then some insurance, uh, companies go by a percentage of the value of the home. So for instance, if your house is 400,000 and they put a 2%, uh, on top of that for deductible, that's an $8,000 deductible. Most important thing is just be aware of what your deductible is, you know, before you have a roof claim because it, it, it may surprise you. So are you saying that insurance companies are now requiring the homeowner to have a new roof? The insurance companies have always had customers or homeowners do repairs, uh, periodically if their house is in, you know, disrepair, uh, before they would write a policy. We are seeing it more on the roof now. I get it. If it's an old roof, I I understand them not covering it until it's a new roof. Uh, however, we have had this happen where there was still some life left in that roof and they were forced to replace it before they could get a new policy. Even worse than that is that they may or may not have hail damage or wind damage or some type of storm damage that had, they had their roof inspected, uh, that could have been, uh, handled, uh, by the insurance company instead of the customer paying for the full roof. Is that something Continental does? Do you do inspections? Is there a cost? Yes. Continental Roofing offers a comprehensive roof inspection at no cost. Can you explain to me what it means for a code upgrade? Code upgrade simply means that, uh, you know, the original roof or the, the, the existing roof, if you will. At the time that was installed there was a, a city, Madison or Huntsville may have had certain codes that they required for that roof. Fast forward 10, 15, 20 years later, the codes are different. Most insurance companies have code upgrade in the policy, so they will replace the roof for the present codes. However, the, the roofer must, you know, supplement for that. The insurance companies gonna put what you have on the roof. They're not gonna try to make it bigger, better, they're just gonna put what, what the roof is. Now we wanna put it on the right roof and to put it on the right roof, we have to follow the codes. So what happens if you do the inspection and the roof doesn't qualify for a replacement, It doesn't cost anything for, you know, for, for a roofer to come out, for us to come out and, and, and inspect your roof. If we feel there's sufficient damage to call your insurance company, we'll take photographs and we will present that to you, you, and let you know, uh, that it would be a good thing to call your insurance agent. But if it has roof damage, we're gonna advise you or storm damage. Uh, we are gonna advise you to, to call your insurance companies. The homeowner has a leak or some repairs that are needed. We, we do repair also. If we can get some more life outta that for the customer, then we, by repairing it, we will, if you have any questions, pick up the phone, give us a call, and we can answer all your questions with regard to the insurance. And of course putting on a roof.