The storms have passed, the sky has cleared, the water has receded … and your home has taken the brunt of the damage inflicted. As you begin the process of remedying your home, take these important steps to recover from spring storm damage.

Step One: Formally Assess

Once the storms have gone on their merrily destructive way, your first instinct may be to slap patches on any trouble spots so you can move on with your life. Unfortunately, bandaging a wound on your home may not actually ensure that the damage is fixed. That’s why your first step to recovery should be contacting your insurance company to send out a trained inspector. This person knows exactly what to look for and can spot under-the-surface damaged spots that may require much more detailed fixes than a simple patch. If you decide to do your own inspection, be as thorough as possible to find all of the potential damage.

Step Two: Pick a Trained Professional

After horrific storms have gone through, a deluge of home improvement companies may follow. These companies may show up on your doorstep promising quick and cheap fixes, even before you’ve sorted out insurance coverage or had a proper inspection. While you may be anxious to shore up your home, these enterprising businesses only have their own bottom line in mind. Once you’ve had a qualified inspection from your home insurance carrier, carefully choose a reputable company to work with as you deal with storm damage.

Step Three: Navigate the Upsell

You’re in a precarious and vulnerable spot when you have damage that must be repaired in your home. Some companies can unfortunately take advantage of your position and add all sorts of extra charges and services to your storm damage project. Tread through these additions carefully. Here are just a few cautions to keep in mind while working out what will be included in fixing your home.

• Replacing an entire roof when inspections show only a portion has been damaged can be enormously costly. Some contractors may promise that a whole new roof is necessary to ensure structural readiness for the next storm, but this may just be a way for the company to make more money.
• Some contractors may claim that they need to demolish an entire structure that has sustained damage in order to rebuild from the ground up. This is simply not necessary in most cases.
• Some upsell ideas may indeed enhance your home’s structure, but could be very costly and not covered by insurance. You’ll need to carefully decide for yourself if you want the structure of your roof and home changed significantly, or if you want to use different roofing and structural/wall materials to bolster your home.

Step Four: Get Everything In Writing

Your home insurance company will provide a written estimate for the damage that needs to be repaired, and how much, in value, will be covered. You need to get the same thing in writing from your chosen contractor. While it is true that some costs may come up during the project, a vast majority of the scope of work and projected costs must be presented to you in writing at the outset. This protects you from extraneous charges after the fact, and is contractually binding upon the contractor to deliver exactly the services outlined.

Don’t let home repairs become as damaging as the storms that rolled through. Protect yourself and your home through thoughtful decisions and project planning as you wade through the effects of storm damage.

Image Source: Flickr/Tom Lee

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