Guides
Working guides for property claim professionals: roof measurement fundamentals, Xactimate® and Symbility® workflows, claim-file documentation, ordering playbooks, and the contractor lane.
Roof Measurement Fundamentals
Commercial vs Residential Reports
How a commercial roof measurement report differs from a residential one: low-slope math, units of measure, what's in the deliverable, and when to order a custom scope.
Flat Roof Measurement Basics
How flat and low-slope roofs are measured for a claim file: area, perimeter, parapet linear footage and height, drains, and penetrations, how each shows up in a report, and the line items each one drives.
Gutter Takeoff From Roof Report
How to turn eave lengths on a roof measurement report into gutter linear footage, corner counts, and downspout counts, with a worked example and the formula behind it.
Measuring a Roof From the Ground
Pitch gauge and level method, footprint pacing, and the math to turn a ground reading into a square footage estimate. What ground measurement can and cannot give you, and when to order a measured report instead.
Measuring Complex Roofs Correctly
Break a cut-up roof into facets, measure each one, apply the correct pitch multiplier, and sum the total. The formula, a worked table, common errors, and when to order a Complex-roof ESX.
Read a Roof Diagram
A working guide to reading a roof measurement diagram: line types for eaves, rakes, hips, ridges and valleys, pitch and facet labels, the legend totals, and how the diagram lines up with the Xactimate® sketch.
Roof Facets and Cost
What a roof facet is, how facet count drives waste and labor, and how that complexity determines whether a job needs a Standard ESX ($19) or Complex-roof ESX ($25).
Roof Measurement Report Anatomy
A working table of everything a roof measurement report contains, area, facets, pitch, ridges, hips, valleys, flashing lengths, waste tables, and what each line drives in the estimate.
Roof Line Terms Explained
What eave, rake, hip, valley, and ridge mean on a roof report, which line item each one drives (drip edge, starter, ridge cap, valley metal, step flashing), and the unit each is measured in.
Roof Measurements by Address
What an address alone can produce in a roof measurement report, what it cannot show, how ordering works, and same-day turnaround with published pricing.
Roof Measurements for Solar
What a roof measurement report gives a solar installer (facet area, pitch, azimuth, footprint) and what a site survey still has to confirm before a system is designed.
Roof Pitch Multiplier Table
The rise-over-run formula behind every roof pitch multiplier, a full 1/12 to 24/12 multiplier and degree table, and how pitch changes roof area and steep-slope charges on an estimate.
Roof Squares Explained
What a roofing square is, how to convert square feet to squares, and how to turn a footprint measurement into roof area using the pitch multiplier. Formula, tables, and a worked example.
Roof Waste Factors by Type
What the roof waste factor covers, the pitch-multiplier formula it sits on top of, and the ranges estimators commonly apply for simple gable, hip, and cut-up roofs. Labeled as practice, not a standard.
Xactimate® / Symbility® / File Workflow
Claim File Naming Convention
A working claim file naming convention adjuster teams can apply today: document codes, folder structure, and a revision-versioning method for roof reports, estimates, and correspondence, plus a closeout checklist.
Desk vs Field Report Flow
Who orders the roof report, who imports it, who attaches it to the file, and who reviews it before the estimate goes out. A plain sequence for desk and field adjusters working the same claim.
Fix ESX Import Errors
A symptom-cause-fix reference for the xactimate esx import error messages adjusters see most: file not recognized, missing sketch, version mismatch, duplicate claim, corrupted download, and when to re-request the file instead of troubleshooting.
ESX vs XML vs PDF Reports
ESX, XML, and PDF roof reports compared by consuming application, editability, and exhibit use, with the published price per format from the site sponsor.
Import an ESX File
Generic, version-safe steps to import an ESX file into Xactimate®, what to verify on the sketch and line items after import, and a worked example using a delivered roof report.
Reconcile Report vs Sketch
Why a roof report's total squares rarely matches an Xactimate® sketch exactly. Waste, rounding, and facet grouping explained, plus a reconciliation checklist and when to request a revision.
PDF Report as Claim Exhibit
How to make a roof report PDF hold up as a claim exhibit: address match, naming, file placement, and pairing it with Xactimate® or Symbility®. Published PDF $25, ESX + PDF $29.
Report Data to Line Items
A table mapping roof report elements, area, ridge, hip, valley, eave, rake, flashing, to the Xactimate® line item categories and units they typically support.
Roof Sketch From a Report
Import vs manual trace in Xactimate®: how to bring a measurement report's ESX into the sketch, verify pitch and facet count, and catch the mismatches that throw off roofing squares.
Supplements With Measurement Backup
How to back a roof supplement with measured lengths and areas: the pitch-multiplier math, what to attach as a PDF exhibit, and how to reference the report inside Xactimate® or Symbility®.
Import Symbility® XML Reports
How a Symbility® XML roof measurement file is structured, the generic import workflow, and a version caveat to check before you build the estimate.
What Is an ESX File?
ESX is the file format Xactimate® uses to bundle an estimate with its sketch and photos. What's inside an ESX, who creates one, and how it moves between adjusters, contractors, and carriers.
Claim-File Documentation & Desk Workflow
CAT Deployment Prep Checklist
The pre-deployment checklist for CAT adjusters: licenses, Xactimate® and XactAnalysis® access, templates, ordering accounts, field equipment, and file hygiene before you leave for the storm.
CAT-Season Desk Playbook
A volume workflow for CAT season: intake triage, batch ordering roof reports, file naming templates, daily cutoffs, and QA sampling rates, with a worked storm-page example.
