With the record number of hailstorm damages in recent times, it’s easy to see some of these places severely damaged. Most homeowner’s insurance companies will send someone out to assess the damage, and they are extremely good at helping you deal with the loss or destruction of your home and yard. Sometimes, my neighbors also ask me how to straighten a tree after a storm since our yards are too heavily damaged. I’ve seen everything from roof damage to shrubs around homes that are likely to perish from Arctic storms. I’ve compiled a shortlist of things you can look for to assess your damage.
Yard
Since our yard has nothing to cover it up, a hailstorm and other storms can easily damage it. Trees branches are everywhere. Even some people also report that their trees are tilted, reaching the home. Therefore, to fix your yard, you should cut off the tilted or damaged trees with a chainsaw. It would be best if you cleaned the branches as well.
Roof
Hail can take the life out of your roof. The number of roof injuries is directly related to the size of the hail and the storm’s duration; hail the size of an inch can cause a few injuries, hail the size of a golf ball will destroy a roof in minutes. To look for hail damage, you need to climb a ladder, but you must always consider the safety first, only climb where you feel safe. Then, you should look for random spots that have areas that are too damaged. You need to remember if you take a look at a roof that is ten years old or so, it will have some uneven areas. If you find some of these scratches or indentations where granules are lost or worse on your roof there is a fantastic chance that your roof needs to be replaced.
Siding
The type of residence you have will determine the total time of the inspection. Brick and stone homes are very unlikely to have problems. EIFS (synthetic stucco) does not work well in cold storms; even if you have EIFS in your home, you should carefully look for dents and holes in the house. It is not something a do-it-yourselfer can fix; hire a stucco contractor to do any repairs. Another factor to keep in mind if you have stucco and the partitions are destroyed, you should make sure the sealing between the two materials is done properly.
Chimney and HVAC Units
Steel chimney caps and very substantial chimneys should be evaluated by a roofer or someone with the proper equipment to get the best. Aluminum gas fitting covers are soft aluminum and can be crushed whole but are easy to replace. Your outdoor heating and cooling system may have a few dents in the top, but this should not affect the unit’s operation. The most important thing is to check the fins and coils on the opposite side. If the fins are destroyed, the unit will not find good airflow or will have flow problems. You should notify the heating and cooling contractor to check the parts. When power is restored to your community, do not run all essential electrical equipment at the same time to reduce damage to energy-sensitive equipment.
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