Way OT: Need info on homeowner's insurance and hail damage to siding

We had a massive storm come through on May 25th... with baseball sized hail... so I need a completyely new roof (the existing one is only 6 years old!) and the 30+-year-old aluminum siding is badly dented up on two sides of my house (along with some minor damage to gutters and one window frame with a hole punched in it).

My homeowner's insurance will cover the roof replacement with no problem, but they are saying tyhey will onyl pay to replace the siding on teh two sides of the hsoue that have the hail damage.  That means that I have three choices:
1) have NEW alumiunum siding put on the two sides and leave the old siding on the rest of the house  (in which case, the siding will NOT match -- the existing siding is badly oxidized -- (and, because of the design of my house, no matter which direction you approach the front of the house from, you will be able to see the combination of old and new siding)
2) have new aluminum siding put on two sides and then have the siding on teh rest of the hosue cleaned and apinted so at least the COLOR will match (the problem with this is that the cost of cleaning and painting is, apparently, MY EXPENSE, and some of the old siding does have some minor damage (denting, etc) just because it is 33 years old... so even if the color matches, it will still probably be noticeable that some is new and some is old)
3) have the whole house re-sided with vinyl (but I would have to bear the cost of the non-damaged portions...which is around $5000!)

Some people are telling me, though, that my insurance company should be offering me SOMETHING to at least help offset the cost of of making the new stuff match... either the cost of painting the old stuff so it matches or part of the cost of replacing it all.

Does anyone have any experience with this or know enough to offer suggestions?  I know some of it depends on what my policy says... and I have a call in to my agent sincde the adjustor is a bit of an ass... but I looked through my policy last night {ZZZzzzz.....} but did not see anything that specifically addresses this.  My mom suggested that I argue that only replacing 2 sides will cause the value of the property to go down (but I figure they will say that THAT is MY problem not THEIRS)... but isn't the idea of insurance to make me "whole" after the hailstorm....?  Which would mean restoring me to having siding that matches...?!?

I am just trying to get my "argument" prepared because it is going to be really tough to come up with $5000 right now to cover the other half of the siding bill.  I did NOT need this stress right now!

Lora

I would argue that if the exsisting siding is badly oxidized - it should be replaced anyway.

I would not try to color match- I doubt it would turn out that great and would look bad later on.

I don't now a lot about insurance other then it can be a pain in the butt. Hopefully someone else chimes in with a great idea.

Valerie

We just had a roof replaced due to hail damage last summer. It didn't leak but we had the gutters cleaned, and the guy told us he saw a LOT of abradement....which started the research phase, insurance phase, etc.

Our neighbors were in the same boat and fortunately did a lot of contacts to roofers.

We found one who was a PRO at dealing with the insurance companies. He knew the adjusters and the guys they sent out to check the roof in our area.  Long story short, because they knew how to work with the insurance system so well, we only had to pay about 15% of the cost, including deductible.

So....the contractor you work with may make a difference in how the whole thing is handled and MAY give you some relief on this project! Good luck!

We had roof replaced due to Hail damage a few years ago and the roofers were pros at handling the insurance company.  Part of the insurance inspection included the inspecting the inside ceilings & walls to make sure they did not have to repair that- they would have paid for the all walls to be painted even if one was damaged.  We did not have any leaks though.  But that kind of seems like the same principle to me.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

Lora, I spent quite a few year of my career in the insurance business, although I did not do a lot of homeowners work. However, a couple of things to note:

1 Everything depends on your policy. It is important to know if you have replacement cost or actual cash value policy. And ACV policy will only pay the depreciated value of the damaged property, which means taking into account the age of the siding and the condition (and it sounds like neither was in your favor).

2 individual companies and adjusters do have some latitude in how these claims are settled and your agent may be able to help. For example, it is not unreasonable for you to argue that the value of your home would be less if only half of the home were to be re-sided. In that case, a judgment call may be made by claims to make an allowance for the difference or a part of the difference. If you have an ACV policy, that would likely not happen.

