Insurance Restoration Estimating & Claims Consulting

Supplement Training · Xactimate

Writing Roof Supplements in Xactimate

How I build a supplement inside the software — from the project setup through scope, F9 notes, reports, and transmission. Every UI path below is confirmed against Verisk's own documentation, and where something couldn't be confirmed I say so rather than guess.

Xactimate desktop (X1)Georgia / GAAT · GACA · GAMAVerified UI pathsRoofing supplements

Start here: Xactimate has no “supplement” mode

This is the first thing to unlearn. People come in expecting a Supplement button. There isn’t one, and expecting one is how new estimators waste their first week hunting for a feature that doesn’t exist.

What “supplement” actually means in Verisk's documentationVerisk’s help site returns exactly three articles for “supplement” — Add a supplement, What is the difference between a supplement and a correction?, and the profile feature Track supplements and corrections. All three live in Payment Tracker, and the tracking capability is gated behind a profile feature an administrator has to enable.

That is claim payment tracking. It is not a way to write a supplement estimate.

Verisk’s own definition is worth knowing verbatim, because it’s the industry’s reference point:

Verisk — supplement vs. correction

“A supplement is a change made to the scope of the loss after the initial ACV payment has been made. It’s important to track additions, changes, and deletions made as part of the supplement…”

Source: Xactware Help — Supplement vs. correction · Profile feature: Track supplements and corrections

So what is a supplement, mechanically?A supplement is an estimate — one that reflects the corrected scope. What makes it a supplement is the claim context and the documentation around it, not a special document type in the software. You build a normal estimate, you make the additions legible, and you explain each one.

The two ways I actually produce one

Approach ADuplicate the project, then add to the duplicate

My default when I already have the original scope in Xactimate. Verisk documents project duplication directly:

Verisk — Duplicating projects in Xactimate desktop

“Select the project you want to duplicate, then select the Duplicate icon in the Project options menu that appears on the right.” A “Create a project dialog box will open, allowing you to name and add notes to the new project.”

Name the duplicate so the version is unmistakable — the claim number plus a supplement marker plus the date. Then add your supplement line items to the duplicate and leave the original untouched as your baseline.

Why duplication beats editing in placeYou keep an unmodified record of what the scope was before you touched it. When a desk reviewer asks what changed, you can answer from two documents instead of from memory.

Source: Xactware Help — Duplicate a project

Approach BBuild fresh, mirroring the carrier's scope

Used when the carrier estimate arrived as a PDF and I never had their file. I rebuild their scope line for line, then add mine on top. Two documented helpers:

Copying data from an existing project — pull structure forward from a similar job
Merge projects — combine two projects into one

The discipline that makes this workRebuild their scope exactly — same description, same quantity, same price — before adding a single line of your own. If your version of their scope doesn’t tie to their totals, every conversation afterward is about the discrepancy instead of about your supplement.

Making the supplement legible

Since the software won’t flag your additions for you, that’s on you. Three things I do on every file:

1Note every added lineAn F9 note on each supplement item and no note on carried-forward items. The presence of a note becomes the visual marker. See Tab 4.
2Keep price-list orderCategories in the same sequence every time so a reviewer who has seen my format before can navigate it without hunting.
3Send a cover summary alongsideA short list of what was added and why, so the reviewer knows what changed before they open the estimate.

Three myths worth correcting on day one

The myth	The reality
“There’s a Supplement button / supplement estimate type.”	There isn’t. Supplement tracking exists in Payment Tracker behind a profile feature. The estimate itself is just an estimate.
“Run the Variation Report to compare your estimate to the carrier’s.”	Wrong tool. Verisk: the Variation Report “compares checkpoint prices against actual line item prices to reveal pricing deviations.” It compares your prices to the price list, not to another estimate.
“Xactimate will show me what changed between versions.”	Not from Xactimate. The Estimate Revision Details Report — which does compare versions, line item changes, additions, removals — is generated in XactAnalysis and auto-attaches to the assignment’s Documents tab. It’s a carrier-side artifact, not something a contractor runs.

