HARD KNOCKSCONSULTING
Local Conditions
New enough that nothing is depreciated, specific enough that nothing is generic
Novi is subdivisions, attached condominium communities, and higher-value custom builds. Almost every dispute here is about what a repair is allowed to look like when it is finished.
Specification and matching
Designer shingles, engineered hardwood, cultured stone, semi-custom cabinetry. A generic line item does not buy the product that was there, and on a visible elevation matching is the specification, not a preference.
Condominium boundaries
The master deed, not the policy, decides where the association's coverage stops and your unit policy starts. Betterments, loss assessment, and a pass-through association deductible all live in that gap.
Large open-plan interiors
Continuous flooring runs and two-story great rooms do not stop at a room boundary, so a water loss cannot be repaired room by room. Continuous-run replacement is the single most commonly omitted line in this market.
Storm corridor and hail
Western Oakland County takes the summer hail line most years. Impact-rated and laminated shingles bruise without granule loss, which is exactly the damage a fast ground-level inspection misses.
Losses We Handle Here
Four claims make up most of the city's volume
Hail on designer roofs
01Laminated shingles bruise through the mat without shedding granules. Test squares and a chalk lift, not a walk of the driveway.
Interior water loss
02Supply lines, water heaters, and second-floor laundry. Continuous flooring and open plans make the affected area larger than the wet area.
Condominium losses
03Water crossing between units, association deductibles passed through, and betterments no master policy was ever going to cover.
Wind & tree strike
04Mature subdivision canopy over high-value roofs. The strike is obvious; racked framing and the debris-removal limit are what get missed.
Areas Served
Across the whole city
Subdivisions, condominium communities, and the surrounding townships. If your community is not listed, call and ask.
By Loss Type
How each loss gets fought in Novi
Every peril has its own script of carrier positions and its own documentation burden. These break down what to expect before you call.
Local Questions
Novi claim questions
The questions that come up most on files in this city. If yours is not here, ask it on the review form.
My house is only twenty years old. Why is the estimate short?
Because on newer construction the fight is rarely depreciation — it is specification. Designer and dimensional shingles, engineered hardwood, cultured stone, manufactured trim, and semi-custom cabinetry all have specific product lines behind them, and a generic line item does not buy the same thing that was there. Documenting the actual product, ideally from the builder's selection sheet, is what converts a builder-grade unit price into the correct one.
I live in a condominium. Do I claim it, or does the association?
Both, and the dividing line is the master deed rather than the policy. The association's master policy typically covers the structure to a defined boundary — often the studs, sometimes original finishes — while your unit policy covers betterments, improvements, contents, and loss assessment inside it. Losses fall through the crack when nobody reads the master deed, and when the association's deductible is quietly passed through to unit owners.
The carrier will only pay to repair part of my roof.
On a visible designer or dimensional roof, matching is the specification rather than a preference, and a finished repair is expected to be of reasonably uniform appearance. Discontinued profiles, weathered color drift, and differing lot numbers all make a partial repair a non-match. That gets documented on the roof, with the failed match photographed, before it becomes a negotiation.
How fast can you get out to Novi?
Oakland County is the primary service area, so site visits are typically within forty-eight hours and the free review is usually read the same or next business day. Novi is about half an hour from the Royal Oak office.
What Happens Next
Three steps, no cost to start
You are never charged to find out whether you have a case. If the carrier's number is fair, I will tell you that and close the review.
Send what you have
Policy, the carrier's estimate, any photos. In a condominium, send the master deed and the association's certificate too.
I inspect the property
In person, anywhere in Novi, usually within forty-eight hours. Product identification and match documentation happen at the same visit.
You get a line-item position
A written Xactimate scope at the correct specification, and the coverage argument behind it — negotiated through appraisal if the carrier will not move.
Nearby
Other cities we cover
Novi
Find out what your claim is actually worth
Free review, read personally, usually within one business day. No intake team and no call center.
HARD KNOCKS CONSULTING
220 South Main Street
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(947) 241-2950
stanley@hardknocksconsulting.com
State of Michigan — statewideNPN 20573993