It might be hard to imagine that little balls of ice could do serious damage to your home. However, because hail falls at such high velocities, it has the potential to seriously harm various aspects of your property, impacting the security of your house and those who live inside of it.
So, if you experience a severe hailstorm, don’t wait around to find out if it’s causing problems for the essential parts of your dwelling. Instead, take a moment to read through our guide and learn how to take the first steps to addressing hail damage.
Conduct a Personal Assessment
One of the very first steps to addressing hail damage after a storm is conducting a personal assessment of your home and roof to see if there are any signs of problems for yourself. This kind of investigation isn’t very difficult to do, as there are a few primary signs of hail damage that you should be on the lookout for upon examination. Some of these indicators include:
DingsDentsChipped surfacesDebris or shingle scraps in the yard
So, if you notice any of these things on the more prominent features of your home such as your roof, gutters, or siding, it’s likely time to call a contractor out to do a more extensive examination of the damages. And suppose you fear that your roof has sustained the most damage. In that case, you can always call Viking Contractors LLC, and we’ll set you up with the best roofing contractors in Edina to carry out an extensive, quality examination of your property.
Schedule a Professional Inspection
After you carry out your assessment and decide the signs of damage are a cause for concern, it’s time to call a professional to give you an official report of damages and how much it might cost to have it all repaired. During these inspections, contractors will check for wear on things that you likely wouldn’t think to, such as you’re A/C units, window seals, and even the surface granules on your shingles. After they inspect your home for any signs of hail damage, they’ll be able to write up a comprehensive report of the specific issues with each area of your home and a quote for the cost of repair.
Get a Quote for Damages and Repairs
Next, your contractor will write up a full inspection record. After this, feel free to ask them for a quote for how much all of the repairs will cost. Of course, they’ll give you an outline of the basics, but don’t be afraid to ask about the approximate cost of materials, timeframes, and anything else that might be pertinent to the restoration cost.
Just as well, it’s imperative to have clear documentation of the damages to your home. It’s wise to have your own set of pictures alongside the ones that the contractors will likely take. Doing this will help to make the process of filing a claim with your insurance company smooth and relatively painless.
Call Your Insurance Company
The next step is taking all of the necessary documents and photos to your insurance company and starting the process of filing a claim. Be sure to bring your damage report, repair quotes, and documentation of damages with you, as this will help your adjuster make an accurate assessment of how much reimbursement your insurance company will be able to provide. Be very clear about your needs and make sure you understand the extent of what your insurance can cover, so you have a better idea of what to expect.
Vet and Hire a Roofing Contractor
Once you have a go-ahead from your insurance company, it’s time to find the right professionals to get the repairs done. You can always go with the storm damage contractor that performed your original assessment. However, if you choose to go with a different contracting company, there are a few steps you’ll want to take to ensure that your repairs are top-quality.
Research Contractors
Take a little time to look into a few different contracting companies. Go through their websites and look at customer reviews. It’s also wise to look at the sort of services these places provide, what kind of materials they like to work with, and so on. Once you do this, you can narrow down your choices and start the selection process.
Do Some Quick Interviews
After you narrow your choices down to 2 or 3, you can start doing quick interviews, either over the phone or in person. This is the part of the process where you can ask more specific questions, such as:
What particular services do they provide?How long might it take to finish repairs?What kind of materials will they use?Do they require any extra fees for specialized work?
Once you find your ideal candidate that aligns well with your insurance company’s expectations, you can begin the actual process of repair.
Start the Process of Repair
Starting the repair process isn’t as simple as it sounds, as contracts, conditions, and legal agreements need to be accounted for first. When your contractor, insurance adjustor, and yourself sit down to negotiate the terms of your restoration, you’ll want to account for the way repairs will affect your day-to-day. For instance, you should factor details like the timeframe for renovations, noise levels, and start dates into your repair contract.
These details all qualify as things that might affect your ability to live comfortably in your home, so it’s essential to address them. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure to include any other conditions you might have in your contracts before you sign off. After you come to an agreement that meets each party’s needs, you can give your contractor the green light to start making repairs.
While it might seem unlikely that hailstorms can cause severe damage to your home, they have the potential to create severe problems for even the most durable features of your property.
So, if you suspect that these small but mighty pellets of ice are compromising the security of your house, don’t wait on it. Take the first steps to addressing hail damage today so you can ensure your home and those who live in it are safe.
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