How To Handle A Storm-Damaged Roof
Storm Damage Recovery: A Step-By-Step
Guide To Managing A Storm-Damaged
Roof In Garden City, MI
Learn What To Do After You
Assess The Damage
Picture it: Your family just sat down to dinner, the lights flicker, and thunder cracks overhead. Out of nowhere, a massive leak starts in the dining room ceiling. You have insurance, but you’ve never filed a claim for storm damage recovery for your Garden City, MI home. What happens next?
Any type of storm damage can be stressful, and the entire experience can be overwhelming. Knowing what to do after your roof is damaged is crucial to getting recovery efforts underway as quickly as possible.
At Kroll Construction, we aim to help our Wayne County homeowners be as informed as possible. We’ve created this guide to help you navigate the insurance claims process in order to replace your storm-damaged roof.
Step 1: Get Everyone In Your Garden
City, MI Home To Safety
Depending on the severity of the storm damage, you may need to relocate everyone in your home. If it’s not safe to exit the building, you’ll need to get everyone into a structurally sound room that’s as far from the damage as possible.
This will help protect them from additional fallout from the storm, including falling debris. However, if your home shows any signs of being structurally unsafe, you’ll need to evacuate as quickly and carefully as possible.
If it’s safe to remain indoors away from the damage, cover your belongings and place containers strategically to catch any leaks. You’ll also want to keep any electrical devices away from water, which may require covering outlets.
Step 2: Assess The Damage To Your Property
When it’s safe to head outside, it’s time to assess the damage. At Kroll Construction, your safety is important to us, so we never recommend our homeowners climb on their roofs, especially after they’ve been damaged by storms.
It can be extremely hard to tell where the damage is, making the roof even more challenging to navigate. Not to mention, if you’re not trained to spot hidden problems, you may not identify all the damage.
Instead, it’s best to view the roof from the ground. Walk around your entire home, looking for missing shingles, holes in the roof, and other outright signs of damage. If you have binoculars available, this cursory inspection can be more effective.
While inspecting from the ground is the safest option for you, it is also one of the most challenging methods of identifying hail damage. We frequently experience hail storms in Michigan that cause extensive damage, resulting in divots in roofing materials. Even with binoculars, you’re unlikely to see this kind of damage from a distance.
Note any damage or suspected problems you identify, and get ready to make some important phone calls.
Step 3: Schedule A Roofing Contractor
To Complete An Inspection
With the information from your initial inspection handy, it’s time to call a reputable, local roofing contractor like us at Kroll Construction. Give us the details of the damage you observed, ensuring you let us know how severe it is.
In addition, when we complete your inspection, we’ll be able to identify any hard-to-see issues like hail damage. Staying ahead of repairs is crucial to getting the most from your roof. We have extensive experience with storm damage recovery and know all the signs to look for.
Once we have all the information from you, we’ll schedule an inspection to thoroughly evaluate the storm damage. Because we’re well-versed in the insurance claim process, we can also help you collect the information you need to present to your insurance company.
Step 4: Evaluate The Estimate
From The Roofing Contractor
We’ll provide an estimate for storm damage recovery for your Wayne County home. It will include all materials needed, the scope of work, and all other essential details broken down line by line for your examination.
You’ll need the information from our estimate and the documentation collected during the inspection to present to your insurance agent. If you’ve never been through the insurance claim process, we’re here to help guide you.
Step 5: Contact Your Insurance Carrier
Your insurance company will need all the information you can provide to help facilitate your claim. At this point, having a reliable, local roofing contractor on your side is essential.
At Kroll Construction, we can help explain the damage to the adjuster, guide you through the paperwork maze, and help you get the coverage you deserve. We are here to advocate on your behalf and get you the payout you deserve.
Your insurance company will review your paperwork and most likely send an adjuster to review the damage in person. Once all steps are completed, they will make a final decision on your claim, allowing you to proceed with storm damage restoration.
If you’ve experienced severe storm damage at your Garden City, MI home, don’t settle for less than the best. Call Kroll Construction today at 888-338-6340 to get started on your storm damage recovery project.