Remodel Contracting Podcast

From Damage To Done: How A GC Secures Full, Code-Compliant Insurance Repairs

• Jeff Bass • Episode 13

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How Does Remodel Contracting Help With Insurance Claims?

Ever wonder why the first insurance estimate feels so light? We pull back the curtain on how carriers price to the minimum, what gets missed in Xactimate, and how a seasoned general contractor can turn a lowball scope into a complete, code-compliant restoration. With Sophia Yvette hosting and Jeff Bass in the hot seat, we map the entire journey from the first phone call to the final sign-off, showing you the steps that protect your wallet and your home.

We start with the smart move most people skip: meeting the adjuster on site. Jeff explains how that early collaboration sets a professional tone, ensures the right facts get captured, and signals that the homeowner has an advocate. From there we dissect Xactimate line items—texture matching, painting to a natural break, detach and reset of fixtures, manufacturer-required methods, and code upgrades—and show how to spot the gaps that add up to major quality and safety issues if ignored.

Then we dig into supplements, the tool that corrects the initial estimate without gaming the system. You’ll learn how documentation, photos, code citations, and product specs form an airtight case. Jeff shares two stories: a hazardous granite countertop left on flimsy supports after mitigation, and a whole-floor repair that stalled until the scope was properly negotiated. We also clarify how to handle homeowner upgrades outside the claim, keep projects within the approved budget, and deliver proof of completion so funds release smoothly.

If you’re dealing with storm, water, or fire damage, this is your blueprint to getting made whole—no more paying out of pocket for items that should’ve been covered. Subscribe, share with a neighbor who’s fighting their claim, and leave a review to tell us which part helped you most. Ready for expert help? Call 469-831-5620 or visit Remodelcontracting.net.

To learn more about Remodel Contracting visit:
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801 Alpha Rd, Ste 133
Richardson, TX 75081
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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Remodel Contracting Podcast, where outdated spaces meet their modern makeover destiny. Hosted by Jeff Bass, general contractor, home renovation expert, and guy who firmly believes your avocado green bathroom has gotta go. Based in the DFW Metro, Remodel Contracting is here to help you level up your living space. Because hey, you updated your wardrobe. Now it's time to update your home. Expect more, live better. Let's remodel.

SPEAKER_02:

Storm damage, water leaks, or fire, insurance claims can be very stressful. But here's how remodel contracting helps clients navigate the process with confidence. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer back in the studio today with General Contractor and Home Renovation Expert Jeff Bass. Jeff, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_00:

Having a wonderful morning. Thank you, Sophia. It's good to be here.

SPEAKER_02:

Great. Great to have you back on. Now, Jeff, let's go ahead and walk through it. How does remodel contracting help with insurance claims?

SPEAKER_00:

So, insurance claims, you know, you have some damage, whether it be roof damage, water damage in the house. Um, you call the insurance company, the insurance company is going to send their representative, which is the insurance adjuster. Now, most homeowners um don't realize the insurance adjusters are trained to write minimum repairs. You know, insurance companies are not in business to give money away. They need to turn a profit, and to do so, they're going to provide the minimum to you. And that may not necessarily include full code compliance or true replacement quality. And that is where an experienced uh general contractor who understands the insurance uh supplement process comes to your aid.

SPEAKER_02:

