Canada / Alberta
Alberta Is Hail Country.
We Write the Supplement.
We are a United States estimating desk writing Xactimate supplements for Alberta roofing contractors. Alberta has more expensive hail than anywhere else in the country, which means more roofs, more scopes written fast, and more line items left off them. That is the work we do. Pricing is in United States dollars, stated plainly.
All pricing in USD.
The code question, answered properly
There is no IRC in Alberta. The province adopts the National Building Code with its own amendments, and the edition currently in force is the National Building Code 2023 Alberta Edition, declared in force on May 1, 2024. The edition before it, the 2019 Alberta Edition, governed from December 1, 2019 through April 30, 2024.
That changeover date matters more than it looks on a hail file. A substantial share of the roofs being claimed in Alberta right now were built or last re-roofed on one side of it, and the answer to what is required is not the same on both sides. Anyone writing a code argument without first establishing which edition governs the building is guessing, and a guess in a code citation is worse than no citation at all, because it hands the reviewer a reason to dismiss the whole submission.
So we establish it first, then cite the provision that actually applies. Where we cannot source something cleanly, we say so and build the file on the parts we can support. Thinner and correct beats thorough and wrong every time on a document somebody is looking for a reason to reject.
Why Alberta files pile up faster than anywhere else
The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported that the storm that crossed the Calgary area on August 5, 2024 produced initial insured loss estimates of nearly $2.8 billion, which made it the second-costliest event in Canadian history behind the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. IBC put the claim count from that single storm at more than 130,000 and said almost one in five homes in Calgary was impacted.
It was not an isolated year. IBC notes earlier Calgary-area hail events at over $1.2 billion in 2020 and $700 million in 2021, and reports that five of the ten costliest disasters in Canadian history have happened in Alberta, all of them since 2016.
What that means operationally is simple and it is the reason this page exists. When a storm generates six figures of claims in a week, every scope written in the weeks after it is written under time pressure by someone carrying a caseload they did not plan for. Scopes written under that pressure are not written badly on purpose. They are written fast, and fast is where starter strip, drip edge, ridge cap, step flashing, and steep charges go missing. That is a documentation problem, and documentation problems are fixable after the fact.
On the Class 4 rebate, honestly
The City of Calgary ran a Resilient Roofing Rebate Program offering $3,000 toward replacing a roof with a certified Class 4 impact-resistant product. It launched in June 2021 and required the work to be done by a member of the Alberta Allied Roofing Association or the Alberta Roofing Contractors Association, or inspected by one of them.
We are not going to tell you whether it is open right now. The City material we were able to read describes the first program year closing in 2022 or when funding ran out, and we could not confirm the current status from the City directly. Check with the City before you promise a homeowner anything. We would rather point you at the right desk than repeat a number that may have expired.
What we can do is scope it. If an impact-resistant upgrade is part of the conversation on a file, tell us and we will write it properly rather than leaving it as a line the homeowner discovers later.
What we do not claim
- We are not licensed in Alberta. Adjusting is provincially regulated here and our credential is a United States one. We do estimating and supplement documentation, working behind you.
- We do not claim to have Alberta insurers mapped. They are different companies from the American ones, and inferring their behaviour from a US insurer would be making something up.
- We make no permit claim on this page. Every source we found on Alberta re-roofing permits was a contractor blog and they contradicted each other. If permits matter on your file, the municipality is the answer, not us.
- We are a US company working remotely. Nothing about the service depends on being in the same country as the roof, and we would rather you know that before you send a file than after.
The TEC Guarantee
Send us an average of 2 claims per week for 12 months and we guarantee you will add a minimum of six figures in additional margin to your business. If you do not, we write you a $5,000 check at the end of the 12 months.
All pricing in USD, and the guarantee is paid in USD. This is a commitment we are making to you, not a projection of what your claims will return.
Questions
Which building code applies to an Alberta roof?
Alberta does not use the IRC. The province adopts the National Building Code with its own amendments, and the current edition is the National Building Code 2023 Alberta Edition, declared in force on May 1, 2024. The edition before it, the 2019 Alberta Edition, governed from December 1, 2019 until April 30, 2024. That changeover sits right in the middle of the period most current hail files come from, so which edition applies is a question about the specific building and the specific work, not a blanket answer.
Do you know Alberta code well enough to write a code argument?
We source it rather than assume it. We will read the edition that governs the building and cite the provision that actually applies, and where we cannot source something cleanly we leave it out and tell you why. What we will not do is reach for a familiar American provision because it sounds close. There is no IRC here, and a citation naming the wrong instrument does not survive contact with the file.
How big is the hail problem in Alberta really?
The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported that the August 5, 2024 storm over the Calgary area produced initial insured loss estimates of nearly $2.8 billion, making it the second-costliest event in Canadian history after the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. IBC reported more than 130,000 claims from that storm and said almost one in five homes in Calgary was impacted. IBC also notes that Alberta has experienced five of the top ten costliest disasters in Canadian history, all since 2016, and points to earlier Calgary-area hail events at over $1.2 billion in 2020 and $700 million in 2021.
What is the Class 4 rebate I keep hearing about?
The City of Calgary ran a Resilient Roofing Rebate Program offering $3,000 toward replacing a roof with a certified Class 4 impact-resistant product, launched in June 2021, with the work done by an Alberta Allied Roofing Association or Alberta Roofing Contractors Association member or inspected by one. We are not going to tell you whether it is open right now, because the City material we can read describes the first program year ending in 2022 and we could not confirm the current status. Check with the City before you promise a homeowner anything, and if an impact-resistant upgrade is in play on a file, tell us and we will scope it properly.
Do you know how Alberta insurers handle supplements?
The insurers here are different companies from the American ones and we will not claim to have their settled behaviour mapped. What transfers is the mechanics. A scope missing starter, drip edge, ridge cap, or steep charges is missing them in any market, and quantities taken off a measurement report are right or wrong regardless of the country. What we learn about a specific insurer, we learn on your file and tell you honestly.
Are you licensed in Alberta?
No, and we do not present ourselves as being. We are a United States company. Our credential is a United States one, and adjusting in Canada is provincially regulated. What we do for you is estimating and supplement documentation, delivered remotely, working behind you while you keep the relationship with your insurer.
What currency are your fees in?
All pricing is in United States dollars. We do not quote in Canadian dollars and we do not publish a converted figure, because an exchange rate printed on a web page is out of date almost immediately. Your own bank or card issuer applies the conversion at the rate on the day you pay.
Send us one and see
Send the insurer estimate and your measurement report. We will read it and tell you what we see, including telling you if there is nothing worth chasing on it.
All pricing in USD.