Home Insurance is meant to restore your home back to the way it was prior to a disaster caused by fire, wind, hail, or floodwater. Home insurance will cover all damage minus the cost of your deductible, however, insurance companies have different ways of ensuring you can restore your home to its former condition.
Because of this, it’s very important that you keep a copy of your specific coverage and read it to make sure you understand what is covered under your home insurance policy. For instance, some insurance companies will only replace one wall if it is the only wall that was damaged. This is fine in most cases, however, vinyl siding will fade and the colour will be a little off at first. If you can no longer find a match for the siding, some insurance companies will replace all the vinyl, but others may only replace the damaged areas with the closest match.
Depending on your policy, you may be limited in what you can do when restoring your home’s appearance. An experienced contractor can help you determine what can be done within your budget to improve the look of your home’s exterior.
Reducing Your Deductible
Using materials that are highly resistant to damage in your home renovation may reduce your premiums. One example is Hardie board, which is less combustible than some of the other options. Whether or not using these materials will reduce your premiums will depend on your insurance company.
Whether you are able to reduce your premiums or not, these kinds of materials will help you prevent damage in the future, offering the benefit of reduced costs over time. Talk to your contractor to identify materials that will last, regardless of the weather.
The Choice is Yours
Having an experienced contractor to guide you through the home insurance claim process can be a huge help. Some contractors even have programs to help you with your deductible.
Your insurance company will most likely recommend a preferred contractor to do the work on your home, however, as the homeowner, you ultimately get to decide who you want to award the contract to. The choice is yours and you should take full advantage of that. You don’t want to leave the decision of who works on your home—your biggest investment—up to anyone else.
One thing to remember—the contractor for the insurance company works for the insurance company, while a contractor of your choice works for you.
If you need help to navigate through an insurance claim, we’d be happy to be of service. Ask us about our loyalty program!