Understood. Now, getting into those steps, what's the first step when a homeowner calls you after damage?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, the very first step is if we can, we like to be there when the adjuster comes for the first time to open that uh line of communication and establish that relationship with the adjuster, to honestly to let the adjuster know that the homeowner has somebody on their side, that the homeowner has an advocate who understands the process and is not going to accept just the minimum. And that would be a general contractor who understands how to read the estimate. The insurance standard is what a program called Xactimate. Your uh general contractor should understand how to read an Xactimate just like an adjuster. Um, you need to know where to look for things that are missed, whether it be code upgrades, uh hidden damage, scope gaps, and also how to translate the insurance language into construction reality and also be the liaison for the homeowner so that the homeowner can understand what the insurance company is offering, what the general contractor is doing to try to help supplement that. And what a supplement is, and this is the important part, the supplement is the process of getting paid for what the insurance company should have covered the first time. And that's the important thing to remember, okay? The insurance company offers, gives you an offer, and then we start the supplement process. Now, the supplement process isn't trying to go above and beyond anything that the homeowner deserves. It's what should have been offered the first time, um, as opposed to the minimum that the insurance company offers. Supplements are not about padding, they're about accuracy and completeness, basically returning the homeowner back to the situation they were in before the damage occurred. Um, homeowners need someone who can prove the missing line items, not just argue about them. We provide documentation, photos, current code, manufacture specs. We will do everything that the adjuster should have done. You know, and I gotta tell you, unfortunately, most general contractors don't know how to write a proper supplement, but I do because I know what the adjuster is looking for. And navigating the process, there's steps, right? You have an initial, initial inspection and documentation, review the insurance carrier's scope of work, which is that's the exact make they're gonna give you. It's gonna be 18 pages long, and you're gonna look at it, homeowners gonna look at it, and their eyes are just gonna gloss over. Writing and submitting the supplements, meeting the adjuster on site, executing the project per the final scope. And, you know, of course, after the work is done, you still have to prove to the insurance company that the work has been done, and so that's the GC's responsibility as well. And I say it every pre-single podcast, we do communication. Emphasize communication, keep the homeowner in the loop, manage expectations, ensure the project stays within the carrier-approved budget once settled. And also, just like any other project, right, the homeowner can add to the project. I mean, if we have, you know, we have a water damage claim in the kitchen, and the homeowner says, Well, I want to redo the floor and this adjoining room as well, but that's not a part of the scope. Well, of course, we can always add that on, you know. That doesn't affect our negotiation and supplement with the insurance carrier, that would just be something added on to the project, which is fine. I was gonna say something also, I'm talking about the I want to talk about the homeowner. You know, this is something where, again, they need an expert on their side, right? If a homeowner tries to do this without a knowledgeable GC and they just, you know, they've got Chuck in a truck and he's gonna do the job for them, you know, they're gonna risk being underpaid, they're gonna risk items being missed, and they will risk having to come out of pocket for things that the insurance company should have covered.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's definitely helpful information. One other question for you today, Jeff. Can you explain how estimates and documentation are handled?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. So the estimate process is we look for scope gaps in the insurance uh Xactimate. So an example may be, you know, they may say adjuster says, well, you know, we're gonna provide this X amount for replacing this amount of drywall, but not accounting for a proper texture match, painting to a natural break, detach reset fixtures, bring um, bring current, bring electrical up to current code, those kind of things. It's my responsibility to know those and to find those gaps in scope and to be an advocate for my client. Um, and you know, I'll give you some examples, you know, a real life example, you know, and honestly, some of these are even safety issues. I had a um uh kitchen that we had actually been called in after the initial uh mitigation and after the adjuster had been there. And the adjuster instructed the water mitigation company to leave the granite countertops, and granite's a stone, it's hard, right? And so I'd go into this house and the granite countertops are being held up by two by fours. The people are living there, they have very small children, and one of the granite countertops it was on a ponywall, and because it was there was the uh the cabinet was gone and it was an extension like a peninsula. So the countertop was only being held up by a pony wall and a two by four. And the granite was heavy and the entire thing had fallen over. And can you imagine if that would have fallen on a child? So, you know, and the granite was cracked. I mean, you you you really it's not safe to take a countertop out from under a granite countertop and leave the countertop there. The granite was cracked. So, you know, I had to take pictures and documentation and show the insurance company the countertop was cracked, and part of it is actually fallen on the floor and shattered. You know, in doing so, we were we um were able to argue and get the countertops replaced. Other stories I have, I mean, I have a, you know, a client that called me and he had already been through two contractors. He needed, uh, he had water damage, needed flooring and an entire first floor, and two bathrooms, and then almost the entire first floor of sheetrock up to two feet. And he was frustrated because other contractors couldn't do it for what the insurance company was paying. And so what they were looking at, they were looking at trying to do the project for what the insurance company was offering, as opposed to working with the insurance company and getting the claim paid as it should have been to begin with, and which we were able to do and make the uh make the homeowner whole again. And that's that's the important part is understanding, you know, having a general contractor who can negotiate with that insurance company.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Well, thanks again, Jeff. That was incredibly helpful information for all of us today. We'll catch you next time with more expert advice.

SPEAKER_00:

Awesome. Thank you, Sophia.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a wrap for this episode of Remodel Contracting Podcast. Ready to kick that 90s kitchen to the curb? For a free in home consultation, call 469 831 5620 or visit Remodelcontracting.net. Expect more because your home deserves better. And honestly, so do you.