While trees can add to the curb appeal to your home, shade your home on hot days, and helps to sustain wildlife, there are times when it doesn’t pay to have a tree close to your home. A large branch can fall on your home’s roof during severe weather, whether from thunderstorms, windstorms, or ice storms. Or the whole tree itself can fall over and hit your roof. While it’s normal to be alarmed about such an event, there are steps to take to ensure you’ll have an intact roof once again.

If You See Downed Power Lines

Sometimes when a branch or a whole tree comes down, they take power lines down with them. If you see downed power lines, you should first call emergency services and your electric company. Live electrical wires are hazardous, so avoid contacting them directly and indirectly. Always assume that a downed power line is still active and keep children and pets away from them. If a power line comes through a hole in your roof, close the door to that room, if possible, and turn off the power to your home.

Shut Off Gas

If you have gas lines in your home, the next step is to turn off the gas even if you don’t smell gas. If your home uses natural gas and you smell a gas leak, exit your home immediately, call 911 and ask for fire services. If you don’t smell a gas leak, you should contact your gas company to tell them what happened.

If you have a poor sense of smell to the point you wouldn’t be able to sense the gas odor, follow the steps as though you do smell gas and ask for fire services. If you have a wrench, you can turn off your gas supply at the shut-off valve by the outside meter. Once you do that, wait for a technician from your gas company to evaluate the situation and decide if it’s safe to turn the gas back on.

Take Photos of Damage

Once it’s safe, you should take photos of the damage to your roof before and after you have the branch or the tree removed from your roof. These pictures are for you to send proof of the incident when you file your homeowner’s insurance claim. Even though you have provided pictures for your insurance company, your insurance company will send an adjuster to inspect your roof and take pictures of the damaged areas. The photos, whether theirs or yours, help them document the damage and create an estimate for repairs so you can receive a payout to cover the cost of repairing your roof.

Tarp Your Roof

After taking pictures of your roof, the next step is to cover the damaged area with a tarp. Not only is this to protect your roof and your belongings from any further damage from rain, wind, or other weather conditions, but it also prevents unwanted pests from causing deliberate destruction from the newly created access point. The last thing you want to deal with after getting your roof fixed is spending more money to combat a squirrel or a raccoon infestation.

Get Repair Estimates

While waiting to hear back from your insurer, call around and ask for estimates on how much it would be to repair your roof, or if you would have to replace it entirely, depending on the damage. You’ll want to ask more than one roofer for a quote as it’s best to shop around and once you find the two you think you want, do your homework to ensure that they’re licensed and insured.

Wait for Your Insurer Agreement

When you get in touch with your insurer, they might have a limit on how much you can spend on repairing your roof and removing the tree. If you go beyond the budget they set forth; you’re liable to pay the remaining balance out of your account. If what they offer doesn’t cover the estimated repair cost, you have the right to appeal and have them reevaluate their decision. Along with your appeal, submit the estimates from the contractors you previously contacted to show that the costs are higher than what your insurer wants to allow.

Keep Track of Actual Expenses

It’s unlikely that you want to pay for part of the repairs out of your pocket, so we recommend keeping track of all your expenses down to the tiniest nail the contractor uses. Always save your receipts and read your policy or call your agent to double-check if an expense is covered, such as staying in a hotel if your home is temporarily uninhabitable.

The great news is you don’t have to deal with your insurance company alone. Exterior Building Solutions has experience working with many insurance companies, and we take great pride in completing every job safely, accurately, and on time. If you need roof repairs for your St. Louis, MO, home, we’re only a phone call away, and you can always contact us online too.