You heard it overnight — that unmistakable sound of hail hammering your roof, your car, your deck. Or maybe the storm moved through while you were at work and you came home to a neighborhood littered with leaves, broken branches, and neighbors standing in their driveways looking up.
Either way, you have a decision to make. And that decision has a clock attached to it.
Hail damage claims in Minnesota are time-sensitive. Most homeowner’s insurance policies give you a limited window — typically 12 months, and in some cases as few as 180 days — to file a storm damage claim. Miss that window and you’ve permanently forfeited coverage for damage that your policy was designed to pay for.
But the clock isn’t the only issue. Hail damage is deceptive. Most of it is invisible from the ground, painless in the short term, and devastating over time. A roof that looks perfectly intact after a hailstorm may already be compromised in ways that will produce leaks, mold, and structural damage within 12 to 24 months.
At Patriot Homes, we’re a veteran-owned exterior restoration company serving the Twin Cities and surrounding Minnesota communities. We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners navigate exactly this situation — the uncertainty after a storm, the frustration with insurance, the fear of being taken advantage of by a contractor they don’t know.
This guide is our honest answer to the question we hear most often after a hailstorm: “What do I actually need to do right now?”
Here’s exactly what to do in the next 30 days.
Day 1–3: Assess and Document Before Anything Else
The 48 to 72 hours immediately following a hailstorm are your most important window for documentation. Before any cleanup, before any repairs, before any calls — walk your property and capture everything.
What to Document
Your roof (from the ground). You don’t need to climb up there. Use your phone camera zoomed in, or a pair of binoculars. Look for missing shingles, visible dark spots or bruising on shingle surfaces, damaged ridge caps, and any debris that has accumulated.
Your gutters. Hail leaves visible dents along the face of aluminum and steel gutters. Check every run of gutter on your home. Dented gutters are one of the most reliable and visible indicators of hail size and impact force — and insurance adjusters know this.
Your siding. Walk slowly along every exterior wall. On vinyl siding, hail cracks or punctures the surface in small circular patterns. On fiber cement or wood siding, you’ll see circular dents or chipping. Pay particular attention to south and west-facing walls, which take the most direct impact during typical Minnesota storm tracks.
Your window screens, frames, and sills. Hail shreds screens and dents aluminum or vinyl frames. Photographed screen damage is frequently used as supporting evidence in insurance claims.
Your AC unit. The outdoor condenser unit has soft aluminum fins that dent visibly with even modest hail. This is often the easiest, most undeniable documentation of hail presence and impact force on your property.
Your deck, fence, and outbuildings. Document any painted or stained wood surfaces that show circular impact marks. These support your overall claim.
Take photos and video of everything. Date-stamp your files. Back them up to the cloud immediately.
What Not to Do Right Now
Do not make permanent repairs. Do not let anyone — neighbor, contractor, or insurance adjuster — tell you that repairs need to happen before your claim is filed. If you have active water intrusion, a temporary tarp is absolutely appropriate and will not affect your claim. Permanent repairs made before the adjuster visits, however, can reduce or invalidate your coverage.
Day 3–7: Get an Independent Professional Inspection
Here is the single most important thing we can tell you:
Do not call your insurance company before you have an independent contractor assessment.
This surprises many homeowners. Calling the insurance company first feels like the logical step — it’s their policy, their money, their process. But here’s what that order of operations actually means in practice.
When you call your insurance company first, they dispatch their own adjuster. That adjuster’s job is to assess the damage accurately — but their employer has a financial interest in minimizing payouts. Without your own documentation and your own expert in your corner, you may receive a settlement that underpays, misses damage categories, or undervalues the work required.
An independent inspection from a qualified local contractor gives you:
- Your own documented damage report before any adjuster sets foot on your property
- A clear picture of what was damaged, where, and to what degree
- A professional advocate who can be present during the insurance adjuster’s visit
- Leverage to dispute an inadequate initial settlement offer
At Patriot Homes, our storm damage inspections are always free. We come out, we get on the roof, we document everything we find, and we give you an honest report. If the damage doesn’t warrant a claim, we’ll tell you that. If it does, we’ll walk you through exactly what your policy should cover.
Schedule your free hail damage inspection here.
Understanding Hail Damage: Why It’s So Easy to Miss
Most homeowners are surprised to learn that significant hail damage often leaves no visible signs from the ground. Here’s what’s actually happening to your roof during a hailstorm — and why the invisible damage is often worse than the visible.
What Hail Does to Asphalt Shingles
Asphalt shingles are coated in granules — small, sand-like particles that protect the asphalt mat beneath from UV degradation, heat, and water. When hail strikes a shingle, it fractures and dislodges these granules at the point of impact. The hit creates a small circular bruise where the granule layer has been compromised.
What’s left is a section of exposed asphalt mat — and exposed asphalt degrades quickly in Minnesota’s intense summer sun. Within months, the mat begins to crack, dry out, and lose its waterproofing integrity. Within one to two years, depending on storm severity and sun exposure, you have active leak pathways forming across your roof.
This is why hail-damaged roofs fail gradually rather than immediately. The storm didn’t punch a hole in your roof. It started a slow, invisible countdown.
According to CertainTeed, one of the leading roofing material manufacturers in North America, granule loss from hail significantly accelerates shingle aging and compromises the waterproofing system in ways that may not manifest as leaks for 12–24 months after impact.
What Hail Does to Siding
Vinyl siding is particularly vulnerable to impact cracking in cooler temperatures — and late spring and early fall hailstorms in Minnesota frequently occur when siding has not yet warmed to peak flexibility. A crack in vinyl siding allows moisture to infiltrate the wall cavity, potentially reaching insulation, sheathing, and framing. Left unaddressed, this moisture intrusion leads to mold, rot, and insulation degradation.
