Step 1. Call your Insurance Company and report the damage.
After the storm has passed and you are safe, one of your first calls should be to your insurance company. Your insurance agent will help you file a claim, if needed, and send a field adjuster to your home to document the damage and create a report. This report will be used to generate an estimate for repairs and/or replacements.
It is important that you make every effort to be present when this happens. If you already have chosen a contractor they will want to be there as well. For more information on selecting the right contractor see Step 3, below.
Step 2. Protect your home from further damage
Protecting your home from further damage is your next priority. Depending on the nature of the damage, this step is often overlooked. Missing shingles and siding, broken windows, and damaged gutters can all lead to rain water leaking into your home. Keep in mind that water will not always show as a dripping water leak visible inside your home. Water can leak between the inside and outside walls saturating insulation in the wall cavities. This can quickly lead to mold development and other structural damage.
Temporary repairs and tarping should be done by a trusted & reputable roofing and/or damage restoration company (AnyWeather offers 24/7 Emergency Repair Services with 1 hour response time). It is important to find a company who knows what to do and how to do it! BEWARE! Following large storms that cause property damage there are often a lot of “Chuck-in-a-Truck” or “Fly-By-Night” guys/companies, posing as real contractors, stopping by whom are unqualified to help…they can sound convincing!
There can be some out of pocket expenses associated with these types of initial emergency and temporary repairs. However, insurance plans often cover these expenses and they may allow you to simply apply them towards your deductible.
Step 3. Secure a Roofing and/or Damage Restoration Contractor
Securing a contractor is the next step. This can feel overwhelming, however, it is arguably the most important! One reason home & building owners can feel overwhelmed is due to what feels like an endless line of roofers, siders, contractors, and “wannabes” that show up in areas affected by storm damage. As a result, you may have a stack of business cards, doorhangers, and brochures from all these companies to review. It can be difficult to know how to pick the best one. If you are like most people, knowing how to choose a good contractor is not obvious. Nonetheless, it is critical that one takes the time to make sure they hire an experienced, reputable, and trusted roofing contractor and/or restoration contractor.
The contractor you choose becomes your advocate as you enter negotiations with the insurance agency. There are good and bad insurance representatives and people’s experiences with different professionals can vary. However, at the end of the day the insurance company wants to fix your damaged home for the least amount of money possible. This means that your contractor must understand the insurance process including the process used to formulate your damage estimate.
Your contractor must understand and have experience with the property damage estimating process, in order to act as your advocate. Adjusters damage estimates for home repairs are generated in a computer program called Xactimate. This program has a large database of materials, repairs, etc. The cost for each damaged “item” of house and/or repair process is generated by averaging current material supplier costs and contractor labor costs for a given home repair to a base cost. Estimates can vary greatly…thus it is important to understand everything used to organize and create them.
Your contractor should walk any property being inspected for damages from front to back. This will include walking the roof, while also looking in the attic, basement, and outbuildings. Photo documentation of everything is very important. The contractor needs to know roofing, siding and many/most other aspects of the building restoration process. A water damage and mold remediation background is important because many of these issues are not easily visible and/or can remain hidden, putting you and your loved ones at future risk.
Your contractor should prepare their damage estimate using the Xactimate program (the same program usually used by the insurance industry). In addition, they should be available to meet with you and your insurance adjuster on the day the adjuster comes out to your home. This is a primary way to ensure your contractor can advocate for you properly. By being present they are able to subtly “navigate” the field adjuster through the damage inspection / estimate process in order to ensure you get all repairs needed and related costs covered. When using the same software for estimating, price differences always come down to a difference in scope…as trained professionals AnyWeather contractors can advocate the “correct” scope needed for repairs.
Finally, the contractor must be able to perform the repairs correctly and get your home or building back to its pre-storm status. They should also provide material and workmanship warranties to cover these repairs. It is important to make sure that the contractor you choose will be around should you need to use such warranties!
You Can Trust AnyWeather Roofing and AnyWeather Restoration
AnyWeather Roofing and AnyWeather Restoration are local, family owned business that can do everything mentioned above, plus a lot more. Let us come and secure your property, prepare your estimate, and be the “expert” advocate in your corner. We will treat your home like it is our own! We are local, family owned, experienced companies with brick and mortar offices in Dayton, Ohio and the Northern Kentucky – Cincinnati, OH metro area.
AnyWeather Roofing is a Certified Master Elite Roofing Contractor with GAF. GAF is the largest and oldest roofing manufacture in the United States. Less than 3% of all the roofing contractors in America have that prestigious certification.
AnyWeather Restoration is a full service water and mold restoration company with technicians certified by the IICRC.
Both AnyWeather Roofing and AnyWeather Restoration are A+ Accredited businesses with the BBB and rated 5 star business on Google based on hundreds of reviews! (See AnyWeather Roofing Reviews and/or AnyWeather Restoration Reviews)
Our motto says it all “On Time, Done Right, Guaranteed!”
