If there’s one sure thing about Minnesota weather everyone can agree on, it can be very unpleasant at times. Hail and wind-driven storms can cause damage to homes and businesses in the blink of an eye. While most storms come and go without causing a need for storm damage repair, it seems that every year there is at least one storm that is cause for concern, to say the least. If your home has been hit by storm damage in the Twin City Metro area, here are five tips to follow!
Roof Inspection
Some roof damage is obvious to the naked eye and some roof damage can only be detected by the trained eye of a roofing professional. Generally speaking, if your home has been hit with hail larger than ½ inch in diameter or wind-driven storms with sustained wind speeds in excess of 40 MPH, you should call a roofing contractor to come and inspect your roof and home exterior. If any time following a storm you see shingle granules in gutter downspouts, damaged shingles, or other hints of storm damage, call your roofing contractor to take a look.
Call Your Homeowners Insurance Provider
When your home has been hit with storm damage or hail damage, it can be quite a traumatic experience. Then, on top of dealing with storm damage repair in the Twin Cities, you have to file an insurance claim and deal with your insurance adjuster. That is not something many people look forward to.
Ideally, you should work with a roofing contractor that brings experience dealing with all the different insurance companies in your community. Remember, your homeowners insurance provider is looking out for their own best interest. Hire a roofing contractor that knows how to look out for your best interests. Further, hire a roofing contractor that provides free storm damage inspections. Their inspection should include digital images and video so that you and the contractor can provide 100% proof to your insurance company of the storm damage that hit your home.
Claim Approval
With a professional and experienced roofing contractor performing the roof inspection and pushing your claim through, you should soon have a check in hand from your homeowners insurance provider. With check in hand, you can start getting your home back to pre-storm condition. If there is a silver lining with storm damage, perhaps it’s an opportunity to update the look of your home with modern colors, styles, and siding and window materials that are manufactured stronger and more beautiful than ever.
Negotiating and Confirming Storm Damage Repair Costs
When you receive the estimate from your roofing contractor, don’t feel obligated that you have no options or can’t negotiate storm damage repair costs. When looking at storm damage repair costs, you’ll want to note discrepancies, if any, between what the insurance company is going to actually pay for and what the storm damage estimate from your home contractor states. If there are any price discrepancies, these need to be reconciled before storm damage repair begins. A trusted roofing contractor should help you with all of this and be your advocate, in your corner, when dealing with the insurance company.
Completing Your Project
Once your insurance company pays you the first check, your roofing contractor should start work immediately. You definitely want to avoid additional damage to your home because a hole in the roof (or other damage that let in wind and water) allowed later storms to damage your home. Insurance companies generally won’t pay for damage due to the fact that roof repairs or a roof replacement wasn’t made in a timely manner (i.e. ASAP!). Once all of the storm damage repairs are completed, your home contractor should submit a final invoice to your insurance company.
When you need storm damage repair in the Twin Cities area, call on a trusted and experienced home contractor. That’s us at Younger Exteriors! We’ve worked with every insurance company in the region and we’ll get you compensated for all the storm damage your home endured and get your home back in great condition ASAP! Call us today at (612) 360-0320 or fill out our quick online form!