Sources: Variation Reports · XactAnalysis Estimate Reports

The most useful thing to know about the documentationVerisk publishes no training document on how to write a supplement estimate. That gap is not an oversight you can research your way around — it’s why scope judgment, code knowledge, and the justification language have to come from somewhere other than the software vendor.

Project setup — get this right or nothing downstream matters

Ten minutes here saves a rewrite later. The price list in particular is the single highest-consequence field in the whole program.

The price list

Verified path — change the price list on an existing estimateOpen an estimate → Claim Info tab → Parameters → Pricing category → set Price list information and Tax jurisdiction.
Shortcut: Ctrl + R goes straight to Parameters.

To set the default for all new projects instead: project dashboard → Preferences tab in the left navigation → Pricing.

Match the carrier’s market

Read the price-list code off the carrier’s estimate and match it. In our territory:

Code prefix	Market	Region
`GAAT8X_*`	GAAT	Atlanta metro / North GA
`GACA8X_*`	GACA	Carrollton / West GA — Carrollton, LaGrange, Newnan, Douglasville
`GAMA8X_*`	GAMA	Macon / Middle GA — Macon, Warner Robins, Milledgeville

If the code isn’t one of these — GAAH8X_* for Athens, GASA8X_* for Savannah — stop and confirm the closest fit before pricing anything.

Do not assume changing the price list reprices existing linesI could not confirm from Verisk documentation what happens to already-entered line prices when you switch price lists mid-estimate. What is documented is a separate profile feature called “Reprice on complete or report,” described as giving the user the option to reprice items on the Reports or Complete page. The existence of that opt-in suggests repricing is not automatic in every configuration.

Verify your prices after any price-list change. Treat this as unknown behavior until you’ve watched it happen in your own environment.

Why the price-list month is a supplement argument in itself

Verisk publishes monthly across 460+ localized markets — biweekly during demand surges — and prices trend upward. An estimate written in February and built in August is underfunded on its face. This is the standard note I put at the top of every estimate:

Standard top note

*PRICE LIST IS OF CURRENT MONTH* — In order to hold the principle of indemnification, the price list must be of the current month in which the materials are ordered and the labor is performed, so that our mutual client is not charged for anything other than the deductible.

Keyboard shortcuts worth memorizing

These are from Verisk’s official desktop shortcut documentation.

Shortcut	Goes to
`Ctrl + N`	Insured Info
`Ctrl + L`	Coverage / Loss
`Ctrl + R`	Parameters — where the price list lives
`Ctrl + K`	Sketch
`Ctrl + E`	Estimate Items / line item entry
`Ctrl + I`	Photos
`Ctrl + P`	Estimate Reports
`Ctrl + T`	Totals Summary Report
`Ctrl + W`	Underwriting Checklist
`F9` ⚠️	Open Line Item Notes — see the note below

⚠️ On F9The Ctrl shortcuts above are confirmed on Verisk’s official shortcut page. F9 does not appear in the portion of that page I could read — it’s confirmed instead by a hosted copy of Verisk’s own X1 Keyboard Shortcuts sheet, which lists F9 as “Open Line Item Notes,” and it’s universally referred to as “F9 notes” across the industry. Safe to use; just know the sourcing is one step removed.

Sources: Xactware Help — Desktop keyboard shortcuts · Adjust pricing parameters · Request a price list

CAT / SEL — the code structure behind every line item

Every line item carries a Category and a Selector. Verisk uses these exact terms, and both are editable attributes on a line item.

CAT = Category, a three-letter code. Verisk’s published list begins ACC Accessories – Mobile home, ACT Acoustical treatments, APP Appliances, ARC Art restoration, AWN Awnings & patio covers, CAB Cabinetry…
SEL = Selector, the specific item within that category.

Two cautions on codesCAT does not mean catastrophe in this context — it means Category. Any source telling you otherwise is wrong.
Selectors vary by price list. Learn the CAT + SEL structure, and look the specific selector up in the price list you’re actually on rather than memorizing codes from a cheat sheet.

Sources: Review CAT/SEL · Category codes · Global Changes Wizard

Building the supplement scope

The sketch derives your quantities. Estimate Items is where you turn those quantities into priced lines. Get the sketch right and most of the roofing supplement writes itself.

