Usually not, most roofing companies give free estimates. I would not recommend to ever pay for an estimate.

Insurance companies will do a total roof replacement for storm damage if there is enough hail and/or wind damage on the roof and soft metals.

To get your roof replaced by insurance, the homeowner should have a qualified roofer come out to inspect for damage first to see if the roof has significant enough damage to merit calling in a claim. If there is damage the homeowner would then need to call the 800 claims number of his or her insurance company to have an adjuster come out to mark the roof make the final decision on a replacement. If the adjustor and roofer agree on the damage, the insurance company will write up the total cost to replace the roof in a claim and the homeowner is responsible for picking the company to do the work.

The insurance claim process can take a week or two and depending on how far out your roofing company has previous roofs scheduled, it can take anywhere from two to four weeks from initial contact with insurance. An "out of pocket roof" may go on a bit quicker. For the actual installation, a roof can be completely done in a day or two depending on the size of the home.