While we were traveling in England in April, a major hailstorm struck our neighborhood. Our neighbor took photos of hail next to a golf ball for size comparison. Though we missed the storm, I knew what would follow… stormchasers, the collection of construction and roofing companies knocking on the door (usually during work) or leaving flyers offering a free inspection, looking to claim insurance money for the repairs after every wind- or hailstorm. Some of them are recognizable names, some aren’t… and most of them are pushy. I turned them all down, even though I have a dent on my car’s roof showing that it was a significant storm.
That is, until our neighbor had their roof inspected and discovered he needed a replacement roof. Yikes. And they have trees protecting some of their roof; ours is exposed. Knowing he’s diligent about such things, I still researched the company he was working with and discovered overall good reviews and an excellent rating with the Better Business Bureau. (Assuming everything goes well, I will share the name of the company in a later post.) I reached out to the company and scheduled an inspection.
Oh boy… yes, there was damage. This is our siding – marked up with chalk during the follow-up inspection with the claims adjuster from our insurance company. Each chalk mark is highlighting an indent on the siding.
And then there’s the roof. I didn’t get good photos of the chalk mark all over the roof – the insurance found hail damage everywhere except over the garage (the side leaning away from the storm’s direction). This photo is one of the vents – soft metal sticking out of the roof, now with multiple dents on it. In between the roof and siding, of course, are the gutters, which were one of the first upgrades when we bought the house. They’re harder to photograph, even when marked up with chalk.
And, last but certainly not least, the garage door. That was fairly new – the old one allowed light and air through underneath, so we had a new one installed in 2021. The new one was a massive improvement both on insulation and privacy – the old door had windows about chest height, allowing anyone passing by to see into the garage. The replacement door has higher windows, still allowing light in, but only allowing tall people right by the house to peer inside. I’m a bit a sad that we have to replace it, but the claims adjuster pointed out that if we don’t, any damage to it by a future storm would probably not be covered. I am grateful for having selected a reputable insurance company (Allstate, if you’re wondering) and for how seamlessly the construction company seems to work with them. Outside photos – probably some before and after shots – will appear in a separate post once the work is in progress or done.