Sketch first — it’s where the numbers come from

Roofs are built on the footprint, not drawn independently. Define the roof over a level, set pitch per face, and the software derives SQ, eave LF, rake LF, ridge LF, hip LF, and valley LF from the geometry.

That derivation is the whole point. Every roofing supplement quantity you’d otherwise pull off an EagleView — drip edge, starter, ridge cap, valley metal, step flashing — comes out of a correct sketch.

The argument this hands youWhen a carrier disputes a quantity, “derived from the sketch” is a materially stronger position than a number you typed. Xactimate also has a documented auto-waste calculation workflow that derives waste from actual roof geometry rather than a flat percentage — so waste stops being a negotiation about your judgment and becomes a question about the geometry.

Verisk publishes a free 19-video Xactimate Roofing playlist on the official channel covering roof sketching specifically. It’s the best free starting point that exists.

Sources: Xactware Help — Roofs · Auto-waste calculation workflow · Verisk — Xactimate Roofing playlist

Reconcile before you scopeA sketch that doesn’t match the field measurements or the aerial report produces confident, precise, wrong numbers — and the confidence is the dangerous part. Reconcile the sketch against your measurement report before adding a single line item.

Entering line items

Ctrl + E goes to Estimate Items. The Quick Entry pane is the documented surface for entering and editing line items, and it offers Summary and Grid views.

⚠️ What I'm not going to tell youI could not read Verisk’s body text for Add a line item in Xactimate desktop, so I’m not going to publish a keystroke sequence for the search box — whether you type the CAT then the SEL, or search free text against descriptions. Learn that from the software in front of you rather than from a document that guessed.

Items that aren’t in the price list

Verisk documents a mechanism for adding an item not included in the price list. This matters for supplements — it’s how a legitimate cost that has no standard line gets onto the estimate rather than being silently absorbed.

Use it sparinglyA custom line has no price-list authority behind it, which means it carries the entire burden of proof on its own. Attach the invoice or the supplier quote. If a standard line item exists, use the standard line item.

The eight roofing categories, in order

Same sequence on every estimate. Consistency is a credibility tool — a reviewer who has seen the format before stops hunting and starts reading.

1DEBRI REMOVALOnly when a dumpster line exists

2SHINGLESTear-off, field shingle, hip/ridge cap

3UNDERLAYMENTIce & water, starter, felt/synthetic

4COMPONENTS – VENTALATIONRidge vent, turtle, turbine, power vents

5OTHER COMPONENTSPipe jacks, exhaust caps, rain caps, kick-out

6METALSDrip edge, valley metal, gutter guard

7METAL FLASHINGChimney, step, L-flashing, counterflashing

8ADDITIONAL LABORSteep/high charges, tarp, Roofer-per-hour LAST

Two rules that never bend1. No GENERAL LABOR category — all labor goes in ADDITIONAL LABOR at the bottom.
2. Roofer – per hour is always the final line item on the estimate.

Macros — stop rebuilding the same scope

Verisk’s definition: a macro is “a saved list of line items you can add to a structure.” They can be created from either Sketch or Estimate Items, and are applied with a separate Load action.

Build one per recurring scope — a full roof replacement package, a gutter package, an interior water-damage room — and you stop reconstructing the same eight categories on every claim.

A stale macro is worse than no macroIt silently produces an outdated scope, and because it looks like your standard work, nobody catches it. Give every macro a review date and an owner.

Sources: Create a macro · Macros category · Estimate Items category · Quick Entry pane

Open for Inspection — the feature that wins arguments

Most people never open it, and it’s the most useful thing in the program for a supplementer. It exposes, for any line item, the unit price, the breakdown into labor / material / equipment, the item definition, quality specifications, and the assembly yield assumptions.

Why it mattersWhen a carrier says an item is “included in the field line,” the component breakdown either contains that component or it doesn’t. Open for Inspection turns that from an assertion into something you can show.

Two pricing concepts to carry into your notes

Market Conditions. Verisk researches pricing two ways — top-down surveys of subcontractor unit costs, and bottom-up surveys of local wages, materials, and equipment. When the top-down price exceeds the bottom-up component total, the difference is booked as Market Conditions. It’s Verisk’s own documented mechanism for pricing above component cost. Using the term correctly signals you know the system.
Roof-stocked material. The laminated shingle line item’s price note states the price is based on material being roof-stocked as opposed to in-store shelf price, and that consideration may be needed for abnormal delivery or pick-up. Where suppliers won’t ridge-drop, that assumption failed — and the price list itself says to account for it.

