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Blanket Coverage

A single insurance coverage limit that applies across multiple structures on your property — and a term worth understanding before you file a storm damage claim on anything beyond your main home.

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What Blanket Coverage Means

Blanket coverage is a single insurance limit that applies to a group of structures or items rather than assigning a separate, itemized limit to each one. In homeowner’s insurance, it most commonly refers to how your policy covers multiple structures on your property — your home, detached garage, shed, fence, or pergola — under a combined limit rather than individual limits for each.

Most homeowners are familiar with their dwelling coverage limit — the amount their policy will pay to rebuild the main home. Blanket coverage applies the same concept to everything else on the property, pooling those structures under a single combined limit rather than carving out individual amounts for each one.

How Blanket Coverage Works in a Homeowner’s Policy

In a standard homeowner’s policy, structures on your property fall into two main categories:

Coverage A — Dwelling

Your main home — the primary structure on the property. This is typically the largest coverage amount on your policy and has its own dedicated limit. It is not subject to blanket coverage in the traditional sense.

Coverage B — Other Structures

Everything else — detached garages, sheds, fences, pergolas, gazebos, and similar structures. Coverage B is where blanket coverage most commonly applies. It is typically set at 10% of your Coverage A dwelling limit and applies as a combined pool across all covered structures.

For example, if your home is insured for $400,000, your Coverage B limit is typically $40,000 — total, across all other structures combined. If your detached garage, fence, and shed all sustain storm damage in the same event, all three claims draw from that same $40,000 pool.

Why Blanket Coverage Matters After a Storm

After a significant hail or wind event in Colorado, the damage rarely stops at the main roof. Detached garages, fences, pergolas, and outbuildings take the same storm — and they are frequently overlooked in the initial claims process, both by homeowners and by adjusters.

Understanding your blanket coverage limit before you file matters for two reasons:

  • You need to know what pool you are drawing from — if multiple structures are damaged, each claim reduces what is available for the others under the combined Coverage B limit
  • You need to document all damage upfront — damage to secondary structures that is not included in the initial claim can be harder to add later, and may be subject to statute of limitations issues if discovered long after the date of loss

Blanket Coverage vs. Scheduled Coverage

The alternative to blanket coverage is scheduled coverage — where each structure or item is individually listed with its own specific limit. Scheduled coverage is more common for high-value personal property items like jewelry or art, but it can also apply to structures in some policy configurations.

  • Blanket coverage — one combined limit shared across all covered structures. Simpler, but the pool can be exhausted if multiple structures sustain significant damage simultaneously.
  • Scheduled coverage — each item or structure has its own dedicated limit. More precise, but requires the homeowner to specifically list and value each structure at policy inception.

Most standard homeowner’s policies use blanket coverage for other structures. If you have a high-value detached garage or outbuilding, it may be worth asking your agent whether scheduled coverage makes more sense for your specific situation.

Common Structures Covered Under Coverage B

When storm damage extends beyond the main dwelling, these are the structures most commonly covered under Coverage B blanket limits:

  • Detached garages — one of the most common Coverage B claims after hail events in Colorado
  • Sheds and outbuildings — tool sheds, storage buildings, and similar structures
  • Fences — wood and vinyl fences frequently sustain hail and wind damage
  • Pergolas and gazebos — often overlooked in initial inspections but legitimately covered
  • Carports — detached carport structures fall under Coverage B
  • Swimming pool enclosures — where applicable and covered under the policy
  • Guest houses — detached guest structures not used as a primary rental

Note that attached structures — an attached garage, covered porch, or sunroom connected to the main dwelling — are typically covered under Coverage A as part of the dwelling, not Coverage B.

Blanket Coverage and the Detached Garage Roof

For Colorado homeowners, the detached garage roof is one of the most commonly missed items in a hail damage claim. The same storm that damaged the main roof almost certainly damaged the detached garage roof as well — but adjusters frequently focus on the main structure and either miss or undervalue the garage.

