Reading Your Insurance Roof Estimate Line by Line

When the insurance scope of loss arrives in your inbox, it's typically a 6–15 page Xactimate document with hundreds of line items, dozens of abbreviations, and pricing that may or may not reflect what your roof actually needs. Reading it line by line is the difference between a clean claim and a six-month supplement battle. This guide walks through every section of a typical Colorado roof estimate, what each line means, and what's most commonly missing.

The 60-second answer

A Colorado roof scope of loss in Xactimate is structured into sections (tear-off, install, materials, code-required items, collateral) with line items priced at the carrier's regional database rates. The most commonly missing items are Overhead & Profit (O&P), code-required upgrades (drip edge dimensions, ice & water shield extents, valley metal types), collateral damage (gutters, downspouts, vent caps, AC fins), and back-facing slopes if the inspection wasn't thorough. Always have a qualified contractor review the scope alongside the original inspection report — the gap between what was inspected and what was scoped is where supplements come from.

What Xactimate actually is

Xactimate is the dominant carrier-standard estimating software in property insurance. It contains:

• Line-item codes (RFG, INL, EXT, etc.) that map to specific tasks, materials, and labor
• A pricing database with regional rates for materials and labor, updated periodically
• Quantity calculators for areas, perimeters, and ratios
• Markup logic for tax, O&P, and depreciation

Most major Colorado carriers use Xactimate for property claim scoping. Independent adjusters and CAT adjusters typically also use it. Public adjusters and many roofing contractors have Xactimate licenses too.

When a homeowner gets the scope of loss, it's usually a PDF export of the carrier's Xactimate file. The PDF can be 6–15 pages depending on the complexity of the claim.

The structure of a typical Colorado roof scope

A scope of loss is usually organized into sections. The exact section names and order vary by carrier, but the typical structure is:

1. Header info — claim number, policy number, insured name, address, date of loss, date of inspection
2. General notes — adjuster's narrative summarizing the inspection findings
3. Roof — tear-off and disposal — line items for removing the existing materials
4. Roof — install — line items for the new shingles, underlayment, and accessories
5. Roof — flashings and accessories — chimney, valley, sidewall, drip edge
6. Roof — collateral damage — gutters, downspouts, vents, fascia, soffit
7. Code-required upgrades — items required by local Colorado building code
8. Other damage — siding, paint, AC fins, garage doors, screens
9. Totals page — RCV total, depreciation, ACV total, deductible, ACV check amount

Tear-off and disposal — what to look for

Typical line items in this section:

• RFG REML — "Remove laminated/composition shingles" — quantity in squares (1 square = 100 sq ft)
• RFG REL — "Remove laminated shingle (heavyweight) only" — for premium shingles
• DMP DUMP — "Dumpster fee" — typically per dumpster
• DMP DISP — "Disposal fee" — per ton of material
• RFG REFLT — "Remove felt underlayment"

What to verify:

• The square count matches your roof's actual square count (confirm with your contractor)
• Tear-off quantity matches install quantity (a partial tear-off without partial install is unusual)
• Dumpster fee is included — not always
• Disposal fee accounts for the actual weight of asphalt shingles (typically 250–400 lbs/square)

Install — shingles, underlayment, accessories

Typical line items:

• RFG ARCHX — "Architectural composition shingle (laminated) — high grade" — quantity in squares
• RFG IR — "Impact-resistant shingle" — for Class 4 installations
• RFG VENT — "Ridge vent — shingle-over style" — per linear foot
• RFG STARTR — "Starter strip" — per linear foot
• RFG ICE — "Ice & water shield" — per square or per linear foot
• RFG SYNFEL — "Synthetic underlayment" — per square
• RFG FELT15 — "15# felt underlayment" — per square (common in older specs)
• RFG DRIP — "Drip edge" — per linear foot

What to verify:

• The shingle line matches what you're actually installing (don't accept "30-year architectural" if you're upgrading to Class 4)
• Synthetic underlayment is specified for any Front Range build (felt is often inadequate; some Colorado jurisdictions require synthetic)
• Ice & water shield extends per Colorado building code (typically 3 ft from eaves on heated buildings, plus all valleys, plus 18+ inches up rake edges in some jurisdictions)
• Drip edge is included — surprisingly often missed in initial scopes
• Starter strip is included — often missed

Flashings and accessories — frequently missed items

Typical line items:

• RFG FLG — "Flashing — chimney, sidewall" — per linear foot
• RFG VALOC — "Valley metal — open valley" — per linear foot
• RFG VALCC — "Valley metal — closed valley" — per linear foot
• RFG VENTRR — "Roof vent (square or static)" — per unit
• RFG VENTRR12 — "Roof vent — 12" turbine" — per unit
• RFG PIPEFL — "Plumbing vent flashing" — per unit
• RFG STEPFL — "Step flashing" — per linear foot

What to verify:

• All chimneys, walls, and valleys on your home are accounted for
• Plumbing-vent flashings (the rubber-and-metal collars around bathroom and kitchen vents) are typically replaced — they fail at 8–12 years in Colorado
• Skylight flashings are a separate category — confirm if applicable
• Step flashing for any sidewall transitions is specified