Source: Verisk — Pricing Research Methodology

F9 notes — where the justification lives

The line item says what. The note says why, and where the quantity came from. On a supplement, the note is doing more work than the line item.

What's confirmedVerisk documents attaching notes, images, and sound files to a line item. F9 opens Line Item Notes.

What isn’t — I could not confirm the exact field label in the UI, and I could not confirm the name of the report checkbox that controls whether notes print. Don’t take either from me; confirm both in your own install before you rely on them.

Verify your notes actually print before you sendReport content is controlled through the Print Options tab and its Print Selection box. Verisk states every individual report has different options. Preview the report and confirm your notes appear. A justification note that doesn’t print is worse than no note — you’ll believe the argument was made when the reviewer never saw it.

The three-part note

Every good note answers three things. Miss one and the reviewer has a reason to ask a question instead of approving.

Structure

1. Necessity — why the item is physically or legally required
2. Authority — code section, manufacturer instruction, or the price list itself
3. Quantity source — which report, which page

Tone rules

Factual, never adversarial
Never characterize intent or competence — argue the scope
One item per note; never bundle
Attach what you cite; cite only what you attach
Short sentences. Desk reviewers skim.

Template

[Necessity — what the item is and why it’s required.] [Authority — code section / manufacturer requirement / separately priced line item.] Quantity of [X] [unit] taken from [report name], page [X].

Carried-forward items get no noteIf a line came from the carrier’s own scope at the same quantity and price, leave the note empty. A note there reads like you’re re-arguing something already agreed, and it destroys the visual signal that makes your additions findable.

Standard notes — copy these

CodeDrip edge

Required by code in the state of Georgia (IRC R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge). Details on this code are attached to the end of this estimate. — Referenced Code Included at the end. Quantity taken from [report], page [X]: eaves [X] LF + rakes [X] LF.

The code section requires drip edge at eaves and rake edges, specifies lap and fastening, and dictates that underlayment goes over the drip edge along eaves and under it along rakes. That sequencing detail is worth reading aloud — it means drip edge isn’t an accessory added after the fact, it’s integral to a compliant assembly.

CodeMetal flashing — the category note

The flashing must be replaced due to the flashing being nailed to the shingles. In order to remove the shingles, the flashing will have to be pried and bent. As a result, the flashing will not sit flat and seal/shield against water intrusion and will need to be replaced. Existing material cannot be re-used. This item not included on the original estimate.

IRC R906.6 — Reinstallation of materials: Any existing flashings, edgings, outlets, vents or similar devices that are a part of the assembly shall be replaced when rusted, damaged or deteriorated.

This does two jobs at once — the physical reason reuse is impossible, and the code that requires replacement. A denial has to overcome both.

Bulk-apply itThe Global Changes Wizard is documented as able to add or change line item details including coverage, taxes, tags, depreciation, category and selector, and notes. That’s the documented way to put one note across every flashing line at once instead of typing it four times.

CodeIce & water barrier — valleys only

This item is required by the International Residential Code as adopted by the state of Georgia — code reference attached. — VALLEY LINER ONLY (Does not apply to Eaves and Rakes). Quantity derived from [X] LF of valley per [report] page [X].

Discipline pointIn Georgia I claim this as a valley liner, not an eave/rake ice-dam membrane. The ice-barrier section is conditioned on a history of ice forming along the eaves — claim that in Georgia and the code page becomes the reviewer’s exhibit instead of yours. Pair R905.1.2 with R905.2.8.2 (valleys): one says a lining is required, the other says this membrane is an approved lining.

ProductStarter course & ridge cap

Starter

Starter Shingles are needed to be installed along the eaves and rakes of the roof for steep roofing. Universal starter is a separate manufactured product with a factory-applied adhesive strip, required by the manufacturer’s installation instructions for wind-warranty compliance. It is not included in the field shingle line item and is priced separately in the price list.

