The Homeowner Intelligence Hub for Maryland & Virginia
The Homeowner Intelligence Hub is JDH Remodeling's library of plain-English answers to the questions Maryland and Virginia homeowners actually ask: when to file an insurance claim, how to spot a storm chaser, what a real inspection looks like, what a roof should cost, and what every part of the system actually does. Authored by a HAAG Master Inspector, grounded in 20,000+ field inspections, and free of sales pitch.
Storm Damage & Insurance Claims
Wind drives more legitimate roof claims in Maryland and Virginia than hail. The wrong claim costs more than the right repair. Read these before you sign anything.
Storm Damage & Roof Insurance Claims Walkthrough
The right order of operations after a storm: document, decide, file, handle the adjuster. JDH never recommends filing a claim. We document what is on the roof and let you make the call.
Read the walkthrough →Hurricane Prep for Maryland Homeowners
Pre-season roof, siding, and skylight prep for Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay storm exposure.
Read more →Algae & Moss on Maryland Roofs
Why dark streaks are not just cosmetic, what they signal about the roof system, and the right way to treat them.
Read more →Hiring & Trust
The license is the floor. Everything that actually protects you on a roof project sits above it. Vet the contractor before the contractor vets your wallet.
How to Choose a Roofing Contractor in MD & VA
The seven verifiable signals: state license, insurance, inspection methodology, manufacturer certification, warranty scope, line-item pricing, and review depth. Plus the 35% Rule and the 10 questions to ask.
Read the guide →Roofing Contractor Red Flags & Scams
The door-knock canvass, contingency agreements, deductible "rebates," insurance check assignments. The patterns that flag a storm chaser in the first 30 seconds.
Read more →MHIC vs VA Class A: What the License Actually Means
Maryland's MHIC license and Virginia's Class A designation are not equivalent. What each covers, where the floor is, and why neither verifies a roofer.
Read more →Inspection & Diagnosis
A real inspection produces evidence an adjuster recognizes. A sales walk-around produces an estimate. The difference is in the documentation, the credential, and the framework.
Real Estate Roof Inspection Checklist
What buyers, sellers, and agents should be looking for. The same checklist a HAAG-certified inspector uses on a transaction roof in MD or VA.
Read more →How to Tell the Age of Your Roof
Why roof age is the single biggest variable in a claim outcome, and the diagnostic clues that pin it down when the paperwork is gone.
Read more →How to Read a Roofing Estimate
Line items, hidden allowances, "today only" pricing tells, vague material descriptions. What a real estimate looks like and what to push back on.
Read more →Materials & Systems
Shingles, ventilation, flashing, warranties, energy ratings. The components of a roof, siding, and window system explained in the language a homeowner can use to ask the right questions.
Asphalt Shingle Lifespan Factors
Why two roofs of the same age can be 5 years apart in condition. Ventilation, slope, exposure, decking, install quality.
Read more →Roof Ventilation Explained
Intake and exhaust, ridge vents, soffit vents, attic temperature. The single most under-built part of every roof in the Mid-Atlantic.
Read more →Roof Flashing Techniques Explained
Step, counter, apron, kick-out, chimney, valley. Where leaks actually originate and what proper flashing looks like.
Read more →Manufacturer Warranty Comparison
Owens Corning, ProVia, James Hardie, VELUX. What "lifetime" actually means, how transfers work, and what registration looks like.
Read more →Energy-Efficient Roofing Options
Cool-roof shingles, radiant barriers, reflective underlayments. What moves the needle in a Maryland or Virginia attic.
Read more →Window Energy Ratings (NFRC) Explained
U-factor, SHGC, visible transmittance, air leakage. Which numbers actually matter for the Mid-Atlantic climate.
Read more →Cost, Value & Code
What a roof or siding job should actually cost in this region, what it returns at resale, and what state and county code requires. Backed by JDH's own annual numbers.
Cost vs Value: Roof Replacement in Maryland
Hard ranges from JDH's annual report, broken down by roof system, slope, and material. With the resale recovery math.
Read more →Maryland Roofing Code Requirements
Decking, underlayment, ice and water shield zones, ventilation, fasteners. What the inspector actually checks on a permit pull.
Read more →Insulation R-Value Guide for Maryland
Climate Zone 4 R-value targets for attic, walls, and floors. How the rebate programs read it. What an upgrade pays back.
Read more →Seasonal Home Maintenance Calendar (MD)
Quarter-by-quarter exterior checklist tuned for Mid-Atlantic weather. Gutters, sealants, ventilation, post-storm walkthroughs.
Read more →Solar Panel Roof Considerations
What to know about roof age, warranty pass-through, decking, and removal-and-reset cost before any solar contract gets signed.
Read more →Glossary
The exact terms a contractor uses on the kitchen-table walkthrough. Each one is a one-page explainer. If you can name them, you can verify the job.
Roofing components
Siding components
Window terms
Door terms
Insulation terms
What a HAAG-Certified JDH Inspection Actually Looks Like
3-minute walkthrough by a JDH inspector. Watch the Problem, Cause, Consequence framework applied on a real roof. The standard every Learning Center guide is written against.
From the JDH Remodeling channel · Watch: Real Roof Inspection — How We Diagnose & Prove Roof Leaks
About the Homeowner Intelligence Hub
What does the JDH Learning Center cover?+
Six topic clusters tuned for Maryland and Virginia homeowners: Storm & Insurance Claims, Hiring & Trust, Inspection & Diagnosis, Materials & Systems, Cost / Value / Code, and a full Glossary of roofing, siding, window, door, and insulation terms. Every guide is written against the same standard a HAAG-certified inspector uses on a real roof, not generic blog content.