3. In fact if you have an ACV policy, all the company is really obligated to do is to replace the siding with something of a "like kind and quality" or LKQ. This in theory at least would mean replacing the damaged used siding with undamaged used siding that is of the same kind and quality that is on the rest of the house. This is akin to repairing a damaged car using used parts. In most states, it is legal depending on the policy. In general, unless you have a replacement cost policy, they do not have to give you NEW stuff in place of your USED stuff. With replacement cost you get NEW for the OLD, but you will have paid a higher premium for that coverage.

4 if you are with a direct writer like State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide, etc., your agent can be your biggest help especially if he is a long time agent of the company. If you are with an independent agent, your agent may still be able to help, but there is a good chance that the comany will be using independent adjusters who are not swayed by the pleadings of an agent as they are not beholden to the agent for brining business to the company.

5. If you cannot get to an agreement that you find fair, you can, depending on your state law and policy, hire a "public adjuster" to act as a go between. Again, policy terms may make this worthless.

6. Last, realistically, you have two big issues here in getting what you want...the age of the siding and the condition of the siding. Normal wear and tear is never covered under any policy, and that sounds like a lot of the issue. Even if the company wanted to go the extra mile and try to help with the other portion of the home, they are less likely to do so than they might be with newer siding in better condition. I know you don't want to hear that, but it may be the reality for you.

Good luck. And remember it never hurts to push for what you want even if it is not required under the terms of the policy. Good will is important to most companies today.

Ken

Thanks for the info.  I do have a replacement cost policy, so that is the good news, I guess. In reading the final portions of the policy this afternoon, however, I did find a paragraph that specifically indicates that they are obligated only to replace the damaged portions and are "under no obligation to replace undamaged portions of the property".  So I guess I have to figure out how to come up with the money for the additional siding.

Lora

Hi Lora:
I work for a contractor and we have done many storm repairs for individuals.  We have submitted estimates to the insurance adjustors.  We got burned once until we knew how to play their game.  Find a contractor that will give the insurance adjustor a estimated for the complete job to be finished and have the contractor adjust his figures around 20 to 25% higher.  When the adjustor comes back and tells you that he will only cover the two sides and the contractor has to reduce his price, you will still have and additional 20 to 25% to get most of the work covered with very little out of you pocket.  Wether you are dealing with home, auto or health insurance, they will always give you less than what you are asking for.  You just have to have a good contractor who deals in these issues.  They will be your god send.

Tess

You need to be careful with this tactic as artificially inflating estimates could be construed as fraud. I realize that we all feel powerless against the big companies, but don't put yourself in a legal jam telling yourself it is ok to cheat a bit. Fight, but do so ethically. Just my two cents.

Hi Kenhud1:

I knew I would have to defend my words so here I go..  I should not have said add 20 to 25% on top.  That was to cut and dry.  So to explain better, a good contractor will get a minimum of three bids for each repair necessary to bring the house back to its original state.  The contractor can submit the highest bids which is legal and when the adjuster amends them to a lower adjustment, he can go with the lesser bids to get the job done.  What you are trying to do is get the maximum money that the insurance will paid and find some one to do the work for that price.  I would think most contractors and subcontractors would be eager to get this job since work is not as easy to come by.  Most subcontractors in my area are cutting their costs substantially to get the job.  Just to clarify once more, usually the subcontractors differ in price from one to the other around 20 to 25% in price. This is where I got the percentages.  I assume you are a closing attorney.  Do you still feel that this is fraudulent of the contractor?  Let me know what you think.

Tess

Tess,
No, I'm not at attorney, but rather an independent insurance agent for 20+ years, now out of the business. I was not trying to be judgmental, but rather just cautioning that such an act may be perceived as unethical even if the outcome was what we believe is fair in the end. I wouldn't be in a position to judge this as right or wrong, but I personally would not advise someone to fudge the numbers. And, no matter how it's sugarcoated, it is still submitting an inflated bid. Again, just my opinion and my advice.
Ken