Ridge cap

Ridge cap shingles are needed to cover the ridges of the roof. Ridge cap shingles are a different product and a different price than field shingles, and are listed as a separate line item in the price list. Quantity: hips [X] LF + ridges [X] LF per [report], page [X].

Don't call these code itemsBoth are manufacturer requirement and separately priced product arguments. Both are strong. Neither is a code argument — and framing it as one invites a request for the code section you can’t produce.

LaborRoofer – per hour / material handling

Roof material distributors are not equipped with cranes or boom trucks to roof-load materials, and the material is roof-stocked as opposed to in-store shelf price. One additional labor hour for a crew of 5 to 8.

1. Thorough protection of landscaping and property features, minimizing the risk of damage.
2. The additional labor for loading shingles directly onto the ridgeline is necessary due to the increased physical exertion and time required for the roofing crew to manually lift and transport heavy bundles of shingles from the ground to the roof peak, exceeding the standard labor allowances for typical roof installations.
3. The clean up of the job site after completion to ensure the property is left in the same if not better condition than before the restoration project began.

Hours formula3 base hours + 1 hour for every full 10 squares over 20 squares, using the replacement-with-waste quantity. 30 SQ → 4 hours. 40 SQ → 5 hours. 53.67 SQ → 6 hours.

Back it with the price-list component page showing the roof-stocked language and a supplier letter confirming they don’t roof-load. Those two documents together are what turn this from an ask into a demonstration.

ComponentPipe jacks, vents, kick-out

Pipe jack

[X] pipe jack penetrations identified — see photo sheet, page [X]. The rubber collar on existing pipe boots degrades under UV exposure and cannot be reused after tear-off. Replacement is required to maintain a watertight penetration seal.

Ventilation

[X] [vent type] identified on the roof — see photo sheet page [X]. Existing vents are being removed as part of the tear-off and cannot be reinstalled in serviceable condition. Ridge vent quantity of [X] LF taken from [report] page [X]; ridge cap covering the vent is a separate line item and is priced separately.

Kick-out diverter

The roof edge terminates against a vertical wall at [location] — see photo page [X]. A kick-out diverter is required at this condition to direct runoff into the gutter rather than behind the wall cladding. Absence of this component is a recognized cause of wall-cavity moisture intrusion and sheathing rot.

ChargeSteep and high roof

Per [report] page [X], [X] SQ of the roof area is at [pitch] pitch, and [X] SQ is at two stories or greater. These charges are listed in the price list as additional charges applicable to the affected area only and are not included in the base replacement line item.

Precision wins hereApply the steep charge to the affected SQ only, from the pitch breakdown — not to the whole roof. Over-applying it is the fastest way to get every other quantity on your estimate re-verified.

Sources: Attach notes to a line item · Global Changes Wizard · What information is in estimate reports

Reports, export, and getting it to the carrier

Two different outputs, two different actions, and confusing them is a common first-month mistake.

PDF — a report

Produced from the estimate.

Documents → Reports, or Ctrl + P
Verified dialog path: Print → Estimate Reports dialog → Print Options → select the report in the Report drop-down
This is what you send to a homeowner, attach to a packet, or email

ESX — the whole project

Produced from the project list, not the estimate.

Verisk: “A project must be closed before you can export it to your computer.”
Verisk: “Projects always export as .esx files because that is the file type Xactimate uses.”
This is what you send when a carrier wants a file they can open and modify

⚠️ On the term "Print/Export"I could not confirm a control literally labeled Print/Export in current Xactimate. Confirmed labels are Print, Documents > Reports, and in Xactimate online, Export reports. Use those.

Heads up on the Inspection WizardVerisk warns that the Inspection Wizard may appear and require estimate information before you can proceed to Reports. If you’re blocked from generating a report, that’s usually what’s happening — it’s not an error.

Report types

Confirmed by Verisk: Variation, Abbreviated, Final Draft (with and without Removal Depreciation), Rough Draft. Verisk also confirms Time & Materials Worksheets, Work Orders, and Claim Reports exist.

