What photos does a homeowner need from you before they call the insurance company?
Get the photo shot list, siding-specific shots, timing, and records to hand a homeowner before they file. Learn where your contractor role stops.
The Repairs
22 articles
Which jobs should you turn down because the caulk will not cure?
Which caulk jobs to turn down or reschedule: cold weather, wet surfaces, and gaps too wide or moving too much, with limits from product data sheets.
The ITEL "Closest Match" Isn't at Any Supplier. Here's What to Send the Adjuster
ITEL's closest match is a database result, not stock at your supplier. Send a supplier letter, a spec comparison, and a request for the carrier's rule.
One Supplier Letter Won't Settle a Discontinued Siding Claim. Here's What Will
A single supplier letter is easy for an adjuster to dismiss. Here's the proof file that makes a discontinued siding claim hard to ignore.
One discontinued-siding letter can turn a one-wall hail claim into a whole house
Learn how a discontinued-siding letter and Ohio's matching rule can extend a hail claim past one wall, and what the letter must include.
Why a 2-foot Hardie repair is a $650 job
A 2-foot fiber cement repair takes more than a board. See what the drive, setup, cutting, paint and dust rules add up to, and how to price it.
Nights Near 40°F: Which Siding Repairs Still Go, and What Changes on the Wall
Learn which siding repairs you can still run when nights drop near 40°F, and how to adjust gaps, cuts, and fasteners for the cold.
Fastening Vinyl in the Cold: Why a Tight Nail Turns Into a Wave Later
Why tight nails in cold weather cause vinyl waves later, and how to fasten it correctly so panels can move freely.
Woodpecker Holes in Siding: The Fall Repair Calls and How to Price Them
Fall woodpecker holes: which holes you'll see, why they show up now, how to fix the wood behind them, and how to price the job and the netting add-on.
Like Kind and Quality, Line of Sight, Matching: Siding Insurance Terms in Plain English
When a storm-damaged siding job goes through insurance, you'll hear these terms. What they mean in plain English, so you can talk to the homeowner and the adjuster. Not legal or insurance…
Aluminum Siding Is Harder to Match Than Vinyl. Here's Why
Most aluminum siding hasn't been made in decades, it fades and chalks, and dents don't pop out. Your options when a customer with aluminum siding needs a repair.
Window and Door Trim Leaks: It's Usually the Cut, Not the Panel
When water shows up under a window, homeowners blame the siding. Most of the time it's the trim, the flashing or the cut. Where to look before you replace anything.