The idea for Exterior Claim Consulting (now Exterior Construction Consulting) sprung from Andrew Wilson agreeing to do a favor for his material supplier. At the time, Andrew was building Applied Coating Solutions (now ACS Commercial Roofing), a construction business he had founded a year earlier which specialized in commercial roof coatings. His material supplier had received a call from another contractor about a project in Greenville, SC that he believed had been damaged from a recent hail storm. The supplier knew Andrew’s experience in the insurance and restoration industry so he called to ask him to meet the contractor at the property. Andrew agreed to meet the contractor, inspect the roof and provide advice to the contractor.

Upon arrival at the property, Andrew was surprised to see that the contractor was joined by the property owner, an insurance adjuster, and his consultant. After an awkward introduction and obvious tension, Andrew and the insurance adjuster step aside to talk. Andrew explained his background in both the insurance and roofing industry, that he was asked by a common supplier to provide advice to the contractor and was unaware that he would be meeting anyone other than the contractor. Since he was already there, Andrew offered to help with the assessment and that the roofing system either was damaged or it wasn’t...simply put, it is what is. The insurance adjuster agreed, the tension was gone and he asked his consultant to work directly with Andrew. Collectively they agreed that the roof was damaged from hail and the roof would need to be replaced after performing a thermal imaging scan which showed significant moisture damage. Andrew provided the insurance adjuster the findings in a Project Portfolio which included an estimate for the damages using industry-accepted 3rd party software based on the agreed scope of work. Shortly afterward, the project was approved by the insurance adjuster and the contractor was hired by the building owner to perform the work. 

Following the project completion, Andrew realized there was a need. Local, well-established commercial roofing contractors did not have the forensic knowledge or experience working through the restoration process. Since they were well established in the market and performed good work, they had other projects available and many would walk away from these opportunities. This left property owners to choose from contractors with less experience and/or “out-of-town” storm chaser contractors. By helping contractors work with their client’s insurance company and/or their consultants, the contractors could now assist with these projects without tying up resources. This would not only help the contractor, but also the property owner, their insurance company, and the local economy as well. 

ECC was formed shortly afterward in 2015 and continued to offer consulting services to commercial roofing contractors throughout the SouthEast, with a focus on hail and wind forensics. Over the next four years, ECC grew both in customers and services. Through word of mouth, the customer base expanded to include property owners, manufacturers, and distributors. It was clear that there was a need for consulting services throughout the industry but was cost-prohibitive for many outside of the government and healthcare industries. By focusing their offerings on the needs of the underserved markets while maintaining low overhead along with technology, ECC was able to offer cost-effective solutions in various due diligence inspections, moisture detection, and basic design services. To properly reflect these expanded services and client base, in 2021 ECC rebranded from Exterior Claim Consulting to Exterior Construction Consulting.