b'Steep SlopeContinued from page 33Why would an insurance company spend thousands of dollars to replace a storm-damaged roof without ensuringandcoveringthecostforproperattic ventilationa cost that is a fraction of the payout for the roof itself?Duringouratticventilationseminarsforroofing professionals,someattendeessayinsurance companies ask the roofing contractor to re-use the attic exhaust vents during the roof replacement install. Somehow the vents did not get damaged, but the roof did during the storm. ARMA makes it very clear in the earlier referenced bulletin that reusing vents is not recommended. When reroofing, replace ventilation devices within the field of the roof (e.g., static vents, written down anywhere; if thats the case, you couldridge vents), the bulletin states. Pyatt agrees. 100% send the insurance company specs from the shinglespot on, he says. And Ill add to that with a word manufacturer as it pertains to attic ventilation in anabout new flashings as well. Any time you install a effort to have insurance pay for the attic ventilationnew roof, you should restart the life of that roof 100%. improvement, Pyatt explains. New flashings, new vents, new roof, new everything, Point to the Shingle Warranty he says.Establish a Process The full terms of the shingle warranty for the new roof are tied directly to proper, balanced attic ventilation.Gen 3 Roofing Corporation has enough experience Thats intake vents and exhaust vents in the neededworking with insurance claims that theyve established quantity for that attics size. The Asphalt Roofinga process to help keep things moving smoothly. This Manufacturers Association (ARMA), which representsprocess includes ready-made files and documents thevariousshinglemanufacturers,publishedafor code-required items that can be easily scanned, technical bulletin Attic Ventilation Best Practices forhighlighted, and emailed to the necessary parties. It Steep Slope Asphalt Shingle Roof Systems. In it,means separate folders for each local municipality. It ARMA states, Install a balanced system of intake andmeans staying current on the code requirements and exhaust. The ARMA bulletin goes on to reference thebeing familiar with which version of the code the local amount of attic ventilation and it cites the IRC. municipality is following (IRC 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, If homeowners insurance is paying for a brand- etc.). And it includes any supporting documentationnew roof but does not include the costs to bring thesuch as shingle warranty or ARMAs technical bulletin attic ventilation up to current minimum building code in support of proper attic ventilation. standardswhether or not those code standards areWe have all of that in a file and can quickly scan it enforced locallythe insurance company is payingand send it, Pyatt says. Its important to highlight for a sub-par roof with a sub-par warranty. ARMA iswhat youre trying to call attention to so the insurance pretty clear about what the shingle manufacturerscompany can quickly see it. Otherwise, if you send require and recommend. Any literature you can usea pile of documents without highlighted notes, the to help get the insurance company to cover the costsinsurance company may not read it. But if they see is what you should be doing, says Pyatt. the highlighted notes, theyll see them and process Point to Doing it Rightthe payment in support of everything highlighted. Checklist to Get Insurance to PayIn our survey of residential roofing pros across North The homeowners insurance policy has Law America, the consensus was that improper atticand Ordinance language that obligates the ventilation can reduce a shingles life by 24%. Thisinsurance company to pay to bring the attic shingle life reduction included extreme to completeventilation up to code standardsintake and granule loss, blistering shingles, brittle shingles,exhaust vents.and cracking and fracturing throughout the shingle. 34 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'