We had a hail storm last week and had golf ball size hail fall at one point. DH and I can't decide if we need to have a roofer/contractor give us an estimate on the damage. He thinks we likely don't have damage whereas I wonder if we should just check it out?
What would you do?
coffee bean / 45 posts
We had a similar situation and we called the insurance company first. They sent out a person to look at the damage and wrote us a check on the spot. They had to do the same thing for all of our neighbors too. The strangest thing is they give a set amount of money for the damage and said if you find someone to do it cheaper than our calculation you can keep the remainder. It ended up paying for our deductible.
kiwi / 583 posts
Do you happen to live in the northern twin cities? We had major hail damage last week- our siding and window are completely ruined. It looks like a hurricane or tornado went though our housing development with all the damage and down trees!!
Anyway, to your question: I would have a professional look at your roof. In my experience, it is very hard to spot hail damage to a roof unless you are trained. Like PP said, the insurance company usually sends someone to look at it.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Contact your insurance company and they will send someone out. Good news is if you need a new roof, hail damage is covered. We are praying for a hail storm... 
pomelo / 5298 posts
I recommend contacting a contractor first (a reputable one) that will give you an honest opinion on the level of damage. If they feel it warrants a claim they will tell you. Then have the contractor present with the insurance adjuster.
We went through this earlier this year. We had a leaking chimney as a result of the hail damage. The contractor told us that absent the leak, the shingles weren't damaged enough to warrant a full replacement. But that since we needed to get the leak fixed, he would suggest a full roof. He was able to work with the insurance adjuster on our behalf to ensure that we had everything included appropriately. Unfortunately, immediately following a storm it's hard to find the "good" contractors.
watermelon / 14467 posts
Contact your insurance company!
@mediagirl: That's how we got a brand new 30-year roof three years ago! I had figured out a way to save the $8k it would have cost without insurance, but it was nice to only fork out the money for the deductible when we knew the roof needed replacing within five years.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
Another vote for contacting your insurance company. Someone I know just went through this and they had major damage!
persimmon / 1479 posts
@Lahela017: In IA, so not far!
Our ins company said we should get an estimate to see if a claim is worth it. Thanks everyone!
persimmon / 1479 posts
I thought I would give an update. One estimate we received told us that there was no damage, no need to file a claim. The other estimate said there was significant damage and that it would be approx $12,000 to replace the roof. So........do we get a third estimate? Question the company that gave us the $12,000 quote? Something else?
kiwi / 583 posts
That's really strange that the insurance company told you to get a quote. I've always had the insurance company come out to look at it themselves, and if they find "X" amount of damage in "X" square feet, then they cover it....
Usually the insurance company doesn't want to mess around with something like hail. Even a small amount of damage can really mess up a roof and you'd end up with bigger issues.
squash / 13208 posts
@winter_wonder: I would ask your insurance company to send someone out!
persimmon / 1479 posts
@Lahela017 @mamaof2: Yea, they told me to get estimates to see if it would be worth it to make a claim. I could call them and mention that the quotes are complete opposite and see what they suggest.
It's so frustrating because there is either damage.......or there isn't! It can't be both! 
squash / 13208 posts
@winter_wonder: so this happened to us years ago - turns out our neighbor saw them damaging our siding - the insurance company approved the claim and paid them then they found out the company was dodgy - came out to inspect our siding and determined the damage was man made - it was such a pain in the butt after that!
That's why I suggested you call the insurance - let them know you have 2 totally different quotes and what they suggest you do
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@winter_wonder: I wish I could say that this is surprising, but we have it happen with quotes on work a lot. If you are comfortable, I would ask to get up on the roof (or have your SO) with the person claiming the extensive damage and have them show it to you. I would then take pictures, go back to the first person, and ask why they said different. I'm sure there is a middle ground, but I will say that we recently had the same AC unit looked at and one person said it was completely broken and they would have to replace it, while another said it was just one small thing that was broken ($100 vs. thousands and thousands).
ETA: Also, I would follow-up with the insurance and find out even if you get quotes what the process is. I wouldn't disclose the two vastly different quotes, I would just say that you think it's worth it, what is the next step. The norm in the insurance world is for an approved vendor by the insurance company to come out and determine the damage / value of damage. You aren't beholden to that vendor, but it is who the "buck" stops with, so to speak, regarding how much you get.
pomelo / 5298 posts
@winter_wonder: I'm not at all surprised. Unfortunately, there are a lot of less than reliable people in the home repair industry. Makes it really challenging to figure out who the good and honest people are.
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