Picture a summer storm coming off the Laramie Range toward Cheyenne. The hail isn’t falling straight down; it’s being thrown sideways by a strong west or northwest wind. The roof takes hits, but so do the siding, windows, screens, gutters, fences and anything else facing the storm. A claim that only looks up can leave thousands of dollars on the ground.
Elevation by elevation
- Vinyl siding cracks and punctures, especially in cold weather when it is brittle.
- Fiber-cement and wood siding chips and dents; paint may be knocked off in spots.
- Aluminum and steel siding dents, raising cosmetic-versus-functional questions.
- Window screens tear or stretch; aluminum frames and wraps dent; glass can crack.
- Gutters and downspouts show dents that can help confirm hail size and direction.
- HVAC condensers on the windward side often have flattened fins.
Why it gets missed
Field adjusters working a busy storm have limited time per house. Roofs get the attention because roofs are expensive. Siding damage on one elevation may be noted but valued as a few replacement pieces, even when the profile is discontinued and the wall can’t be repaired without looking patched.
How to document it
- Photograph each elevation straight on, then close-ups of individual hits with a coin or tape for scale.
- Use side lighting — early morning or evening — to make dents visible on metal.
- Note the direction the storm came from and compare damage by side.
- Look for the manufacturer and profile of your siding; a label or a spare piece in the garage helps.
- Keep any broken pieces.
Matching and uniform appearance
If damaged siding can’t be matched, the question becomes whether your policy requires a reasonable match. Policies and court decisions vary on how far that obligation extends. A panel can value the cost of reasonable matching where it is owed; whether it is owed may depend on policy language. The hail test-square scorer helps with the roof side of the same storm.