Storm Damage - What do I need to do?

Do you have Hail or Wind Damage on your home from recent storms? If so you need an experienced insurance claims specialist to help you get the best repair possible for the amount of benefit you receive from the insurance claim.
A good example of this would be if you received hail damage, the first thing you need to do is to perform an inspection of the roof. Then once YOU know the condition of your roof, siding, or windows, you can then make an informed decision based on your potential contractor. Advanced Designs, in Madison, WI can help to give you a very clear picture of potential damage. Advanced Designs is very good as they actually don't attempt to pressure you into signing a contract. They have an agreement, don't get me wrong, Mike, Rudy(author of this blog), and Danny are all great project managers and Mike is the General Manager. They do the inspection with hopes to do the work.
The next thing that happens is that your insurance company will send the "adjuster" to your home to view the damage for themselves. The adjuster works for the insurance company so they are not bound to you in any way, they work for the insurance company. I will say that most adjusters that I have dealt with personally are fair about finding damage, others are not, if you have an expert on your side there while the adjuster is inspecting, they will show the adjusters things consistent with the damage they found.

Upon completion of the paperwork by the insurance company, its best to allow your contractor or your hail damage experts to measure your home and prepare a cost analysis, which is the proposal of the construction firm. If your working with a contractor, and you don't necessarily want them to work on your roof, tell them at this point so that they can help others more successfully. I stress allowing a contractor to put a sign in the yard at this point, as it can help keep solicitations to a minimum.

Once the paperwork is complete, you will be able to see the "SCOPE" or the damage report and payment agreement with the insurance company. This shows you what you are allowed to spend on what repairs or replacement. Typically a good contractor will make him self very useful at this point by presenting a proposal to you regarding their action plan. If they are not the same you need to make a decision on what exact repairs to make and how to proceed. A good contractor can also suggest what repairs to start on first and scheduling ability at this point, others may not, or may be behind schedule at other jobs.

Next post is Part II of "Storm Damage"

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