Starter course
Included in waste.
| Rests on | manufacturer instruction |
|---|---|
| Measured in | LF |
How to answer it
Answer with the instruction sheet for the shingle actually installed, not with a general rule. Manufacturers differ and the carrier can check: Owens Corning refuses both waste laminate and inverted three-tab as starter, while CertainTeed accepts either its own starter product or three-tab with the lower tabs removed (Landmark PRO application instructions, Bulletin 13). What holds across the instructions on file is narrower and safer: laminate FIELD shingles are not an accepted starter on a laminate roof. Argue that, name the manufacturer, and attach the page. On 3-tab the rejection is correct and this is not a separate line at all (Citizens Property Insurance, 2023 Best Claims Practices and Estimating Guidelines, p. 25) — confirm the field shingle type before arguing. In State Farm's own estimate, filed by State Farm as Exhibit 5 to its Notice of Removal in Brown v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., No. 5:22-cv-00971-R (W.D. Okla.), ridge cap and starter course were each priced as a separate line item from the field shingle, each carrying its own age/life schedule. That filing is one carrier's estimate on one file, not a court ruling — the case closed administratively without any decision on the point.
Put this in the supplement before they ask
The starter is a separate product with its own linear quantity along the eave and rake; the waste allowance covers field cuts of field shingles.
What you need in the file
- manufacturer installation instruction page reference
- the installation instruction page for the shingle actually installed, naming the manufacturer and the starter requirement
- the carrier's own estimate for this file, to show whether it already prices starter course as its own line
Writing this into a supplement?
ScopeQueue reads the carrier estimate and your roof photos and writes the items the estimate left off, each with the reason behind it and the measurement it rests on. Your first file is free.