As Oklahoma’s peak severe weather season gives way to the hot summer months, many local homeowners may find their home siding has storm damage. The first question homeowners have when they discover potential damage to their home siding revolves around insurance coverage.
Siding Damage Insurance Claims
Depending on the scope of your homeowner’s policy and the areas of coverage, you may be able to file an insurance claim for siding damage. The first step to filing a claim is to visually inspect your siding as soon as possible after a storm. Check the full perimeter of your home to see if there is any siding damage resulting from hail impact, which could appear as marks on the siding, cracks or breaks.
If you see or suspect any damage and BEFORE you file a claim, contact a local, trusted home siding expert and schedule a free inspection. Skilled and customer-service-focused home siding experts like those at Red River Siding will provide a thorough, honest inspection and document all the crucial details you will need for your claim, including an estimate of the cost of the damage.
Once you are provided with the inspection results outlining the extent of the damage and the estimate from your trusted local home siding expert, you can reach out to your insurance agent and file the claim. Be sure to leverage your local home siding expert to prevent needed repairs from being underfunded or denied with your claim. The home siding insurance claim process is much smoother with the support of a siding expert.
For the final step, a claims adjustor will evaluate and process your claim and your insurance company ideally will send a check to help pay for repairs.
Maximizing Your Home Siding Insurance Coverage
Once your claim is processed and the check is in the bank, it’s time to start the repair process. If only a section of your siding is damaged, your claim will likely cover only repairs to that section of the home. The problem is that home siding products are continuously progressing, making it highly unlikely that you will find a matching product. In other words, when home insurance policies cover repairs to damaged siding, they usually only pay for spot damage and not the entire wall, leaving an unappealing patchwork look to your home exterior.
The patchwork, mismatched look is often due to older, obsolete and outdated siding products that are difficult to color match as home siding products have significantly evolved over the last several years. And often a color match is difficult to achieve in damaged siding areas due to the fading of the original siding vs. the brighter, fresher look of new siding panels, especially with vinyl siding.
However, these challenges present a unique opportunity to leverage your insurance dollars for siding repair and invest in upgrading your siding, and at the same time the value of your home. Whether you chose to upgrade one side of your home or the entire exterior, the evolution of siding products presents ample options and benefits to elevate your home siding, save on utility costs, increase the value of your home and improve curb appeal.
Repairing the Damage
Regardless of whether your insurance covers the damage, you still need to have the damage repaired. Hail and wind damage often goes beyond the aesthetic quality of your home siding. If the initial damage is not repaired, your home will be more susceptible to further expensive damages and the value of your home will decrease.
A common severe weather impact on your home exterior is weakened siding. Specifically with hail damage, the many holes and dents from hail can prevent the siding from providing sufficient wall protection. The damage will progress if left unrepaired, weakening even more during any weather event and even break completely during severe weather.
Another reason to repair siding damage as soon as possible is to prevent water damage. The bones of your home, specifically the wood that encloses the interior, is not able to withstand water from direct impact from rain or hail. Any holes in your siding expose this wood during rain events, which can lead to soaking through the wood and ultimately into your walls and insulation. As it progresses through your home, the water damage from unrepaired siding can eventually cause dangerous health issues from mold.
Avoid Insurance Scams
Each storm season, Oklahoma is flooded with opportunist and uncertified contractors from out-of-state. These “Storm Sharks” chase storms to take advantage of homeowners needing repairs to their home exterior, including siding, roofs and even windows. They canvas Oklahoma neighborhoods and offer convenient, instant contracts that promise warranties, but these “tail-light” warranties and guaranteed only last until the contractor leaves town to chase the next storm victims.
Meanwhile, homeowners are left with sloppy repairs at a higher cost with no actual warranty protection.
Selecting the Right Siding Company
Red River Siding specializes in hail and storm damage repairs on Oklahoma homes, including the siding, roof, windows, paint and more. Choosing a certified, trusted contractor like Red River will ensure your home siding damage is inspected, repaired and replaced with the highest quality craftsmanship, customer service and products available.
If you need a siding expert, call our trusted local storm damage experts today to provide a free inspection and estimate. We’ll answer your questions and help you take the next step in repairing your home properly.
Whether you need to replace a section of siding or your entire home, you can trust Red River for the best siding, roofing & window products and service in Oklahoma. Plus, Red River offers financing options to help you ensure your siding repairs avoid the patchwork look and help you save on future utility bills and maintenance costs.
Red River experts also provide up-front, transparent quotes for each assessment. You won’t find hidden fees, price games or price gimmicks with Red River. Learn how you can get pre-qualified online now for a home improvement loan.
Red River’s trusted, local home exterior experts earn advanced certified training and education to provide industry-leading style and efficiency recommendations, products, installations and customer care.
That’s why Red River Siding has earned a statewide reputation for trusted guidance and professional service.
Join over 16,000 property owners who have trusted Red River with their home improvement projects for over 22 years.