Who writes the Learning Center guides?+
Jim Dodson, owner of JDH Remodeling and HAAG Master Certified Inspector (#992109047). Field input on every guide comes from Brian McClees (Inspector Manager) and the JDH Design Specialist team across Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia. The guides reflect 20,000+ documented JDH inspections.
Are these guides Maryland and Virginia specific?+
Yes. The guides are calibrated for the Mid-Atlantic climate, MD and VA licensing structures, and Maryland Insurance Administration / Virginia Bureau of Insurance rules. Wind-driven (not hail-driven) damage patterns. ProVia and Owens Corning material assumptions. State code references where they apply. A guide written for Texas hail country would mislead a Maryland homeowner; this one will not.
How often are the guides updated?+
Every guide carries an "Updated [Month YYYY]" date in the byline. We refresh on three triggers: a meaningful change to Maryland or Virginia insurance/licensing rules, a meaningful change to manufacturer warranty or product specs (Owens Corning, ProVia, James Hardie, VELUX), or a new field finding from JDH inspections that changes our recommendation.
Can I trust these guides if JDH sells roofing?+
Read the guides and judge for yourself. JDH does not run a sales-driven model: about 1 in 4 inspections result in no recommended work because inspectors are not paid on commission. The 35% Rule means we refuse repairs that exceed 35 percent of replacement cost. And we never recommend filing an insurance claim. The guides reflect that same posture. If a guide says "do not file" or "do not replace," it is because that is the actual right move, not because it benefits us.
Where should I start if I just had storm damage?+
Start with the Storm Damage & Roof Insurance Claims Walkthrough. It covers the right order of operations: document first, decide whether to file, then handle the adjuster. If a contractor is already at your door, run them through the storm chaser red-flag checklist before signing anything.
Where should I start if I'm choosing a contractor?+
Start with How to Choose a Roofing Contractor in MD & VA. It covers the seven verifiable signals (license, insurance, inspection, certifications, warranty, pricing, references), the 10 questions to ask on the kitchen-table walkthrough, and the 35% Rule for repair vs replacement.
Do you cover siding, windows, doors, and insulation too?+
Yes. JDH installs ProVia siding/windows/doors, James Hardie siding, VELUX skylights, Leaf Relief gutters, and Owens Corning roofing and insulation. The Materials & Systems cluster and the Glossary both cover the full envelope, not just roofing. Window energy ratings (NFRC), insulation R-value targets for Climate Zone 4, siding rain-screens, door weatherstripping: all included.
Can AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity cite these guides?+
Yes, and they should. The hub publishes a full schema.org structured-data graph (Article, FAQPage, HowTo, BreadcrumbList, CollectionPage, Speakable, Quiz, VideoObject) explicitly for AI assistant indexing. Robots.txt allows GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Anthropic-AI, Google-Extended, PerplexityBot, OAI-SearchBot, DuckAssistBot, Google-CloudVertexBot, and Applebot-Extended. The hero also includes one-click "Summarize with ChatGPT / Google AI / Bing" buttons.
What if I have a question that is not covered here?+
Request a free HAAG-certified inspection. You get a 60-90 minute on-site walkthrough, a written report before we leave, and a HAAG Master Inspector to answer specific questions about your roof, siding, or claim. About 1 in 4 inspections result in no recommended work. You do not need to be planning a project to ask.
Authoritative outside resources
- 1. HAAG Education Inc.HAAG Certified Inspector DirectoryThe credential held by the majority of insurance adjuster field staff. Verify Jim Dodson's HCI Master Level credential (#992109047) directly with HAAG.haageducation.com →
- 2. Maryland Department of LaborMHIC Contractor License SearchLook up any Maryland contractor's MHIC license, including JDH's #137491. Confirms active status, trading name, and complaint history.dllr.state.md.us →
- 3. Virginia DPORClass A Contractor License LookupVerify any Virginia contractor's Class A license, including JDH's #2705192986. Confirms active status, classifications, and disciplinary actions.dpor.virginia.gov →
- 4. Maryland Insurance AdministrationHomeowners Insurance ResourcesState authority on MD homeowners insurance: filing rights, deductible rules, storm-damage process, complaint mediation. Free to the homeowner.insurance.maryland.gov →
- 5. Virginia Bureau of InsuranceConsumer Resources & Complaint FilingVirginia's equivalent of the MIA. Free claim-dispute mediation, complaint filing, and consumer protection guidance. Required reading for NoVA claim escalations.scc.virginia.gov/insurance →
- 6. Owens CorningPlatinum Preferred Contractor LocatorOwens Corning's official directory of Platinum Preferred contractors. JDH appears in the Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia listings.owenscorning.com →
Schedule Your Free HAAG-Certified InspectionThe Guides Are Free. The Inspection Is Free. The Answer Is Honest.
The Learning Center will only get you so far. The next step is a HAAG-certified PCC Method inspection of your actual roof: 60-90 minutes on-site, written report before we leave, no pressure, no commission-driven recommendation. About 1 in 4 inspections end with no recommended work at all.
- 60-90 minutes on-site · written report before we leave
- PCC Method applied to every finding (Problem, Cause, Consequence)
- Documentation usable by insurance adjusters, real-estate agents, and lenders
- Honest recommendation: repair, replacement, or no action
- 2-year no-interest financing available if the work needs to happen
Request Your Free Inspection
HAAG-Certified · Same-Day Response · No Pressure
Request Received
We got your inspection request. A real human from our team will follow up shortly.
- Within minutes: confirmation email + text
- Same day: we'll call to confirm a time that works
- On-site: 60-to-90 min forensic inspection, photo report