Collateral damage — what often gets missed

This is the most variable section by adjuster. Common line items:

• GUTAL — "Aluminum gutter — 5 inch K-style" — per linear foot
• GUTDS — "Downspout — aluminum" — per linear foot
• PNTAC — "Paint, AC condenser fins" or "AC fin straightening" — per unit
• WSCRN — "Window screen replacement" — per unit
• DOOROPN — "Garage door — replacement (specific make/model)"

What to verify:

• All damaged gutters and downspouts are scoped, not just visible runs
• AC unit damage is documented (a damaged condenser is a covered loss; the cost ranges from minor fin straightening to full unit replacement)
• All damaged window screens, light fixtures, and exterior items are listed

If you walked the perimeter with the adjuster and pointed out specific items, those should appear in the scope. If they don't, that's a supplement.

Code-required upgrades

Colorado building codes require specific upgrades that may not appear in the carrier's default scope. Common code-required items:

• Ice & water shield extent — Colorado jurisdictions vary, but most require ice & water shield from eaves to a certain dimension above the heated wall line
• Drip edge dimensions — minimum widths specified by jurisdiction
• Synthetic underlayment — required by some jurisdictions in lieu of 15# felt
• Valley metal type — open vs. closed valleys have different code requirements
• Ridge ventilation calculations — net free area requirements based on attic square footage
• Decking replacement — 5/8" or 7/16" minimums depending on rafter spacing
• Drip edge at rakes — required in many jurisdictions, often missed in initial scopes

When the local building inspector does the final inspection, the work has to comply with current code regardless of what the insurance scope said. If the scope under-funds code requirements, the homeowner is on the hook for the difference unless it's supplemented.

The single most common code-driven supplement in Colorado is ice & water shield extents. If the initial scope shows 6 squares of ice & water shield and the actual code requirement for your roof is 12 squares, that's a documented supplement.

Overhead & Profit (O&P)

Most Colorado homeowner policies include Overhead & Profit (O&P) — typically 10% + 10% — for any project that legitimately requires general-contractor coordination. A typical roof replacement with multiple trades (roofing, gutters, paint, perhaps siding) clearly qualifies.

Many initial scopes leave O&P off and add it only if the homeowner or contractor asks. This is one of the most common supplement requests.

How O&P is calculated:

• The base cost of materials and labor sums to a subtotal
• 10% Overhead is applied to the subtotal
• 10% Profit is applied to the new subtotal
• Sales tax is then applied to the materials portion

On a $20,000 base scope, missing O&P is roughly $4,400 left on the table. Always check whether O&P appears.

Depreciation and the totals page

The bottom of the scope is the totals page, typically showing:

• Replacement Cost Value (RCV) — the total cost of the work
• Depreciation — the depreciated portion (line-itemed by category, typically)
• Actual Cash Value (ACV) — RCV minus depreciation
• Less deductible — your policy's deductible
• Net claim — what the carrier sends as the initial check (the ACV check)
• Recoverable depreciation — what's released after the work is completed and documented

What to verify:

• The depreciation is calculated based on actual roof age, not an estimated age
• The depreciation schedule is reasonable (most carriers use 20–25 year lifespans for asphalt shingles)
• The deductible matches your policy declarations page
• "Recoverable" depreciation, not "non-recoverable" — non-recoverable depreciation is permanently kept by the carrier

For the full ACV vs RCV math, see ACV vs RCV: What Colorado Homeowners Need to Know.

Common abbreviations decoder

Quick reference for the most common Xactimate abbreviations on Colorado roof scopes:

What to do if the scope looks wrong

If you read the scope and see issues:

1. Don't accept anything in writing yet — wait until you've reviewed with your contractor
2. Compare to your contractor's original inspection report — gaps between the two are supplement candidates
3. Have the contractor draft a written supplement request with photo evidence and code references
4. Submit the supplement to the carrier in writing (email + certified mail for significant items)
5. Request a re-inspection if there are major scope disagreements

For the full denied/underpaid claim playbook, see Denied Roof Claim in Colorado? Here's Your Playbook.

When to call Hilltop Contracting

If you've received an insurance scope of loss for a Front Range hail or wind claim and want a contractor to review it line by line — whether you're already a Hilltop customer or not — call 720-345-2070. We do free scope reviews as part of our standard inspection service.

We are an Aurora-headquartered roofing and storm-restoration company with 29 years of roofing experience, 18 years specializing in hail and wind insurance claims, and we have been on Colorado roofs since 2009. We have read and supplemented thousands of Xactimate scopes from every major carrier in Colorado.

We call back within one business hour — every time.

For the full claim playbook from initial inspection through final depreciation release, read our Colorado Hail Insurance Claim Step-by-Step Guide. For an insider view of how the underlying scope gets built during the adjuster meeting, see What Does a Roof Adjuster Look For?.

This article is informational and reflects our team's experience reading and supplementing Xactimate scopes across Colorado. It is not legal or insurance advice. Specific Xactimate codes, pricing databases, carrier interpretations, and code requirements vary — always confirm with your contractor and your specific carrier's claim handler when reviewing your scope of loss.