After a storm, the first thing we tell homeowners is — don't panic, and don't let the first person who knocks on your door talk you into anything. Call a local contractor you trust and have them walk the property with you. What we look for: dented or missing shingles, granules washing out of your gutters, damaged fascia, soffit, or siding. But honestly, the dents are just the starting point. It's the collateral damage that tells the real story — the AC unit, the gutters, the window screens, the painted wood surfaces. When hail hits a property, it hits everything. We document that full pattern of damage — photos, measurements, and an itemized scope — so you have a complete, accurate record of your home's condition. A lot of storm damage isn't visible from the ground either — hail impacts on shingles can look like small dark bruises that are easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for. That's why thorough documentation matters. If you decide to file a claim, that documentation is yours to submit to your insurance company — the claim itself, and every decision about it, stays between you and your insurer. Our job is the straightforward part: give you an honest assessment of what your home needs, and build whatever scope your insurer approves the right way — with products chosen to hold up to the next storm. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll walk the property with you.

Storm damage from hail or wind is the kind of event many Iowa homeowner's policies cover — but coverage always depends on your specific policy, and that determination is made between you and your insurance company. What a lot of homeowners don't know is that filing a claim doesn't automatically mean your premiums go up. And when you replace your roof with a Class 4 impact-resistant system — which is what we install — many Iowa insurance carriers will actually reduce your premiums. We've seen homeowners save enough on their annual premium to offset a significant portion of their out-of-pocket costs. Our role is straightforward: we document your roof's condition thoroughly — photos, measurements, and an itemized scope — and give that documentation to you. If you decide to file, you submit it to your insurer with your claim. If your insurance company sends an adjuster to inspect, we can be on-site to answer questions about what we documented. The decisions stay between you and your insurer — our job is to build the approved scope right. And one thing we will never do is waive or absorb your deductible. That's illegal in Iowa, and any contractor who offers it is telling you something about how they do business.

Here's how the process typically works — and one thing worth knowing up front: we're a roofing contractor, not a public adjuster. Your claim, and every decision about it, stays between you and your insurance company. Free consultation — we come out, walk the property with you, and document everything thoroughly: photos, measurements, and an itemized scope of the damage You file your claim — if you decide to file, you submit the claim to your insurance company yourself, with our documentation in hand Adjuster inspection — your insurer sends an adjuster to inspect the damage. If you'd like, we can be present to answer questions about our documentation and point out the damage we recorded Scope review — once your insurance company issues its approved scope, we review it against our documentation and plan the work around exactly what was approved Installation — our crews build the approved scope to manufacturer standards using the products we recommend Final walkthrough — we walk the finished project with you, go over your warranty, and leave your property clean One of the biggest mistakes we see is homeowners who sign with the first contractor who shows up at their door after a storm — before they've done any research, before they've verified the company is legitimate, before they've even let anyone they trust look at their roof. Take a breath. Do your homework. A reputable local contractor will still be there tomorrow.

Typically one year from the date of the storm, though some policies allow two. Our advice — don't wait. Storm damage gets worse over time. What starts as a few compromised shingles can lead to water intrusion, which leads to decking damage, which leads to interior damage. The longer you wait, the more complicated the claim gets. If you're not sure whether you have damage, call us. The consultation is free and there's no obligation. We'd rather come out and tell you your roof is fine than have you find out six months later that water has been getting in.

Class 4 is the highest impact-resistance rating for roofing. It means the shingles have been tested to take a serious hit from hail without cracking or failing. In Iowa, where we see hail every spring and fall, that matters. Here's why we push Class 4 on every project: the products we use — Malarkey, DECRA — are going to significantly lower the chances of the next storm damaging your home. That's not a sales pitch. That's the whole point. We want to leave your home in better shape than we found it, and that means installing products that hold up. The other reason is financial. A lot of Iowa insurance carriers will reduce your premiums when you have a Class 4 roof. We've seen significant discounts — sometimes enough to make the upgrade essentially pay for itself over a few years. We'll show you the math during your consultation so you can make the decision that makes sense for your situation.

A storm chaser is a company that follows severe weather from state to state. Some of them are outright scams — they take a deposit and disappear. Others are more organized: they roll into town with trucks and marketing, grab crews they've never worked with before, knock out as many jobs as they can, and move on to wherever the next storm hit. Once they leave the area, good luck getting anyone on the phone if you have a concern. The better-organized ones are actually harder to spot because they look legitimate. But the pattern is the same — they're not from here, they don't have relationships here, and once the storm work dries up they're gone. There's another problem with storm chasers that homeowners don't always hear about: a lot of them inflate their pricing and add line items for work that never gets done. That kind of padding can complicate a homeowner's claim and delay payment. We take the opposite approach — we document the work your home actually needs, price it honestly, and put it all in writing so you and your insurance company can see exactly what you're getting. Taylor Exteriors has been in Des Moines since 2016. Sam Taylor grew up in this industry and our team lives in the same communities as our customers. We're members of the HBA of Greater Des Moines. We're not going anywhere. When you have a question two years from now, we're still here. That's the difference.