Report	When I use it
Final Draft	The deliverable. What goes in the packet and to the carrier.
Final Draft w/ Removal Depreciation	When depreciation on removal needs to be visible and broken out.
Rough Draft	Internal QC — described as showing quantities, CAT and Selector codes. Good for checking your own work before it’s a deliverable. (That description is third-party, not Verisk.)
Abbreviated	A short summary when a full estimate is more than the audience needs.
Variation	Price deviation vs. the checkpoint price list. Not an estimate comparison — see below.

Say this correctly or don't say itVerisk: the Variation Report “compares checkpoint prices against actual line item prices to reveal pricing deviations based on materials, labor, equipment, or market conditions.” It is filed under Price Lists. It tells you where your prices deviate from the published list. It does not compare your estimate to the carrier’s, and using it that way in front of an adjuster who knows the tool costs you credibility.

Getting it to the carrier

TransmissionXactNet and XactAnalysis — how the pipes work

XactNet is the addressing and routing layer. Every party has a XactNet address, and Verisk documents finding and registering yours in both desktop and online.

XactAnalysis is the carrier-side platform — Verisk describes it as a secure extranet letting participants exchange and manage estimate data in real time.

The documented assignment flow: an assignment generally begins with a Send Work Assignment (SWA) created in XactAnalysis. Verisk documents requesting an assignment from XactAnalysis through Xactimate desktop, opening assignments, and returning an assignment to XactAnalysis.

TransmissionEstimate Collaboration — working someone else's estimate

Verisk documents a formal collaboration mechanism. The collaborator needs the XactAnalysis Collaborator user application right; an admin needs XactAnalysis Collaboration Admin. The collaborator is designated through the Collaboration Status workflow field on the Assignment Detail page.

Verisk is explicit that “only the collaborator may do work on the estimate.” When finished, the collaborator uploads the revised estimate, and changes are reviewed in the Documents tab → Most Recent Uploaded Documents.

Why this matters to know aboutIf a carrier offers you collaboration access, that’s a materially better position than emailing a PDF — you’re working inside their system and your revision lands in their document trail automatically.

Transmission⚠️ There is no "Submit Supplement" button

Verisk documents assignment return, estimate upload, and collaboration. I found no documented workflow named for supplement submission.

In practice a supplement reaches the carrier as a returned or uploaded revised estimate over XactNet, or as an emailed PDF and ESX. Learn it that way — don’t go looking for a feature that isn’t documented to exist.

The packet still lives outside the software

Xactimate produces the estimate. It does not produce your evidence. Everything below still gets appended to the same canonical PDF:

1The estimateFinal Draft report.
2Measurement reportRight behind it, because your notes cite its page numbers.
3Photo sheetLabeled and captioned — wide shot for location, close shot for condition.
4ICC state adoptions pageFront of the code block. It’s what makes the excerpts behind it enforceable rather than informational.
5IRC code sectionsIn the order the line items appear on the estimate, not numerical order.
6Price-list component pageWith the roof-stocked sentence highlighted.
7Supplier letter and staging analysisOne establishes the condition, the other quantifies it.
8Manufacturer instructions and sub-bidsAnything else a note referenced.

One PDF, alwaysLoose attachments get separated in an inbox, and then “we never received the code pages” becomes a two-week delay that’s nobody’s fault.

Sources: Print or email reports · Export a project · Which report do I need? · Sending assignments · XactAnalysis Estimate Collaboration

Roofing line item reference

Descriptions and units, organized by the category order I build in. Prices are APR26 reference figures by market — always confirm against the live price list you’re actually on.

On codes vs. descriptionsLearn the CAT + SEL structure, not a memorized code list. Selectors vary by price list, so a cheat sheet from another market will send you to the wrong item. Search by description, verify the unit, and confirm the price on the list you’re on.

