Giving roofers back revenue control

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Contractors are rethinking outsourced supplementing, shifting toward in-house systems to improve margins, speed and control. 

For roofing contractors navigating softer markets and tighter margins, internal processes are getting a closer look. During this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, hosted by Megan Ellsworth, Keven Wall, vice president of the Roofing Division at DCX, and Alena Wilson of Estimate Mastery, said supplementing remains one of the most overlooked ways to protect revenue in insurance work and strengthen estimating accuracy. 

Alena defined supplementing in insurance terms, explaining, “Whenever the first check goes out on any claim for property damage, anything after that first check is considered a supplement to the original check.” The concept is simple, but contractors new to insurance restoration often struggle to translate field work into insurer language. When estimates do not reflect the full scope or documentation is incomplete, contractors can miss payment for work already performed. 

Keven said that disconnect shows up in the line items. “Roofers don’t often know what all the line items are, and they’re doing the work,” he said. “But because they don’t know how to code it to an insurance company, they’re not getting paid for the work that they’re doing.” Over time, he said, that frustration can sour contractors on storm restoration, even when demand is strong. 

Outsourcing has become the default, particularly after major weather events, and Alena said it can be the right move when teams are overwhelmed. “There is definitely a place for third-party supplementing in our world,” she said. Still, both speakers pointed to trade-offs. Keven warned that turnaround can slow when a contractor’s files land in a crowded queue. “They’ll get to yours when they get to yours,” he said, adding that outsourcing also trims margins. 

Bringing supplementing in-house can restore speed and control. “No one cares about your baby more than you do,” Alena said, arguing that checklists, consistent photos and routine follow-up can make supplementing manageable. The result, she said, is real money recovered. “Probably 40% of your profits are left on the table because you don’t know what you don’t know,” she said. “Every little detail equals a dollar or a faster check coming in.” 

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how bringing supplementing in-house can help roofing contractors improve margins, speed up payments and build more resilient operations!