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Explainer

How a roof measurement report fits an insurance claim

A property claim needs a roof twice: once as numbers in the estimate and once as an exhibit in the file. Here is where the measurement report enters, who orders it, and what each party does with it.

By MBK Newsdesk·
An adjuster's desk with a claim folder, a printed roof diagram, a laptop and hands pointing at the diagram.
Illustration: MBK Media Group
Companies in this story: Verisk, Sketch My Roof, EagleView, Roofr, GAF QuickMeasure

Where the report enters

A roof claim moves from first notice of loss to inspection to estimate to settlement. The measurement report is needed at the estimate step, when someone has to put the roof's squares, pitches and edge lengths into an estimating platform, most often Xactimate®, and price the repair or replacement line by line. Anyone writing that estimate can be the one who orders the report: a carrier's staff adjuster, an independent adjuster working the file, or the restoration contractor preparing an estimate or a supplement.

Most providers take the order by street address and return the report without a site visit by the person ordering; the inspection still happens, but the measurement does not have to be taken from a ladder. That is the operational reason the segment exists: the estimate can be written the day the claim comes in, and the field time is spent documenting damage rather than pulling tape.

What each party does with it

The adjuster imports the estimating file (ESX for Xactimate®, XML for Symbility®) so the roof geometry is in the estimate, attaches the PDF report to the claim file as the exhibit that shows where the numbers came from, and prices line items against the measured quantities. The contractor uses the same report to prepare or check the estimate, to order material, and, on a disputed file, to reconcile quantities with the adjuster from a common document. When both sides work from the same measurement, the argument narrows to scope and price rather than square footage.

The report is also the durable record. Photos age, memories differ, but a dated report with facet-level measurements is what a desk reviewer or an appraiser reads months later.

Why the format decides the work left

A report delivered as a PDF leaves the redraw: someone rebuilds the roof in Xactimate® from the document. A report delivered as ESX or XML is imported and the sketch is already in the estimate. Providers publish which formats they deliver and at what price; as of July 24, 2026, Sketch My Roof lists ESX as its base product ($19 standard, $25 complex, $29 with PDF), Roofr lists ESX as a $10 add-on to a $13 or $19 report on paid plans, EagleView describes ESX delivery through EagleView One and integrations, and GAF QuickMeasure's page describes a report with a bill of materials without listing an ESX file. Match the deliverable to the platform the estimate will be written in before comparing prices.

What to keep in the file

The PDF report as the exhibit, the estimating file that was imported, the order date and delivery timestamp, and any revision correspondence. If a provider publishes a revision policy (Sketch My Roof, for example, publishes that reports are reviewed before delivery and revised at no charge; others publish their own terms), keep the policy page with the file so a later reviewer can see the terms that applied.

Questions readers ask

Who orders the roof measurement report on an insurance claim?
Whoever writes the estimate: a staff adjuster, an independent adjuster, or the restoration contractor preparing an estimate or supplement. Providers take the order by street address.
Does the adjuster still inspect the roof?
Yes. The measurement report supplies geometry and quantities; damage is documented in the inspection. The report lets the estimate be written without measuring from a ladder.
Why does it matter whether the report is ESX or PDF?
An ESX imports into Xactimate® with the sketch and measurements; a PDF has to be redrawn by hand. Most desks want the ESX to price from and the PDF for the file.

Sources

  1. Xactimate® is Verisk's property estimating platform; ESX is its estimate file format: Verisk Xactimate® product page (as of July 24, 2026)
  2. Standard Roof Report (ESX only) $19; Complex Roof Report (ESX only) $25; Standard Roof Report (ESX + PDF) $29; Standard Roof Report (PDF only) $25; same-day delivery on orders placed before the published cutoff: Sketch My Roof residential order page (as of July 24, 2026)
  3. ESX for Xactimate® and XML for Symbility® as deliverable formats; PDF exhibit; every report reviewed before delivery; revisions at no charge; orders by street address in the United States and Canada: Sketch My Roof service facts page (as of July 24, 2026)
  4. Free plan $19 measurement reports delivered in 24 hours or less; paid plans $13 reports with 2 or 6 hour delivery guarantees; ESX files $10 per report on paid plans: Roofr pricing page (as of July 24, 2026)
  5. Published residential per-report pricing by size and tier: Small (20 sq) $32.75 Bronze / $27.50 Silver / $24.25 Gold; Medium (40 sq) $60 / $54.75 / $49; Large (40+ sq) $87 / $81.25 / $75.50; Commercial $89.50 / $84.25 / $79; Platinum and Premium 'call for pricing': EagleView pricing page (as of July 24, 2026)
  6. Single-family $18 per parcel (GAF Master Elite contractors) or $20 per parcel (all other pros); multi-family $54 or $60 per building; delivery listed as 1 hour or less; add-ons $10: GAF QuickMeasure page (as of July 24, 2026)

How this was reported: Figures come from the named company's own published pages or filings, and are quoted as they appeared on the date shown. Companies mentioned in a story were not paid for coverage. Every outbound link on this site carries rel=nofollow as a matter of policy. Editorial standards · Report a correction

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