Shingles

Description	Unit	GAAT	GACA	GAMA
Tear off, haul and dispose of comp. shingles - 3 tab	SQ	$74.74	$69.81	$66.76
Tear off, haul and dispose of comp. shingles - Laminated	SQ	$77.35	$71.22	$68.10
Tear off composition shingles (no haul off)	SQ	$50.51	$50.57	$49.74
Replace 3 tab - 25 yr. - comp. shingle roofing - w/out felt	SQ	$263.25	$245.61	$206.44
Replace Laminated - comp. shingle rfg. - w/out felt	SQ	$282.04	$266.65	$225.56
Replace 3 tab - 25 yr. - comp. shingle roofing - incl. felt	SQ	$301.28	$279.51	$234.77
Replace Laminated - comp. shingle rfg. - w/ felt	SQ	$322.96	$303.15	$255.78
Replace Hip / Ridge cap - Standard profile	LF	$6.40	$5.63	$5.24
Replace Hip / Ridge cap - High profile	LF	$7.29	$6.89	$6.01
Replace Hip / Ridge cap - cut from 3 tab	LF	$5.26	$4.83	$3.87

Two double-charge traps in this category1. “Tear off, haul and dispose” already includes haul-off. “Tear off (no haul off)” does not. Only the second one pairs with a dumpster line.
2. Pricing “Laminated w/ felt” and a separate felt line is a double charge. Pick one structure.

Underlayment

Description	Unit	GAAT	GACA	GAMA
Replace Roofing felt - 15 lb.	SQ	$40.17	$35.82	$29.74
Replace Roofing felt - synthetic underlayment	SQ	$56.20	$46.52	$39.38
Replace Asphalt starter - universal starter course	LF	$2.09	$1.85	$1.46
Replace Ice & water barrier	SF	$1.96	$1.83	$1.43

Ventilation & other components

Description	Unit	GAAT	GACA	GAMA
R&R Continuous ridge vent - shingle-over style	LF	$12.49	$11.78	$10.16
Roof vent - Detach & reset	EA	$103.71	$92.88	$68.39
R&R Exhaust cap - through roof - 6" to 8"	EA	$130.54	$123.69	$108.00
R&R Flashing - pipe jack	EA	$68.48	$64.19	$54.36

Metals & metal flashing

Description	Unit	GAAT	GACA	GAMA
R&R Drip edge	LF	$3.71	$3.50	$3.00
Replace Step flashing	LF	$12.53	$11.44	$8.99
R&R Counterflashing - Apron flashing	LF	$13.34	$12.24	$9.73
R&R Chimney flashing - average (32" x 36")	EA	$536.45	$494.62	$398.89

Additional labor

Description	Unit	GAAT	GACA	GAMA
Replace Additional charge for steep roof - 7/12 to 9/12	SQ	$52.86	$47.28	$34.68
Replace Additional charge for steep roof - 10/12 - 12/12	SQ	$83.10	$74.33	$54.52
Replace Additional charge for high roof (2 stories or greater)	SQ	$25.11	$22.46	$16.47
Roofer - per hour	HR	Per price list — always the last line item

Adjacent trades worth checking

Gutters / soffit / fascia

R&R Gutter / downspout - aluminum - up to 5" (LF)
R&R Gutter / downspout - aluminum - 6" (LF)
R&R Downspout - aluminum (LF)
R&R Gutter guard/screen (LF)
R&R Fascia - 1" x 6" - #1 pine (LF)
R&R Fascia - metal - 8" (LF)
R&R Soffit - wood (SF)
R&R Drip edge/gutter apron (LF)

Detach & reset on the roof

Digital satellite system - D&R (EA)
Solar electric panel - D&R (EA)
Outlet or switch - D&R (EA)
R&R Furnace vent - rain cap and storm collar, 6" (EA)

Units

Unit	Meaning	Roofing usage
SQ	Square (100 SF)	Tear-off, field shingle, steep and high charges
LF	Linear feet	Drip edge, starter, ridge cap, flashing, gutters, fascia
SF	Square feet	Ice & water, soffit, decking
EA	Each	Pipe jacks, vents, chimney flashing, D&R items
HR	Hours	Roofer – per hour
DA	Days	Equipment rental

Pre-send checklist

Run this before every report generates. It takes four minutes and it’s the difference between a supplement that gets approved and one that generates three rounds of questions.

