A roofing supplement is a documented request to the insurance carrier to correct an estimate that has already been approved. It is not a new claim and it is not a negotiation tactic. It is the paperwork that brings the carrier’s scope in line with the work the job actually requires, supported by code, measurements, and photographs.
Contractor Supplement Solutions has written supplements for roofing and restoration contractors since 2015. You send the file. We audit it, build the scope, submit it, and follow up until it closes. Our fee is a share of what we add, so there is no cost on a file that recovers nothing.
Why approved estimates come in short
Underpayment is usually a process problem rather than a dispute. A field adjuster inspects a large number of properties in a week, works from a standard template, and writes what is visible from the ladder. Code-required work, access conditions, and manufacturer requirements are easy to miss in that setting, and nothing in the carrier’s workflow forces a second look.
The result is an estimate that is internally consistent and still wrong for the roof in front of you. The gap does not close by itself, and it does not close because a contractor says the number is too low. It closes when someone documents the specific items that belong in the scope and shows why.
What we do with the file
- Line-by-line audit. We compare the carrier’s approved estimate against the inspection documentation and identify every item that is missing, mispriced, or miscounted.
- Code research. We check the requirements that apply at the property’s jurisdiction, not a general rule of thumb, and we cite them.
- Scope rebuild. We write the corrected scope in the carrier’s own estimating platform, priced to current regional rates and formatted the way the desk adjuster expects to receive it.
- Submission and follow-up. We submit the supplement and stay on it, typically over two to three weeks of carrier communication, until there is a decision.
Items we commonly add back
- Code-required upgrades: ice and water shield, drip edge, decking, ventilation
- Steep and high charges the original scope did not account for
- Detach and reset items such as solar, satellite, gutters, and HVAC components
- Corrected material quantities and waste calculations
- Access, staging, and disposal conditions specific to the property
- Manufacturer installation requirements that affect the warranty
What makes a supplement hold up
Every item we add is supported before it leaves our desk. A supplement that lists work without evidence invites a denial and costs the file another cycle. A supplement that pairs each line with the photograph, measurement, or code citation behind it gives the adjuster what they need to approve it.
That standard is the reason documentation quality at the inspection matters so much. If your field photos are thin, the strongest supplement in the world still has a gap in it. We have written separately about what makes roofing inspection photos useful to a reviewer, and the short version is that orientation, context, and close-up detail together do most of the work.
Working with your team
We operate as an extension of your office rather than an outside vendor you have to manage. We work inside your existing CRM, with the team members you designate, and we write to your specifications. For most contractors that means supplementing stops competing with selling and production for the same hours.
Contractors come to us at different points: when writing supplements at night stops being sustainable, when storm volume outruns the office, or when a file has stalled and nobody has time to chase it.
Frequently asked questions
Is supplementing the same as filing a new claim?
No. A supplement adjusts an existing, approved claim. The claim number, the deductible, and the date of loss do not change. A new claim is a separate loss event with its own inspection and its own deductible.
How long does a supplement take?
Most files run two to three weeks from submission to decision, driven mostly by carrier response time rather than by the writing. Complex scopes and files that need a re-inspection take longer.
What do you need from us to start?
The carrier’s estimate, the claim documentation, and the inspection photos. Measurements help if you have them; if you do not, we can pull a measurement report so the scope starts from accurate numbers.
What does it cost?
Our fee is a percentage of the supplemented amount we recover. If a file produces nothing, there is no fee for that file.
Do you work claims that were already denied?
We review denied and underpaid files and build the documentation needed to challenge the decision. That process is described on our denied and underpaid claims page.
Send us a file
If you have an approved estimate you suspect is short, send it over and we will tell you what we see. See the full range of services we provide, read what thousands of real claims showed us in the State of Supplementing report, or talk to our team.