Storm damage & insurance claims
Storm damage roof repair and insurance claims in Des Moines
Polk County sits in the middle of the hail belt, and every few years a wind event like August 10, 2020 puts thousands of roofs on claims in one afternoon. This page covers how to read your roof from the yard, what to do before the adjuster comes, and the Iowa law that keeps a storm chaser from playing games with your deductible.
The Des Moines storm calendar
March to May. Supercells out of the southwest bring the first hail, usually dime to quarter size. West- and south-facing slopes take the hits.
June and July. Overnight thunderstorm complexes cross from the Dallas County line with 60–80 mph straight-line wind that lifts shingles on the windward slope and drops silver maple limbs on the other. Derecho season: the 2020 storm's gusts stripped seal strips off roofs that looked untouched from the street.
August and September. Late hail on roofs already weakened in June.
December to February. Ice load on a roof that lost shingles in July is how a summer problem becomes a winter leak.
Reading the damage from the ground
You should not be on a wet roof. Most of what we need to know before we get there, you can see from the yard.
| What you see | What it usually means | Urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Shingles or tabs in the yard, bare patches on the roof | Wind tore shingles off; underlayment or deck exposed | Tarp before the next rain |
| Dents in aluminum gutters, downspouts, mailbox, AC fins | Hail large enough to bruise shingles | Inspection within two weeks |
| Pockmarks on window screens, spatter marks on the siding | Hail struck the windward face; check that slope | Inspection within two weeks |
| Shingles that look lifted or wavy along one slope | Creased by wind, may lie back down but the mat is broken | Inspection; likely claim |
| A limb through the roof or a hole in the decking | Emergency | Same-day tarp |
| Water on the ceiling within a day of the storm | Something opened up | Same-day tarp |
Hail damage roof repair in Des Moines is rarely a repair. A hailstone knocks the granules off and bruises the fiberglass mat underneath; from the roof it looks like a dark, soft spot the size of a dime to a golf ball. One or two hits is nothing. Eight or ten in a chalked 10x10 test square is a slope that gets replaced, and three slopes like that is a new roof.
Emergency work
Emergency roof repair in Des Moines after a big storm is triaged by water: open decking first, missing shingles second, everything else after. Tarp crews run first light to dark for as many days as it takes. A tarp is $300–$700 by size and pitch, and your insurer treats it as mitigation — keep the receipt. A limb strike gets cut back, covered, and photographed inside before anyone touches it.
Filing the claim, in order
- Photograph the yard, the gutters, the visible slopes and any water inside, with the date.
- Call us for a roof-level inspection. We photograph and chalk every hit and crease, measure each slope, and write a line-item scope.
- Call your insurer with the photos and get a claim number and the adjuster's name.
- Meet the adjuster with our scope in hand. We'll be there if you want us.
- If the adjuster's estimate leaves out a slope or the gutters, ask for a re-inspection. Bring the chalk photos.
Our storm damage checklist walks through each step with more detail.
What your Iowa policy actually pays
Sudden wind and hail damage is covered; age and wear are not. Many Iowa policies written recently carry a separate wind and hail deductible of 1–2% of dwelling value — $3,000–$6,000 on a $300,000 house — and some pay only actual cash value on older roofs. Read the declarations page first. A $500 repair against a $3,000 deductible is not a claim; a bruised roof is.
Iowa law prohibits a roofing contractor from paying, rebating or promising to absorb your deductible, and it gives you the right to cancel a roofing contract if the insurer denies the claim. A "free roof" offer on your doorstep means the deductible is being hidden in an inflated invoice with your name on it. The Iowa Insurance Division takes complaints about both contractors and insurers.
The week after the storm
Out-of-state crews with magnetic door signs work Ankeny, Waukee, Grimes and Altoona within days of every hail storm, because the roofs there are all the same age. Before signing a contingency agreement, look the company up on the Iowa Division of Labor's registration search, ask for insurance certificates, and get a written scope. Anyone who has been through a few Iowa storm seasons has a 515 number and an address you can drive past. See questions to ask a Des Moines roofing contractor.
If only one slope is covered
Insurers often pay for just the slope that took the hail. We'll tell you straight whether that money is better put toward a full replacement with Class 4 shingles, so the next storm doesn't restart this.
Other roofing services
Roof Repair
Leaks at flashing, boots and valleys, wind-lifted shingles, soft decking — found from the attic, fixed with a written price. Most jobs $300–$1,500.
Roof Repair →Roof Replacement
Full tear-off, decking check, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water at the eaves, wind-rated architectural shingles. One to two days, $9,000–$20,000 on most homes.
Roof Replacement →Ice Dam Repair
Steam removal of the dam, repair of the damage underneath, and the attic air-sealing and ventilation work that stops it coming back next January.
Ice Dam Repair →Roof Inspection
A walked inspection with photos and a written report — for buying a house, filing a claim, or finding out how many winters the roof has left.
Roof Inspection →Questions we get asked
Is it worth filing a claim for a few blown-off shingles?
Rarely. A $400 patch against a wind and hail deductible of $2,000 or more costs you money and puts a claim on your record. File when the damage is across a slope or more, when a tree came through, or when water is inside. We'll price the repair first so you can compare it with your deductible.
How long after a hail storm can I file in Iowa?
Your policy asks for prompt notice, and a roof-level inspection within a couple of weeks makes the claim clean. Waiting a season lets the insurer argue about which storm caused what, and newer policies sometimes set their own deadline for wind and hail. Photograph it now even if you decide later.
Can you tarp my roof today?
After a storm we tarp from first light until dark, worst damage first. Most tarps run $300–$700 and are covered as emergency mitigation under the claim. If a limb is through the deck or water is pouring in, say so when you call and you go to the top of the list.
The adjuster said my roof is just old. Now what?
Sometimes that's fair. But fresh bruises with exposed mat, or creased shingles on a 10–15 year old roof, are storm damage and can be documented as such. Ask for a re-inspection and give the adjuster our chalked test-square photos and written scope. Many first estimates get revised.
Need roof work in Des Moines?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.