Hail Damage On Cedar Roofs
As I love to say, after a hail storm ends it often starts raining losers. And by losers I mean to say contractors who rely on the general anxiety, hysteria and misinformation that dominates the hail battered suburban landscape immediately after the storm passes through. There are the typical roving bands of storm chasers that travel the country, from one storm to the next. Fortunately most of those guys can be avoided by asking for a few local vender references and how long they have been in their local office. The tougher ones to figure out are the so-called hail experts that make grand promises about success with your insurance company regardless of the presence of legitimate hail damage.
When it comes to hail damage on cedar roofs in Minneapolis, or anywhere for that matter, the signs are pretty clear to the trained observer. Cracks and dents are the bread and butter of my hail damage inspections. How many hail-related cracks per test square are there? Side point: a “Test Square” is a 10′ x 10′ representative area of roof slope that inspectors used to determine how much hail damage exists. All else held equal, we can count the number of hail hits per test square and extrapolate that number across all squares on a common section or slope.
Anyway, back to the losers. Aside for the parasitic national storm chasing gangs that travel from spot to spot there are local companies that employ equally questionable tactics in securing hail damage work. I always suggest that people stick with the companies that fit three simple criteria when selecting a contractor to fix their hail damaged anything: 1) Choose a company that has been around for a while, 2) Work with a company that has specific skills in insurance work, and 3) Use someone with an excellent reputation and a long list of happy clients you can call.
Here are a couple of Kuhl Case Studies that relate to hail damage in Minneapolis:
Storm chaser leaves Edina Homeowner Screwed – Kuhl Case Study #29
Cedar roofing with hail damage – Kuhl Case Study #19
What does hail damage look like up close – Kuhl Case Study #20
