Storm Damage, Insurance, & Claims FAQ

Most storm damage-especially hail-is invisible from the ground due to the "glare" of the sun and the texture of the siding. Hail doesn’t always "shatter" siding; often, it creates micro-fissures or "bruises" on the underside of the panels. To find these, you need to be within arm’s reach of the siding, often using specific lighting angles or "tactile" inspections (feeling for indentations).

On Vinyl Siding, a hail hit might not leave a hole, but it creates a "bruise"-a weakened spot where the plastic has been stressed. Over the next two Fargo winters, these spots will become brittle and eventually "pop," leaving your home’s wood sheathing exposed to rot. On Steel Siding, hail leaves "dimples." While steel is tough, these dents can crack the protective paint finish, eventually leading to rust spots if not addressed through an insurance claim.

The Red River Valley is a wind tunnel. "Wind lift" occurs when high-velocity winds get behind a siding panel and partially "unzip" it from the locking channel. From the ground, the siding might look flat, but the seal is broken. The next time it rains, water will be driven behind the panel, leading to hidden mold and rot. At Apollo Exteriors & Restoration, we check the "tension" of the panels to ensure they are still securely locked.

• "Dings" or "Pits": Small, round indentations on the outer face of the gutter or the curve of the downspout.
• Granule Loss: If you see piles of "sand" (shingle granules) inside your gutters after a storm, your roof has likely taken a hit, which often means your siding has too.
• Splash Blocks: Check your downspout splash blocks; if they are cracked or moved, the wind was strong enough to cause structural "lift" elsewhere.

If a storm has compromised your siding or window trim, you might see:

• Discolored Caulk: If the sealant around your windows looks "pulled away" or has changed color.
• Interior Spots: Small yellow or brown water spots on your interior drywall, especially near window frames or along the ceiling line.
• "Wavy" Siding: If your siding suddenly looks warped or wavy after a storm, it likely means moisture has saturated the wood sheathing behind it, causing it to swell.

Yes. Even "slushy" or soft hail can cause damage if the wind velocity is high enough. It can "scour" the finish off of steel siding and aluminum fascia, leading to premature fading and loss of UV protection. This is considered "functional damage" by many insurance carriers because it reduces the lifespan of the material.

Owner Blake uses "oblique lighting" techniques to highlight shadows cast by dents. We look at the "soft metals" first-like your window wraps, fascia, and dryer vents. Because these materials are thinner than siding, they show hail impacts more clearly. If the soft metals are hit, there is a 99% chance the siding has sustained "functional damage" as well.

No. If your siding has been "bruised" by hail, the high pressure of a power washer can actually blow holes through the weakened spots, causing immediate water damage to your home. Let a professional perform a "non-invasive" tactile inspection instead.

This is a common misconception in North Dakota and Minnesota. Insurance policies generally cover "sudden and accidental physical loss." This includes dents, bruises, and finish-scouring that affects the appearance and longevity of your home. You pay your premiums to keep your home in "pre-storm condition"-and that’s what we help you achieve.

When severe straight-line winds slam into the Red River Valley, they create intense negative pressure that pulls violently on your exterior walls. This force can lift and rattle siding panels, causing the hidden vinyl or steel nailing hem at the top of the panel to crack, stretch, or pull completely over the nail heads. Even if the panels appear flat and normal from your driveway after the storm passes, their structural attachment is compromised, leaving them highly vulnerable to tearing completely loose in the next high-wind event.

Standard shingles and heavy-gauge steel siding are built to absorb significant impact, which can make immediate physical damage difficult to see with the naked eye right after a storm. However, soft-metal components—such as aluminum window casings, custom fascia wraps, downspouts, and thin gutter aprons—easily retain permanent micro-dents and physical bruising from hail strikes. Documenting these soft-metal deformations provides undeniable forensic proof of the storm’s severity and impact velocity, which helps validate your property claim.

Your first call should be to Apollo Exteriors & Restoration at 701-200-2702. While many homeowners call their insurance company first, we recommend having us perform a professional assessment first. We will provide you with a documented report and 3D photos. If we find no damage, you avoid filing an unnecessary claim that could affect your "claims-free" discount. If we do find damage, you’ll have all the evidence you need to start the process with confidence.

Once we’ve confirmed damage, you will contact your insurance company’s claims department (via their 1-800 number or mobile app). You’ll provide the date of the storm and a brief description of what was found. They will assign you a Claim Number. Be sure to share this number with Owner Blake, as it allows us to reference your specific file when communicating with your carrier.

The insurance company will send an adjuster to your home in West Fargo, Fargo, or Moorhead to verify the loss. We aim to be present for this meeting. We walk the property with the adjuster to ensure they don’t miss the subtle "hail bruises" or "wind lift" we identified. Our goal is to ensure you and the adjuster are on the same page from day one.

After the inspection, the insurance company will send you a document called a Scope of Loss. This is their line-by-line estimate of what they believe it costs to repair the damage. Do not worry if this number seems low. This is a starting point. We will review this document to ensure they included all necessary items, such as code upgrades, permit fees, and proper waste calculations for your siding and gutters.

Most insurance companies will send you an initial check shortly after the claim is approved. This is usually the Actual Cash Value (ACV)-the cost of the repairs minus your deductible and "depreciation" (the age of your current exterior). This check is meant to get the project started. Note: If you have a mortgage, this check may also have your bank’s name on it, requiring their signature.

