After a hailstorm, the difference between a profitable roofing season and a busy one is almost never how many roofs you sell. It is how much of each approved scope actually reflects the work. Supplements are where that gap closes — and most of the money is lost on the roof, before a single letter is written.
The supplement is won during the inspection
An adjuster writing from a scope sheet and a quick walk will miss things that are not visible from where they stood. You cannot argue them back in later without evidence, and evidence means photographs taken at the time, captioned, with the slope and elevation identified.
A phone full of 180 uncaptioned photos is not evidence. Twelve photographs that each show one condition, labelled, are.
What routinely gets left out
- Steep and high charges. Anything over 7/12 and over two storeys, and they are frequently scoped flat.
- Ice and water shield where code requires it, not where the old roof had it.
- Drip edge — now code in most jurisdictions, still omitted constantly.
- Ventilation — ridge vent, pipe jacks, turtle vents. Replacing a roof around 1990s vents is not a repair.
- Decking replacement — you cannot know the count until the tear-off, so it has to be a supplement by definition.
- Detach and reset for solar, satellite, gutters, HVAC line sets.
- Code upgrade items your jurisdiction mandates and the original scope ignored.
- Debris disposal and driveway protection, which are real line costs.
Write it as a claim, not a complaint
The supplements that get approved quickly share a structure:
- Claim number, date of loss, property address, up top.
- One line stating what is being requested and why.
- Each item: what it is, why it is required (code citation, manufacturer requirement, or the photo reference), and the price.
- Photos attached and referenced by number from the item list.
- No adjectives. Nothing about fairness. Just the requirement and the evidence.
Cite the authority, not your opinion
“The homeowner deserves a proper roof” gets nowhere. “IRC R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rakes; see photo 4” gets paid. Manufacturer installation instructions carry similar weight, because failing to follow them voids the warranty the carrier is indirectly funding.
Timing matters
Submit decking and anything else discovered at tear-off the same day you find it, with photos, before it is covered. A supplement for hidden damage submitted after the new roof is on is a much harder conversation.
Do the writing in minutes, not after dinner
Toolbelt’s Supplement Drafter turns your notes and the missing items into a structured letter in about a minute, and the Photo Report Builder turns the roof photos into a clean, captioned, branded PDF — built on your phone, never uploaded anywhere. Three free estimates, no card.
See also the roofing estimate that survives the adjuster and job site photo documentation. Or Toolbelt for roofing.