The adjuster is scheduled to come out on Tuesday afternoon. And while your husband plans to be home from work to attend the meeting, you know that a roofing contractor is scheduled to attend as well. On the list of items that need to be looked at by the adjuster are the roof, the rain gutters, the windows, the garage doors, and the deck. The latest hail storm it appears has totaled your roof. A roof that was just installed five years ago. Fortunately, while the rain gutters and roof appear to be significantly damaged, the siding that you paid to have installed last summer seems to be fine.
When strong winds and hail accompany a storm, many home features can suffer significant amounts of damage in a short amount of time. Finding a contractor who can help you show the damage to an insurance adjuster is often the best solution. For while the home owners have a vested interest in any decisions that are made, not all homeowners have the knowledge and experience to make sure that the insurance company is taking the right things into consideration. In the worst cases, for instance, an adjuster can simply say that there is no damage, even when every other neighbor on your street is getting new roofs. From rain gutters to roofs, having a knowledgeable contractor at your house when the adjuster visits is always a good precaution.
Whether you are looking at residential rain gutters or commercial window upgrades, working with the right contractor is often the biggest decision that you need to make. As an home owner who has lived in an area that had been hit by a storm with hail and high winds knows, finding a contractor who is well known in the area can help you make sure that you make the most of any insurance settlements that you may have.
Rain gutter installation, in fact, if it is done correctly can add to the value of your home while also making the most of the new roof that you have if you are working with the right contractor. Once those new gutters are installed, it is important that you make sure that they are functioning properly. For this reason, the best contractors will often return for a complimentary inspection a few months down the road.
Following the initial inspection and check, most contractors recommend that gutters be cleaned once a year to avoid problems. Some of the newest types of rain gutters come with adaptations that are, however, virtually maintenance free. Consider some of these other facts and figures about gutters that may be able to help you avoid problems:
- Most contractors recommend one downspout for every 30 to 40 linear feet of gutter. To increase the capacity of a gutter system in areas with large amounts of rain, contractors recommend adding more downspouts.
- One type of product, called K-style gutters, generally has twice the capacity of half-round gutters of the same width.
- The number one problem that leads to water damage in a basement is clogged gutters.
- A home with clogged and overflowing gutters will likely be holding a weight that is in the thousands of pounds because of each single gallon of rain water weighs eight pounds.
- Downspout extensions should be directed away from your house towards the road, back yard, or back alley and away from your neighbor. Most experts recommend that home owners make sure downspout extensions are directed at least 1.8 meters away from the foundation walls of a home’s foundation.
- A single inch of rain means that the average roof will collect over 600 gallons of water. Even one-eighth of an inch of rain, in fact, is enough to fill a 54 gallon rain barrel.
Even if you have already scheduled for an insurance adjuster to come to your house to survey for possible damage, it is important to make sure that you also seek the advice of a trusted contractor. A contractor working on your side can help direct the adjuster to the areas of your house where the most damage has occurred. When all of the neighbors are getting new roofs and gutters after a major storm, make sure that you are as well.