A few things worth knowing:

  • The detached garage is a separate claim under Coverage B — it should be scoped, documented, and estimated independently from the main dwelling claim
  • The same causation standards apply — you need to establish that the storm caused the garage roof damage, just as with the main roof
  • Depreciation applies separately — the garage roof may have a different age and condition than the main roof, affecting the depreciation calculation independently
  • Code upgrades may apply — if the garage roof replacement requires code-compliant materials or methods not present in the original installation, those upgrades may be covered under your ordinance and law provision
  • Low-slope roofing applies if applicable — many detached garage roofs are flat or near-flat, requiring low-slope roofing materials rather than standard shingles, which must be correctly specified in the estimate

How to Maximize Your Blanket Coverage Claim

Getting the most out of your Coverage B blanket limit after a storm requires a systematic approach:

  • Walk the entire property after every storm — not just the main roof. Check the detached garage, fences, pergola, shed, and any other structures for visible damage.
  • Photograph all damage before any repairs — collateral damage to secondary structures provides supporting evidence of storm severity across your entire claim
  • Include all structures in the initial claim — do not assume secondary structures can be added later. Document and report everything at the time of the initial filing.
  • Verify the Coverage B limit before filing — confirm the combined limit on your declarations page so you understand what is available before the scope of all structures is established
  • Request separate line items for each structure — a complete estimate should address the main dwelling and each covered structure independently, not lump them together
  • Do not accept a settlement that excludes covered secondary structures — if the adjuster’s estimate omits the detached garage or fence, that is a supplement opportunity worth pursuing before the settlement is finalized

How Claim Advocacy Helps With Blanket Coverage Claims

Secondary structures are the most consistently overlooked category in Colorado storm damage claims — and the blanket Coverage B pool means that omissions directly reduce the amount available for legitimate covered losses.

  • Full property inspection — systematically inspecting every structure on the property for storm damage as part of any post-storm assessment, not just the main roof
  • Coverage B classification — confirming which structures are covered under Coverage B versus Coverage A and ensuring each is correctly classified in the claim
  • Independent documentation — photographing and measuring every secondary structure so the scope is established regardless of what the adjuster inspects
  • Low-slope material specification — ensuring flat garage roofs are estimated with the correct low-slope roofing materials rather than standard shingle pricing
  • Code upgrade identification — identifying ordinance and law items applicable to secondary structure replacements and including them in the estimate
  • Supplement preparation — submitting Coverage B supplements for structures omitted from the initial estimate with photographs, measurements, and Xactimate line item references

Common Blanket Coverage Questions

My adjuster only inspected my main roof. How do I get my detached garage and fence included?

Submit a supplement specifically identifying each omitted structure with photographs of storm damage, measurements, and a statement that these structures sustained damage in the same covered storm event. Request either a field re-inspection of the secondary structures or approval of the supplement based on your submitted documentation. Secondary structure supplements are among the most straightforward to support — the same storm event, the same policy, clearly covered structures.

Does the Coverage B limit apply per structure or in total?

In total — the Coverage B limit is a combined pool that applies across all covered other structures. A $40,000 Coverage B limit does not mean $40,000 per structure. It means $40,000 total available for all covered other structures combined from the same occurrence. This is why documenting all secondary structure damage at once — rather than discovering it piecemeal — matters for managing the available pool effectively.

Is a fence covered under my homeowner’s insurance after a hailstorm?

Yes — fences are covered under Coverage B as other structures, subject to the same deductible and coverage terms as other covered property. Hail damage to wood and vinyl fences is a legitimate covered loss. Photograph the impact damage on fence surfaces, measure the damaged linear footage, and include it in the same claim as the main roof damage. It draws from the same deductible occurrence and does not trigger a separate deductible.

My detached garage roof is flat. Does that affect how the claim is handled?

Yes — a flat or low-slope garage roof requires specialty roofing materials such as modified bitumen, EPDM, or TPO rather than standard asphalt shingles. The insurance estimate must specify and price the correct low-slope material. An estimate that applies standard shingle pricing to a flat garage roof is understating the actual replacement cost. Verify the material specification in the estimate and supplement for the correct material if it is incorrect.

Also see these glossary entries:

The detached garage, fence, and shed on your property took the same hail the main roof did — and they are covered under the same policy. A free inspection covers every structure on your property so you know the complete scope of your covered loss before your carrier finalizes a settlement that may be leaving legitimate items out.

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📧 gerald@winik.io

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