Bernice Tillman
Owner
Sets every price and signs every contract. If you ask, she reads an insurer's letter with you at the kitchen table.
Roofing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
After the storm, do it in this order
Protect the house. Photograph the damage. Call your insurer yourself. Then ask us for an inspection. Four steps, and only the last one is ours.
The storm order
Four steps, in the order that protects you
Hail and wind don't leave much time to think. This is the order we'd follow on our own roof.
- 01
Protect the house
Move what is wet. Cover what is open with a tarp, or have our repair truck put one on. Keep every receipt. A tarp keeps the water out; it is not the new roof.
Make temporary repairs only
Keep the old materials until your insurer has seen them
- 02
Photograph the damage
From the ground and from inside: ceiling stains, dents in gutters and vents, shingles in the yard. Date the photos and keep them in one folder.
Wide shots and close ones
Text them to us if you like
- 03
Call your insurer yourself
You decide whether to file, and what you tell your insurer is yours to say. We are not public adjusters, and we don't file or speak for you.
The deductible is yours to pay
Your agent can explain your policy
- 04
Ask for an inspection
We go up, photograph every slope, check the attic and write down what we find. You get the photos and an itemized estimate you can share with your insurer. If you ask, we meet your adjuster at the house.
Repair, replace or leave it, and why
No contract is signed at the visit
Two kinds of work
A storm crew and a repair truck
Most roofers send the same crew to every call. We keep a storm crew for replacements and a repair truck for everything smaller, so a leak doesn't wait behind a tear-off.
The storm crew
Tear-off, deck check and a new roof, run by Salvador Chacon.
The repair truck
Leaks, flashing, a handful of shingles and the tarp, driven by Marisa Conti.
Repair first: if a repair will do, we say so
We write the repair price beside the replacement price
Repair first
How we decide between a repair and a new roof
You hear the honest answer before you hear a price. These are the things we look at, and we write both options down.
| A new roof makes sense when | A repair will do when | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | A new roof makes sense whenThe shingle is near the end of its life | A repair will do whenMost of the shingle has years left |
| Damage | A new roof makes sense whenIt is on most slopes, or keeps coming back | A repair will do whenIt is in one place: a few shingles or a flashing |
| The deck | A new roof makes sense whenWet or soft in many places | A repair will do whenDry and solid under the shingle |
| The paper | A new roof makes sense whenBoth prices side by side, in writing | A repair will do whenA repair price, in writing |
In Iowa
Four lines we hold, and why they're ours to keep
Iowa has rules for roofers who work on storm claims. We'd keep these lines with or without them.
A signed notice you can read
Iowa puts a notice on a roofing contract paid from an insurance claim, in 10-point type, and you sign it. Ours does, and we read it with you.
Nothing for a yard sign
We don't pay for a sign in your yard and we don't discount a job for one. Iowa lets a sign go up only when the homeowner gets nothing for it.
Your deductible stays yours
We never offer to waive, absorb or rebate it, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
A way out if the answer is no
If you sign at home, you may have 3 business days to cancel. In many states you can also cancel after your insurer denies the claim.
Roofs we work on
Barns and farmhouses, ranches and town houses
Iowa roofs come in a lot of shapes. Here are a few kinds of roof, up close.
Showing 6 of 6
Sample photos.
Who you will meet
Three people, and who answers the phone
Bernice owns the firm. Salvador runs the storm crew and Marisa drives the repair truck. One of them comes to your inspection.
Salvador Chacon
Storm crew lead
Runs the tear-off and the install, and walks the finished roof with you before the crew leaves.
Marisa Conti
Repair truck lead
Finds the leak, fixes what needs fixing and tells you plainly when it needs more than a repair.
What homeowners and landlords wrote
“Marisa found the wet spot over our back bedroom, replaced eight shingles and a flashing, and said the rest of the roof had years left. She put that in writing.”
Lindsey P.Marion homeowner
“I own two rentals on the southeast side. After the wind they photographed both roofs and sent me one itemized page for each, and left the insurance calls to me.”
Mateusz K.Cedar Rapids landlord
“Salvador read the notice on the contract out loud before I signed. Nobody offered me anything for a sign in the yard.”
Renate B.Hiawatha homeowner
Sample reviews.
Towns and counties
Cedar Rapids, Marion and the towns around them
The office is on Mount Vernon Road SE. The storm crew and the repair truck work out of it, and a crew lead comes to every inspection.
Linn County
- Cedar Rapids
- Marion
- Hiawatha
- Robins
- Fairfax
- Palo
- Center Point
- Springville
- Lisbon
Benton County
- Urbana
- Belle Plaine
Johnson County
- Coralville
- Iowa City
Jones County
- Monticello
- Anamosa
We don't roof in Des Moines, Dubuque or the Quad Cities, and we say so on the first call.
ZIP codes: 52401, 52402, 52403, 52404, 52405, 52411, 52302, 52233, 52328, 52228, 52324, 52213, 52336, 52253, 52345
Questions after a storm
What people ask us first
What should I do right after storm damage?
Make the house safe first: move what is wet and cover what is open. Photograph the damage from the ground and from inside, with the date. Make only temporary repairs, such as a tarp, and keep the receipts. Tell your insurer yourself. Call us for an inspection when you are ready.
Will insurance pay for my roof?
For sudden damage from wind or hail, subject to your policy; not for wear, age or poor upkeep. A replacement-cost policy and an actual-cash-value policy pay differently. Your insurer decides, and your agent can explain your policy.
Can a roofer cover my deductible?
No. The deductible is yours to pay. We never offer to waive, absorb or rebate it, and a roofer who does is putting your contract at risk.
How do I know it's hail damage?
Bruised or cracked shingles, round patches where the granules are gone, and dents in vents, gutters and flashing. Some of it can't be seen from the ground, so we go up, photograph each slope and show you what we found and where.
Do I need a permit?
Almost always for a full replacement. We pull it and the cost is on the estimate. For a small repair you usually don't need one.
What warranty do I get?
Two parts: the shingle maker's warranty on the material, and ours on the work. The terms, what each covers and who registers it are written on your estimate. We don't state a length until you can read its terms.
Request an inspection
Tell us about the roof
If you sign at home, you may have 3 business days to cancel. In many states you can also cancel after your insurer denies the claim.
Phone(319) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – noon
- SundayToday
- Closed