Storm & Hail Damage Repair

After the Storm Passes

Once it is safe to go outside, walk around the house and photograph every side: siding, trim, soffit, fascia, gutters and windows. Hail and wind damage is hard to see from the ground, so photograph anything that looks dented, cracked, loose or missing. Then check inside, especially the ceilings and the tops of exterior walls, for water stains. Stay clear of downed lines and anything hanging loose overhead while you look. Write down the date and time of the storm, because your carrier will ask.

If water came in, call or text us at (815) 585-1750 and send the photos. Water inside the house is the part to get moving on first.

Water That Came In During the Storm

Rain driven by wind gets in around damaged siding, trim and windows, and it often shows up as a ceiling stain or wet drywall. We extract the water, take out wet insulation and drywall that cannot dry in place, and dry the space with air movers and dehumidifiers sized to the room.

The daily rate for each piece of equipment is in writing before setup. Readings are taken every day, and the equipment comes out as soon as the readings show dry. You get copies of the photos, the readings and the estimate.

Storm water inside a wall does not always show right away. A ceiling stain can appear days later, after the water works its way down. If a stain shows up after a storm, take a photo and send it to us.

Siding, Trim, Soffit, Fascia and Gutters

Hail dents and cracks siding and gutters, and wind pulls trim, soffit and fascia loose. We repair or replace the damaged sections and work to match what was there. If a siding or trim product is no longer made and an exact match is not possible, we tell you before anything goes up, and the options are priced in writing for you to approve.

Damaged soffit and fascia can let water into the eaves, and a dented gutter can pull away or spill water against the siding. When we repair gutters, we check that they drain the way they should.

• Damaged siding sections repaired or replaced
• Trim, soffit and fascia repaired or replaced
• Gutters repaired or replaced
• Interior ceilings and walls rebuilt where water came in

Working With Your Insurance

We meet the adjuster at the house if they want, so the damage gets looked at together, and we write the estimate line by line in the pricing format insurance carriers use. When the carrier's scope misses damage, like a soffit section or a gutter run that took hits, we explain it and send a supplement. Hail marks on siding and gutters can be hard to see in photos, so walking the house with the adjuster lets everyone look at the same damage.

The outside repairs and the inside rebuild go on the same itemized estimate, so the adjuster sees the whole storm loss in one place. You can usually choose your own contractor, and the deductible is yours. We cannot promise coverage or approval.

Putting the Inside Back

Once the readings show dry, we rebuild the ceilings and walls the water reached: insulation, drywall, texture, paint and trim. The rebuild scope is written while drying is underway, so it is ready when the equipment comes out. You get copies of the final readings before the drywall goes back up. Any change to the scope is priced in writing and approved by you before it is done. One company handles the drying, the outside repairs and the inside rebuild. Where a ceiling section has to be replaced, we blend the texture and paint into the rest of the ceiling as closely as the materials allow.