What to Do and Who to Call for Hail and Wind Damage

No matter how advanced construction materials, equipment, and technique gets and how much we improve every aspect of our homes, the weather is always going to find a way to break through all the lines of defense and cause structural damage. Regardless of where you live, you most likely experience a variety of weather conditions. Two of these are commonly strong winds and hail.

Now to be fair, the wind is not always very destructive and hail is nowhere near as common as rain. However, when trouble comes knocking in the form of giant balls of ice and 50mph winds, you’re going to wish that your home was properly protected. Luckily, today there are ways you can prevent extensive damage to your home caused by weather conditions as well as quickly and easily repair it even if damage has already been caused. 

Who to Contact

Let’s assume that you were too late and your home has already been damaged. Whether it was a strong gust of wind toppling a heavy branch into the side of your home or countless hail pellets perforating your roof with balls of ice — you’re going to need someone who can find all the damaged areas of your home and fix them. Or at the very least, let you know who to contact for repairs.

Insurance Provider

When It Is Wise to Contact Your Insurer

Given that there is no emergency situation and nobody is hurt, your first line of contact should be your home insurance provider. Doing this is not going to directly repair or protect your home wind and hailstorms, but it will give you the financial support you need to repair all the damage. Keep in mind, that both these weather conditions can be devastating and even if they do not put your household in danger, they will need quite a bit of money to repair.

Many homeowners disregard this step after the initial damage has been dealt with and, as a result, end up paying a lot more for repairs than they would have had they known about their insurer’s coverage. But, if there are more direct dangers involved, obviously you should postpone contacting your insurer until everyone is safe and secure.

Hail and Wind Contractor

The Reasons You Should Hire a Contractor or Home Inspector After Hailstorm

Some hail and wind damage are easy to see. If the wind caused a tree to fall over and scraped the siding, you can clearly see where the damage is. The same goes with hail pellets making holes in the roof. But this damage is far more extensive and goes beyond surface-level scrapes, bumps, and cracks. If the hail pellets are large enough, not only will they have poked holes in your shingles, but may have also damaged the frame of your roof and foundational components.

This is not the kind of damage you’re gonna see outright and will require a more experienced pair of eyes to look at. In this case, you either need to hire a storm repair contractor or home inspector to come in and give you a rundown of all the damage your home has suffered and who you should hire to fix it. 

Roofing Specialist

Why Hiring a Roofing Contractor Is a Must

Roofs are one of the trickiest parts of your home to build and repair. Getting one tiny detail wrong will mean the difference between a fully functioning roof, and one that leaks, creaks, and eventually breaks. So, when trouble strikes and your roof has been damaged, it’s important to call in a roofing specialist as soon as possible so they can take a look at it.

While home inspectors and contractors are also experienced in looking for any problems with roofs, it’s a much safer bet that a roofing specialist will find the more complex bits of damage and give you more precise solutions to your problems. So if you’re looking for one professional to answer the question “What to do after hail damages your roof?”, then this is your best shot.

Ways to Prevent Damage

In the case that you want to avoid damage from hail and wind entirely, there are some precautions you can take to ensure that your home stays in one piece even after the heaviest of hailstorms or the strongest winds. 

Stronger Window Panes

The Added Safety of Impact-Resistant Windows

Impact-resistant glass is quite easy to find and is barely different from the normal panes that you use for your windows. But it comes with the added bonus of being a lot more durable and resistant to whatever the wind or hail throws its way.

Shattered glass is one of the biggest dangers during any big storm. If it’s not for whatever it is that flies through the window, then because of the glass shards that can be a huge health risk. So, stronger or impact-resistant window panes are what you should purchase. While these won’t withstand heavy impact, they can certainly take a punch or two.

Impact Resistant Shingles

How Rubber Shingles Shrug Off Hail Impact

The windows may be one of the most vulnerable spots on your exterior, but let’s not forget how the sheer size of the roof makes it vulnerable to extensive damage. The chances of your windows getting smashed up are a lot lower than your roof, even if you happen to have big panoramic windows.

Impact-resistant shingles are designed to withstand the force of whatever falls onto your roof. They are usually made out of specialized rubber material that is designed to absorb the incoming damage and disperse the force of the impact to protect the surface of the roof. These will help you keep your roof in one piece even after fierce hailstorms. They tend to cost around $7 to $12 for the square foot, so installing them will cost around $8,000. But the amount of money they will save on repairs makes them a worthy investment. 

Steel Siding

How to Protect Your Exterior Siding From Damage

Nothing is more unattractive on a house than broken siding. Having to regularly repair the siding is not only costly, but it can also weaken your home’s exterior in the long run and significantly reduce the insulation. You need something with more strength and durability. That comes in the form of steel siding.

Siding an average-sized home with steel would cost anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000. So while it does not exactly cost pocket change to install, it will save you a lot of money on repairs every time a storm passes by. 

Secure Outdoor Furniture

Why You Shouldn’t Disregard Lawn Furniture

If you think about it, the wind itself rarely causes any damage to your property. It’s usually the things that it flings around which are the real danger. You can’t stop the wind itself, but you can keep it from throwing things around by securing them.

Lawn furniture is a huge danger during windy storms as it can be easily knocked over and fly straight into your home, damaging the windows, siding, roof, and other parts. If you have outdoor furniture in your lawn and backyard, it’s a good idea to secure them by either anchoring them into place or storing them inside. 

Prune Trees

How Pruning Trees Prevents Damaging Your Exterior

When it’s really windy outside, loose branches have a tendency to knock into your windows. This can be somewhat of a nuisance at first, but if the wind is strong enough, it could break off the bigger branches and fly them straight into your home. This is why it’s so important to keep your trees pruned.

Get a gardener to cut off the branches which risk damaging your home. This will ensure that you will not only sleep in peace without having to listen to non-stop knocking at the window during the windy season, but you also don’t risk having your roof caved in by a big branch.