Fiber cement siding is more impact-resistant but still susceptible to surface chipping and seal damage at panel joints under significant hail impact.
What Hail Does to Gutters and Soffit
Beyond the visible denting, hail impact can dislodge gutter fasteners and disrupt the slope alignment that allows proper drainage. Gutters that don’t drain properly create pooling water, which leads to fascia rot, soffit damage, and foundation moisture issues over time.
Days 7–14: File Your Insurance Claim
With your contractor’s inspection report in hand, you’re now in the strongest possible position to file your claim. Here’s how to approach the process strategically.
Know Your Policy Before You Call
Before you dial your insurance company, review these key items in your policy:
Your deductible. In Minnesota, many policies have percentage-based deductibles for wind and hail — meaning your deductible is calculated as a percentage of your home’s insured value, not a flat dollar amount. A 1% deductible on a $400,000 home is $4,000. Know your number before you start the conversation.
ACV vs. RCV coverage. Actual Cash Value (ACV) policies pay out the depreciated value of your roof at the time of damage. Replacement Cost Value (RCV) policies pay the full cost to replace with new materials. The difference can be substantial — especially on an older roof.
Your claim filing window. Review your policy documents carefully or call your agent to confirm how long you have to file a storm damage claim. Do not assume you have a year. Some policies have shortened this window.
What to Say When You File
Be factual and specific. Tell your insurance company:
- The approximate date of the storm
- That you have had an independent inspection performed
- That you have photographic documentation of the damage
- That you would like to have your contractor present during the adjuster’s visit
That last point matters. Having your contractor present when the insurance adjuster inspects your home is entirely within your rights — and it ensures that nothing gets overlooked or minimized.
Days 14–21: Navigate the Adjuster Visit
Your insurance company will schedule an adjuster visit. This is the inspection that will determine your claim payout. Here’s how to approach it.
Have your contractor there. Patriot Homes will be present at your adjuster visit if you choose. Our team knows what to look for, how to communicate with adjusters professionally, and how to ensure that every legitimate damage item is identified and documented.
Don’t minimize or volunteer negative information. Answer questions honestly and factually. You don’t need to speculate about the age of your roof, pre-existing conditions, or anything outside of what you’ve documented. Let the evidence speak.
Understand the scope of the estimate. The adjuster will produce a scope of work and a preliminary settlement estimate. Review it carefully with your contractor. Make sure it includes all necessary line items — materials, labor, tear-off, disposal, and any applicable code upgrades your municipality requires.
Know that you can dispute. If the initial settlement offer is inadequate, you have the right to dispute it. Your contractor can write a formal rebuttal with supporting documentation. In more complex cases, a public adjuster may be appropriate. At Patriot Homes, we’ve successfully advocated for homeowners in supplemental claim situations many times.
Days 21–30: Move Forward With Confidence
Once your claim is approved and your scope is finalized, it’s time to select your contractor and schedule the work.
Why Contractor Selection Matters More After a Storm
After a significant hail event, your neighborhood will be visited by out-of-state storm chasers — contractors who follow severe weather events across the country, sign as many contracts as possible, and move on before the problems surface. They offer low prices, vague warranties, and no accountability.
This is one of the most well-documented problems in the exterior restoration industry. The Better Business Bureau consistently warns homeowners to vet storm damage contractors carefully — checking local licensing, insurance, references, and how long they’ve been operating in the area.
Here’s what to verify before signing with any contractor:
- Minnesota contractor license. Verify through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
- Certificate of insurance. Ask for it directly. A legitimate contractor will provide it without hesitation.
- Local physical address and established history. Not a P.O. box. Not a phone number from out of state.
- Manufacturer certifications. Top shingle manufacturers like GAF and CertainTeed award certifications to contractors who meet installation quality standards. These credentials matter for both workmanship and warranty coverage.
- References from recent local work. Ask for them. Call them.
Patriot Homes is locally rooted in the Twin Cities. We have been serving Minnesota homeowners through exactly these situations — with honest assessments, transparent pricing, and work we stand behind. We’re not here for storm season. We’re here for the long term.
The Cost of Waiting
We understand the hesitation. Insurance feels complicated. You’re busy. The roof looks okay from the driveway. You’ll get to it.
Here’s the reality of what waiting costs Minnesota homeowners:
A hail-damaged roof that goes unaddressed for 18 months doesn’t just develop leaks. It develops leaks that damage insulation, creating moisture and mold conditions that require remediation. It damages drywall ceilings and walls. It saturates wood framing. It creates conditions that insurance — past your filing window — will no longer cover.
What might have been a fully covered roof replacement becomes a partially covered roof replacement plus a large out-of-pocket remediation and interior repair bill.
We’ve seen it. It’s heartbreaking every time.
The 30-day window matters. The inspection matters. The documentation matters.
Don’t let a free inspection and a phone call stand between you and protecting your home.
Patriot Homes: We Got Your Back
Patriot Homes is a veteran-owned exterior restoration company serving the Twin Cities and surrounding Minnesota communities. We built this company on the values we carried in uniform — integrity, accountability, and genuine service to the people who count on us.
We offer:
- Free storm damage inspections with no obligation
- Independent damage documentation before you file your claim
- Contractor presence at your adjuster visit
- Full insurance claim assistance from filing through final settlement
- Expert roofing, siding, gutter, and window restoration
- Manufacturer-certified installation with strong warranty coverage
- Transparent pricing and honest communication throughout every project
We don’t chase storms. We serve our community. And when hail hits your neighborhood, we’ll be here — not because we followed the weather, but because this is home.