Browne Properties - Evanston, IL

Evanston, IL

3,000 sq. ft. roof sections in Evanston, IL

Claim Adjustment

$83,612
Initial Claim
$98,537
Final Claim
118 %
Claim increase

Four Elements brought $98,537.00 worth of equity back to the building owners’ asset. The owner had zero out of pocket expenses aside from their ($1,000.00) deductible and had zero headaches of handling negotiating with their carrier. He was also able to write off the settlement money used for his capital improvement using Section 179 of the IRS tax code. (Put some type of disclosure about meeting with a certified tax rep. to discuss this further in detail).

The Challenge

Four Elements Adjusters represented the owner in an insurance claim for storm damage at 1019 Emerson Street in Evanston, IL. Prior to the storm that took place in April 2020, this building had a smooth modified bitumen roofing system with acrylic coating. The existing roof system consisted of a wood deck, a 4-ply asphalt (BUR) built-up roof, and a smooth modified bitumen roofing membrane with acrylic coating.

The storm that impacted the building produced sizeable hail accompanied by high wind speeds which caused physical damage to the roof membrane, rooftop equipment, and perimeter sheet metal. Four Elements Adjusters handled all the negotiations with the insurance carrier until the claim was settled. When the claim was settled it resulted in approval of a complete roof replacement, window capping, and roof accessories in the amount of $98,537.00. The owner also had code coverage in their policy so the new roofing system would receive a total of 5.5” of new insulation when the existing roof assemblies did not have any.

Existing Roof System

• Smooth Modified Bitumen with Aluminum Coating

Age / Condition

• 15+ years old (unknown: Fair/Poor condition for its age

Composition

• Wood, 4-Ply built-up roofing system, and a smooth modified bitumen roofing membrane with aluminum coating.

The Solution

The owner decided to install a fully adhered 60 MIL TPO roof system using the proceeds from the insurance claim. The roof specification chosen followed Mule Hide guidelines for installation of a single ply TPO roofing system over a wood substrate. In addition to the roof replacement, the owner replaced his gutters and downspouts with larger commercial box gutters.

A certified Mule Hide roofing contractor removed the existing modified and built-up roof system, insulation, curb flashings, perimeter and flashing metal, and roof accessories to expose the wood decking. All the debris generated during the project were disposed of utilizing a waste management service facility that recycles the material. Upon tear off the wood substrate was inspected by the roofing contractor to ensure it was in suitable condition to accept the new roofing system. The contractor then installed 5.5 inches of new Poly ISO insulation which was mechanically attached to the decking (The insulation thickness meets R30 insulation requirement for Illinois). When ready, the contractor fully adhered the 60 MIL TPO roofing membrane to the insulation per manufacture requirements.  All seams and laps of the membrane were hot air welded using a Robotic Leister self-propelled hot air welding machine. The walls required masonry work to be in suitable condition to accept the flashing substrate. All roof penetrations were flashed using a separate layer of 60 MIL TPO membrane which was fully adhered to the flashing substrate. All new TPO roofing accessories were installed at the penetrations following manufacturer guidelines. This specification came with a transferable 20-year material warranty from the manufacturer and a Four Seasons Labor Warranty from Four Elements Restoration.

Replacement Specification

• Tear off existing roofing assembly and install a new fully adhered 60 MIL TPO roofing system following a specification from Mule Hide.

• Install 5.5” of rigid Poly ISO insulation

• Install new TPO accessories at all penetrations and walls per manufacturer.

• Install new perimeter sheet metal, gutter, and downspouts

Waranty

• Transferable 20-year material warranty from Mule Hide and Four Seasons Labor from Four Elements