Setup

Price list market matches the carrier’s code
Price list month is current
Tax jurisdiction correct for the property
Claim number, DOL, insured, property address verified
Policy type (RCV vs ACV) confirmed
Ordinance & Law checked on the dec page

Sketch & quantities

Sketch reconciled against the measurement report
Pitch set correctly per face
Steep and high charges applied to affected SQ only
Waste figure has a derivation behind it
Every quantity traceable to sketch or cited report page

Line items

Eight categories in order; no GENERAL LABOR
DEBRI REMOVAL only if a dumpster line exists
Roofer – per hour is the last line, hours per formula
Carrier’s items carried forward exactly, no notes
Every added line has necessity + authority + quantity source
No tear-off haul / dumpster double charge
No felt / “shingle w/ felt” double charge
Ridge cap profile matches what’s on the roof
Custom (non-price-list) items backed by an invoice or quote

Output

Preview the report and confirm notes actually print
Correct report type selected (Final Draft for delivery)
Totals reviewed on the summary
Packet appended into one PDF
ESX exported if the carrier asked for a file
Every cited page number verified against the packet

Traps

TrapWriting before you can read

Trying to produce estimates before you can fluently read a carrier’s. The line item names don’t always align with how a roofer thinks about the work, and the interface is not intuitive. This is the most consistently repeated advice from working estimators: read carrier estimates first, write second.

TrapPracticing on a training or demo price list

Demo price lists don’t reflect real market pricing. If you’re learning on trial access, you’re learning mechanics — your numbers are not representative, and you should not carry pricing intuition from them into a live file.

TrapNotes that don't print

The single most preventable failure on this list. You write eight careful justifications, the report setting excludes notes, and the reviewer sees eight unexplained line items. Preview every report before sending.

TrapRidge cap type and buried starter

Two quantified, documented errors:

Ridge cap defaulted to cut 3-tab when the roof uses an enhanced ridge product — reported around $900 on a typical home.
Starter and ridge material buried in waste instead of scoped as separate products — reported around $810 per home.

Both are invisible on the face of the estimate. Both are why you walk the category list rather than trusting a macro.

⚠️ Figures are from an industry blog, not an independent study — directional, not authoritative.

TrapMissing if-incurred $0 lines

Permits, double underlayment, extra tear-off layers, dumpster overages. Items that may or may not be incurred belong on the estimate at $0 so they’re already scoped when they do occur. Leaving them off entirely turns a known possibility into a fresh supplement conversation later.

TrapDebris removal math

A 20-yard dumpster holds roughly 4 tons; a typical tear-off generates more. The second pull gets absorbed rather than scoped. Check tonnage against roof size instead of assuming one container.

TrapConfusing ACV, RCV, and depreciation

The software applies depreciation by rule, which makes it easy to stop thinking about it — until a homeowner asks why the first check is short, or a price change makes the ACV stop tying out. Know the arithmetic even when the tool is doing it.

TrapAssuming a price-list change repriced your lines

Unconfirmed behavior, and there’s a separate profile feature for repricing on complete or report — which suggests it isn’t automatic everywhere. After any price-list change, spot-check actual line prices before generating.

TrapMaking a code argument for a non-code item

Starter course and ridge cap are manufacturer-requirement and separately-priced-product arguments. Both are strong. Neither is a code argument, and using the wrong frame invites a request for a code section you can’t produce — which then discounts everything else you wrote.

TrapClaiming eave/rake ice & water in Georgia

The ice-barrier section is conditioned on a history of ice forming along the eaves. Claim it that way here and the code page becomes the reviewer’s exhibit. Claim the valleys, win the valleys.

TrapSkipping jurisdiction code research

The software doesn’t know which code edition the jurisdiction adopted, and it will let you cite the wrong one. Confirm adoption before you cite — that’s a human step in every workflow, on every file.

TrapResubmitting everything after a partial approval

Respond only to denied items, one at a time, in a numbered reply that mirrors their numbering. Resubmitting the whole estimate reads as if you ignored the approval, and it restarts the review.

Training material — Estimate Reliance LLC. UI paths, feature names, and terminology were verified against Verisk and Xactware documentation in August 2026 and are linked inline. Items marked ⚠️ could not be confirmed from a primary source and are flagged as such rather than stated as fact. Verisk’s help articles render partially to automated readers, so some step sequences were deliberately left out rather than guessed — confirm those in your own install. Prices shown are APR26 reference figures for instruction only; always price from the live price list for the market matching the carrier’s code.