Strong winds can get up to speeds that are enough to cause significant damage to your home components, including your siding. As soon as the weather clears, you need to know what to do next. Here’s how to best deal with siding damage following a storm.

1. Look for signs of damage. As you walk around the property, keep an eye out for signs of damage on your siding. If you have vinyl or fiber cement siding, check for dents or cracks. If you have wood siding, the damage may vary from peeling pain to broken boards. Take photos or videos of the damage for documentation purposes, particularly for filing a storm damage insurance claim.

2. Understand your coverage. Before you make a claim, read your policy carefully. Make sure you know what it covers and what’s inside it so you can get the best deal. Some insurance policies have extra provisions for replacing all of your home’s siding, even if only part of it is damaged.

3. Consider your options. Depending on how bad the damage is and what kind of insurance you have, you may have more than one option. It can be hard to decide whether it makes more sense to fix small problems or pay for a whole new siding. Sort through the pros and cons and make the decision that will benefit you the most. To help you out, work with an experienced siding specialist.

4. Make a claim. It’s a good idea to call a reputable siding contractor in your area to get an estimate of how much the job will cost before filing an insurance claim. In most cases, the insurance company and the contractor will provide figures that are nearly identical. However, if the figures differ, you should investigate the discrepancy ahead of time.

5. Focus on preventing future siding damage. Finally, future prevention should be a priority. While it’s hard to prevent a natural disaster from causing damage to your siding, you can lessen the risk by cutting trees and bushes away from the home and removing any dead trees and limbs.

When your home is hit by a storm, even the smallest cracks or holes can quickly lead to bigger problems, so you should contact a trusted and respected company like Exterior Building Solutions. Call us at (314) 470-8783, or fill out our online contact form to learn more about our storm damage repair solutions and schedule a free assessment. We serve homeowners in and around Chesterfield and St. Louis, MO.