If we find that the insurance estimate missed a specific detail-like the cost of wrapping a particular window or a city-mandated building code-we submit a Supplement. We provide the carrier with photos and invoices to prove the extra cost is necessary. At Apollo Exteriors & Restoration, we handle this negotiation so you don’t have to.

Once the scope of work is agreed upon, we finalize your material choices (like Seamless Steel or LP SmartSide) and set a start date. We typically collect the "First Check" amount as a down payment to order materials and secure your spot on our schedule.

After the project is completed and Owner Blake has performed the final walk-through with you, we send a Certificate of Completion and a final invoice to your insurance company. This triggers the release of the "Recoverable Depreciation"-the remaining funds they held back initially. This second check is used to pay the final balance of the project.

In a standard replacement claim, your only out-of-pocket cost should be your deductible. It is illegal in North Dakota and Minnesota for a contractor to "waive" or "absorb" a deductible. We pride ourselves on transparent, legal, and ethical practices, ensuring your claim is handled with integrity from start to finish.

From the initial storm to the final check, the process usually takes 4 to 12 weeks. The actual installation by our crew only takes a few days, but the "paperwork trail" between the insurance company and the mortgage bank can take some time. We stay in constant communication with you throughout the wait so you’re never left wondering where your project stands.

An ACV policy only pays out the depreciated, current market value of your aged materials in the first check, which often leaves you short of the true cost of construction. If you have an RCV policy, that initial check is just a starting point. Once Apollo finishes the full physical installation, we submit a final completion invoice to your carrier to release the held-back “recoverable depreciation” funds via a second check. This ensures the total cost of the replacement is covered, leaving you responsible only for your deductible.

State consumer protection laws strictly prohibit any roofing or exterior contractor from “absorbing,” “waiving,” or paying a homeowner’s insurance deductible. Your deductible is a mandatory, out-of-pocket financial co-pay legally required by your insurance policy agreement. A reputable contractor will keep this balance completely separate on your final itemized breakdown, invoice you accurately for the exact amount, and provide a clear payment trail to protect you from claims non-compliance.

Adjusters are human, and they can miss things-especially subtle hail bruises on a north-facing wall or wind-lifted panels hidden under an eave. When Owner Blake is on-site, we act as your advocate. We point out the specific damage we’ve already documented, ensuring that every "hit" is counted. Having a professional contractor present signals to the insurance company that you are informed and that the repairs must meet a high professional standard.

Most adjusters use a manual tape measure or low-resolution satellite imagery, which can be off by several inches or even feet. Our 3D modeling technology creates a "Digital Twin" of your home with 99% accuracy.

• Precision Measurements: We provide the adjuster with the exact square footage of your siding, the linear footage of your gutters, and the exact number of corner posts.
• Eliminating Friction: When the measurements are undeniable, there is less "back-and-forth" negotiation, which speeds up your claim approval by days or even weeks.

A few photos from the driveway aren’t enough to prove a loss. We take 8-10 high-resolution photos per slope of your home. We use "macro" photography to capture the "fracture" in a vinyl panel or the "scouring" of the paint on a steel panel. We also document "collateral damage"-such as dents in your window wraps or dryer vents-which provides the adjuster with "proof of hail frequency" on your property.

Yes. If an adjuster denies a claim that we believe is valid, we don’t just give up. We provide a Re-Inspection Report. This includes our high-resolution photos and 3D data compared against the storm’s date and recorded hail size in your specific neighborhood (e.g., West Fargo or Horace). We can often request a "re-inspection" with a different adjuster or a supervisor to ensure a fair evaluation.

Municipalities like Fargo and Moorhead have specific building codes that must be followed during a repair (e.g., specific types of house wrap or starter strips). Many insurance estimates leave these out. We advocate for "Code Coverage," ensuring the insurance company pays for the materials required by law to bring your home up to current safety and performance standards.

While we aren’t public adjusters, we provide the Adjuster with the Facts. We provide them with a "Scope of Work" that reflects the real-world cost of materials like Seamless Steel or James Hardie. By providing a transparent, professional estimate backed by 3D data, we make it easy for the adjuster to "justify" a higher payout to their home office based on the actual needs of the project.

Xactimate is the industry-standard software adjusters use to calculate pricing. At Apollo Exteriors & Restoration, we are intimately familiar with how Xactimate works. We ensure the adjuster is using the correct "Price List" for the Fargo-Moorhead market, as labor and material costs in North Dakota can differ significantly from national averages.

This is a major point of advocacy. If your siding is faded and the insurance company only wants to replace the damaged south wall, the new siding won’t match the rest of the house. Depending on your policy and state regulations in ND or MN, we may argue for a "Full Wrap." We use photos to prove that a partial repair would result in a significant loss of "Uniform Appearance" and home value.

Insurance adjusters frequently try to cut costs by approving repairs for only the single wall or roof slope that sustained direct impact. However, local building codes often dictate that if matching materials are no longer manufactured, replacing only one section creates an illegal, unmarketable exterior patch. We use our detailed 3D spatial models to calculate the exact square footage of the entire home envelope, highlighting these structural transitions to show adjusters why a full, uniform replacement is required by code.

Adjusters often try to deny claims by labeling shingle granule loss or vinyl micro-fractures as standard, pre-existing sun degradation. To counter this, our inspection protocol captures high-resolution, macro-lens photographs using specialized side-lighting techniques. This clearly exposes the crushed asphalt mat under a shingle bruise, or the localized star-shaped fractures on a siding panel. These distinct markers prove the damage was caused by recent sudden impact forces rather than gradual aging.