Over their heads: Many Valley homeowners face dificulty with roof repairs

HARLINGEN - Homeowners needing roof repairs because of Hurricane Dolly damage are getting some unpleasant surprises.

Rebecca and Roger Alaniz, who live at 302 E. Taft Ave., received a check from their insurance company for roof repairs, but it fell far short of what they needed, Rebecca Alaniz said.

"Our insurance covered $2,300 and the lowest quote was $2,960," she said. "The difference has to come out of our pocket."

So they first tried to do the job themselves, purchasing roofing materials and removing the old roofing, she said.

"All those cuts you have to make," she said of trying to make shingles fit in corners and over bends in the roof.

She and her husband found a roofer who will finish the job, but will have to help him with the backbreaking job.

"It's so hot up there you can hardly touch the shingles," she said of working on a roof in the hot Texas August sun.

"Nobody told us about renting a nail gun, so we already bought all the nails and we're doing it the old way, with a hammer," she said.

Frank Puente Jr., owner of a roofing company, said that, although he is grateful to have a lot of work after Hurricane Dolly, he feels sympathy for homeowners who must drain their savings to get their roofs fixed.

"The major complaint is that the insurance (company) is giving them one check for total repairs," Puente said. "That doesn't mean just the roof, but all the interior repairs, the fence and wind damage."

But many homeowners don't understand the depreciation effect, Puente said.

"It would be the same as if they tried to replace their car with a new one and found out that they were only getting an insurance payment for what their car is worth now," he said. "Some of these people also have a very high deductible."

Some people are being cheated by companies that tell them they need to have their roof covered with tarps before the insurance adjuster arrives, or they won't get a check, Puente said.

Other people are calling his company, wanting an estimate quickly prepared so they can hand it to the insurance adjuster when he or she arrives, thinking they will automatically pay that amount, he said.

Unless the wood roof decking is showing, it is not necessary to cover the roof with a tarp, Puente said.

Handing an estimate to the insurance adjuster won't make any difference in the amount the insurance company pays, he said.

Customers need to read the fine print before they buy homeowners' insurance, Puente said.

There is another danger to consumers as they struggle to make repairs, Puente said.

"It's sad, but there are a lot of fly-by-nighters out there," he said.

"We've got a lot of out-of-the-region and out-of-state companies that are coming in and already taking advantage of people," Puente said. "Always ask for at least two estimates and do a little bit of research before you hire someone."

Lupe Navarro, of Navarro Roofing in San Benito, said the most frequent complaint he has heard is about the high cost of repairing a roof.

"The main reason is the increase in petroleum-based roofing materials," he said.

Singles are $12 a bundle in San Antonio, $18 in McAllen and $20 in Harlingen, he said.

"We send out an estimate and two days later, we can't honor it," he said.

Because some insurance companies refuse to adjust the payment because of material cost increases, he has had to take a loss on some jobs because he signed a contract to repair a roof, Navarro said.

But the cost increases are real, he said.

"I believe it," he said. "We've had notices from the manufacturers."

Cost increases used to come gradually, he said. Now some roofers are afraid to sign a contract for a roofing job because the price of shingles is so volatile, he said.

Dirk Fillpot, spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office, said it is too early to tally up the number of reports of home repair scams that have been reported in the Rio Grande Valley after Hurricane Dolly.