Roof Claim-File Checklist
The full roof claim-file checklist: FNOL, photos, measurement report, sketch, estimate, supplements, correspondence, closing docs, with the practice reason for each.
Close the Claim File Clean
A final checklist for closing a roof claim file: what documents belong in it, how to reconcile the estimate before you sign off, retention practices, and what makes a file defensible on reopen or audit.
Document Roof Code Upgrades
What to put in the file to support roof code upgrade items. How eave and rake length from a measurement report becomes a drip edge piece count and an ice-and-water shield square count, plus a ventilation NFA worksheet.
Desk Adjuster Daily Workflow
Morning-to-close sequence for a desk adjuster working roof claims: triage, ordering by address, Xactimate® and Symbility® build time, and planning around the 6 PM Eastern report cutoff.
Field Adjuster Daily Workflow
A working structure for the field adjuster's day: route planning, the on-site documentation sequence, when to order the roof report, and what evening file work actually covers.
Document Overlays and Layers
Where existing roof layers show up during inspection, how to record them in the claim file, and what a roof measurement report does and does not tell you about layer count.
Reinspection Prep Checklist
A working checklist for roof reinspections: what to bring, what to re-verify on the roof, and how to reconcile field findings against the original measurement report and estimate.
Repair vs Replace Documentation
What the claim file needs to support a repair or a full replacement, how measured roof area and facet counts feed the decision, and a checklist for the file either way.
Roof Inspection Photo Checklist
The photo set a roof claim file needs, organized by location: overview, each slope, test squares, penetrations, gutters, and interior. File naming and minimum counts included.
What Scope-Only Packages Include
What a scope-only roof deliverable typically contains, who orders it, and how a measurement report in ESX, XML, or PDF fits into the estimate.
The Scope Sheet, Explained
What a scope sheet is, the fields it should carry, how it connects the measurement report to the Xactimate® or Symbility® estimate, and a template table you can copy into your file.
Steep and High Roof Documentation
How to document pitch and story count on steep or high roofs using the measurement report, support steep-charge line items, and keep a safety-driven remote documentation trail in the file.
Ordering & Turnaround Playbooks
Budget Roof Reports by Volume
Simple math for budgeting roof measurement reports against monthly claim volume, no subscription required. Published prices at $19, $25, and $29 per report, laid out by claim count.
Bulk Order Roof Reports
How to bulk order roof measurement reports during a CAT event: batching addresses, naming files so they survive 200+ orders, tracking deliveries, and QA sampling before reports go into estimates.
Choosing ESX, PDF, or Both
ESX, PDF, or both: a decision table for adjusters and contractors choosing a roof measurement report format, with the published $19/$25/$29 pricing and when each format actually fits the job.
Corrections and Revisions
How to check a delivered roof measurement report for errors and request a correction from the delivery email: what counts as a revision, what to include, and how fast it comes back.
One Report, Both Sides
How a carrier desk and a contractor can work from the same roof measurement report instead of ordering two, and the version discipline that keeps both estimates matched.
Order a Roof Report by Address
Step-by-step: order a roof measurement report from a property address and have the ESX, XML, or PDF delivered the same calendar day. What to send, which format to pick, and the published prices.
Roof Report Delivery Formats
What arrives after a roof report order, which application opens each file, where it belongs in the claim folder, how to name it, and what breaks if the wrong format is used.
Roof Report Cost FAQ
What actually changes the price of a roof measurement report, what does not, and how to budget for it. Published pricing by format, plus answers to the questions adjusters actually ask.
Same-Day Turnaround Explained
Same-day is the published standard for a roof measurement report, not a paid upgrade. What the cutoff means, when a report can run later, and how to plan orders around it.
Same-Day Cutoff by Time Zone
The 6 PM Eastern same-day cutoff converted to Central, Mountain, and Pacific, plus how to plan a roof report order around it so the file lands the same calendar day.
Contractor & Restoration Lane
Commercial Roof Takeoffs From a Report
Build a commercial roof bid takeoff from a measurement report: areas by pitch, perimeter and flashing lengths, penetration counts, and how to request a custom scope for irregular commercial roofs.
Explain the Roof Report to Homeowners
A plain-language walkthrough of what a roof measurement report actually shows: squares, facets, pitch, and line lengths, written so a contractor can hand it straight to a homeowner.
Estimating Basics for Contractors
How the estimate format (ESX, XML, PDF) determines what a restoration estimate can do, and how a measurement report's data becomes Xactimate® or Symbility® line items.
Contractor vs Adjuster Scope
A line-by-line method for reconciling contractor scope against adjuster scope on a roof claim: the arithmetic sources of the delta, a reconciliation table, and a dispute-prevention checklist.
Measurement Reports for Bids
How a roof measurement report anchors a contractor bid: the squares, linear footage, and facet data that drive the material list and labor lines, plus the PDF customer copy at $25.
Explaining the Roof Report
How to walk a homeowner through a roof measurement report: what the diagram shows, what to leave out, and how to head off disputes before the estimate is written.
Report-Backed Change Orders
How to build a change-order package for a roof scope change: what a measured backup exhibit is, a documentation checklist, and a before/after quantity table using a clearly labeled hypothetical example.
Squares to Bundles Calculator
Turn a roof report's squares and linear measurements into a real order: shingle bundles, starter, ridge cap, and underlayment. Formulas, a pitch multiplier table, and a full worked example.
