How am I going to pay for this?
Three real ways to pay for a roof in North Carolina. Cash. Insurance. Financing. We will walk you through each one without trying to sell you a loan.
The three real paths.
Every roof we replace gets paid for in one of three ways. Usually some mix of two. The rough breakdown across our 2024 jobs:
Cash
Saved up, retirement bucket, home equity check. Simplest path. Smallest total cost.
Insurance
A storm-driven claim. You pay only your deductible. Everything else is the carrier's.
Financing
Some or all of the cost spread over months. Two real lenders, both honest. No high-pressure pitch.
There is no wrong answer. The wrong move is letting a roofer push you into a financing product they get a kickback on. Read each section below. The one that fits you will be obvious.
Insurance, said straight.
If a storm hit your house, insurance probably owes you a new roof. Filing the claim wrong is more expensive than not filing at all. Here is the right order.
The four-step order
- Before you call the carrier, take your own photos (the photo checklist from chapter one) and get a free, honest roof inspection. We do these and charge nothing. Confirm there is real damage. If a roofer cannot show you damage on the roof itself, do not file. A denied claim still counts against you.
- When you call the carrier, use the word “report” not “claim.” Say “I want to report a storm event so it is on file.” This gets you a claim number without forcing a decision. Write down the claim number and the adjuster name.
- Have your roofer at the adjuster visit. This is routine. Adjusters expect it. Make sure the adjuster gets on the roof. If they only check from the ground, that is a problem.
- Compare the carrier scope to the estimate. Mismatches are normal. Your roofer files a supplement to correct them. Do not let work start until the carrier has approved the scope and released the depreciation.
- Sign anything with the words “Assignment of Benefits” or “AOB.” This hands your insurance check to a roofer. You lose control of the project.
- Let a roofer file the claim for you.
- Accept an offer to “waive your deductible.” That is insurance fraud, and the homeowner is the one with the address on it.
- Sign a contract with a roofer before the carrier has approved the scope.
About your deductible
In NC, many policies have a separate wind and hail deductible. It is often 1% or 2% of the insured value of the home, not a flat dollar amount. On a $400,000 home that can be $4,000 to $8,000 out of pocket. Find your policy. Look for the line that says “Wind/Hail Deductible.” Plan for that number, not for “my deductible is $1,000.”
Financing, without the upsell.
We have two lenders. We do not push either one. We do not get a kickback on which one you pick. Use whichever fits, or neither. Most of our financed jobs cost the customer about $200 to $300 a month for ten years.
Service Finance Company
- Terms from 5 to 15 years
- Rates typically 9 to 13%, fixed
- Soft credit pull for the prequal; hard pull only if you proceed
- Best for: longer terms, predictable payment
Enhancify
- Offers a 12-month no-interest path if paid off in full inside the promo window
- After the promo, rates step up. Read the fine print.
- Multiple lender offers in one application
- Best for: people planning to pay it off from insurance or savings inside a year
See your real monthly payment.
The payment calculator on the financing page does the math from both lenders. No credit pull to see the number. Move the slider, see the payment, then decide.
When not to finance: If you can pay cash or split it with insurance, that is almost always cheaper over the life of the loan. Financing makes sense when the alternative is delaying a roof that should not be delayed.
Paying cash, the smart way.
Forty percent of our customers pay cash. They get the simplest path, the lowest total cost, and the most leverage on the deal. Here is how to do it right.
- Keep three months of emergency fund. Do not drain savings to the bottom for a roof. If a $20,000 roof would leave you with less than three months of expenses in reserve, finance some of it.
- Ask for a split payment schedule. Standard with us: small deposit at signing, partial payment at material drop, balance at completion. You should never be asked to pay more than 30% upfront before any material arrives.
- Ask about cash discounts. We don't routinely advertise one, but we will sometimes shave $300 to $500 off a cash job that avoids credit-card processing or financing-platform fees. Worth asking.
- Don't prepay for promised savings. No legitimate roofer asks for the full amount before work starts. “Pre-buy your shingles to lock in the price” is not a real offer in NC.
Home equity is the in-between option. HELOC rates are usually a few percentage points below unsecured roof financing. If you have equity and discipline, it is the cheapest non-cash path. Your bank handles it, not us. Worth a phone call.
Money decisions are personal. Talk to your spouse and your bank, not to the roofer in your driveway. We will give you a written quote and let you choose how to pay for it.
Tools to help you pay for it.
Three resources for the money side of the project. None of them require talking to us first.
Payment Calculator
Real monthly payments from our two lenders, no credit pull required to see them. Move the slider, see the number. Then decide.
Insurance claim walkthrough
Four-step checklist for filing a NC roof claim. Doing it in the right order is the whole game.
Financing details
Lenders, rates, terms, FAQs. Everything you would want to know about financing a roof through us.