If you think of hailstorms as infrequent acts of nature, you might be surprised to learn that in the United States, they cause a whopping $15 billion in damage every year. For homeowners, this can be a nightmare.
In the state of Wisconsin, most hailstorms take place between the spring and summer months. Just this past April, severe storms raged across the Ohio Valley, cutting off power to thousands of homes.
When a hailstorm strikes, the damage to your roof can be extensive. Shingles can be cracked or punctured, flashing can be bent or torn, and gutters can be dented or detached. If you don’t fix this damage quickly and properly, it could become very expensive down the road.
Since its founding in 2015, Brookens Construction has been a trusted ally for Wisconsin residents in their battle against hail. They work hard all year round to make sure homeowners are ready for anything, especially hailstorms.
Because some roof damage from hail is not noticeable to the naked eye, Brookens Construction specializes in spotting these types of damages. When hundreds, if not thousands of small, icy pellets fall from the sky and onto the roof of a home, it puts the building’s most important waterproofing component at risk of faltering.
As Aaron Brookens, Co-Owner and Founder of Brookens Construction, explains: “It’s interesting because even if a massive hailstone, like three inches in diameter, hits a roof, the roof doesn’t always show signs of leaking.”
Brookens has been roofing for more than 14 years and has come to accept the frustrating fact that sometimes people just don’t know their roof is damaged until it’s too late.
“Even someone as experienced as myself can’t always identify the damage from the ground. If I’m standing in the driveway looking up at the roof, I can’t see it, so the homeowner typically just doesn’t have the wherewithal to identify whether or not their roof is going to fall short a few years down the road or not,” he says.
Although it may look fine on the surface, tiny cracks or holes can be letting water in, and all of a sudden, there can be water running down behind the walls of your home or accumulating on top of your ceilings.
“It could also turn into a lot worse,” says Brookens. “It could turn into mold, which can turn into health issues for your loved ones in the house.” Problems from mold exposure include watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, itching, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, headache, and fatigue.
In addition to health issues, not reporting damage soon enough might also mean you could have trouble with an insurance claim, as most carriers will only pay for events within 6-12 months of the damage.
“If a hailstorm hits today, you typically have 180 days to a year to get it covered by insurance. That’s the problem. If you’re like, ‘No, it’s fine, it’s not leaking right now,’ but it goes and starts leaking three years from now, and you try contacting your insurance company at that time, they’ll tell you, ‘Sorry, you’re outside the claim period. We can’t do anything for you.’ That’s their positioning,” Brookens explains.
In its 9-plus years of service, Brookens Construction has performed countless number of free inspections for Wisconsin homeowners.
“If there’s hail damage, we’ll identify it. We’ll put it into a damage report, we’ll show you what we’re seeing on the roof, and that’s all there is to it,” Brookens discusses.
Brookens Construction continues to build upon its foundation as one of the Midwest’s top roofers. They’re currently ranked number 1,372 on the Inc 5000 for fastest-growing companies in 2023, and they’re the 11th fastest-growing company in Wisconsin. Their diligence in helping people repair their roofs after hail storms is one of the many reasons why they continue to gain recognition and trust.
The company has hundreds of 5-star reviews, an A+ rating with the BBB, is Google Guaranteed, and received the highest level of certifications through several different shingle manufacturers. Their approach to inspections ensures that homeowners have all the information they need to make informed decisions about their property—and go into any insurance claim with the data they need to make themselves whole again.
Brookens Construction assists their clients by meeting with insurance adjusters to make sure they account for all of the damage in the claim. After the claim is approved, homeowners can start making their final selections for roofing products and colors.
The local hailstorm experts are at your service in Madison, Milwaukee, and Fox Valley areas. Check out Brookens Constructions website to learn more.
