After severe storms in Illinois, here's what homeowners should do about roof, siding, and window damage.
If your area was recently hit by hail, high winds, or severe storms, here's exactly what to do — and what NOT to do.
What to Do
- Check for visible damage from the ground. Look at gutters (dents), siding (cracks, holes), and windows. Don't climb on your roof.
- Document everything with photos. Photograph any visible damage, debris in your yard, and the date/time.
- Check your neighbors. If homes on your street have damage, yours likely does too — even if you can't see it from the ground.
- Call a LOCAL contractor for a free inspection. We climb up and inspect every square foot of your roof, documenting all damage with photos.
- File your insurance claim AFTER the inspection. Our documentation supports your claim with professional evidence.
What NOT to Do
- Don't climb on your roof — it's dangerous and you could cause more damage
- Don't sign anything from door-knocking "storm chasers" — out-of-state companies that appear after storms often do poor work and disappear
- Don't wait — most policies require reporting damage within a specific timeframe
- Don't make permanent repairs before the adjuster visits — temporary tarping is fine, but permanent repairs before inspection can complicate your claim
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Document before anything else
Insurance decisions are made on evidence. Note the date of the storm, photograph dents in gutters, vents and the air conditioner, and keep any hailstones in the freezer or photograph them next to a coin. Save weather alerts from that day. If something needs a temporary repair to prevent more damage, keep the receipts. Then get a professional inspection with photos of every slope before the adjuster comes.
Know what you are signing
After a big storm, crews from out of state go door to door. Some are fine; many leave when the work dries up, and their warranties leave with them. Before signing anything, read it. A contingency agreement can commit you to that contractor if the claim is approved. Check that the company has a local address, references nearby and insurance, and never sign over your claim payment. In Illinois a contractor cannot lawfully offer to pay or waive your deductible.
Where exterior money goes furthest
For how a house looks from the street, the front door, garage door and siding color do the most. For comfort, windows and air sealing. For protecting the building, roof, gutters and flashing. For resale, national cost-versus-value surveys consistently put entry doors, siding and windows near the top for the share of cost recovered. A good plan fixes anything leaking first, then spends on what you will see and feel every day.
Plan the whole house, then phase it
Even if you will do one project a year, decide the end result first: roof color, siding color, trim and window finish. Then each phase fits the next and nothing has to be redone. Tell your contractor the full plan. We keep measurements, product lines and colors on file so that the windows installed next year match the ones installed this year.
Common questions
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