It is windy and rainy here (northern NJ), and while it hasn’t happened yet, I would like to be prepared. One problem is that if a tree or large branch damages a house, a lot of water can get into the house, doing more damage than the tree. I know that insurance companies will cover a certain amount of damage, but get a little testy if you have not taken steps to mitigate that damage (I believe that responsibility is written into your contract). Who exactly do you call to do this? My basic plan is to let my insurance agent know and let him guide me, but I would be interested in anyone’s stories. I am also reluctant to call an insurance company before the fact and ask them this question (and watch my rates go up).
I am interested especially in stories from people that this has actually happened to.
You need to have someone cover any hole that lets in water as soon as possible. You need to move stuff like your television and other stuff out of the areas that water damage might reach and hasn’t yet. They don’t expect miracles out of the homeowner, just stuff people refer to as common sense. Having areas drying out and not left shut up and flooded falls into something that would be expected.
Well, if this is a real possibility, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a large tarp and a staple gun handy. In the long run, if the tree is too close to the house and presents a serious risk of toppling, you should take it down.
Caveat: I had a near miss a few years back, but the tree just took down a fence and smushed the gutter.
We had a tree crack in half during a rainless windy afternoon, and put a hole through the addition on the house when I was a senior in high school; lucky me, I was the only one home when it happened. I don’t recall my folks getting grief from the insurance company.
Although I have never personally had a tree fall on my house, my husband owns a tree service company.
My recommendation: ask for tree company recommendations from your friends, neighbors, etc. in the area. You definitely want to find a company that works within ISA* standards and best practices. Call the tree services and ask for an ISA expert to check out any questionable trees on your property, or branches that could threaten it. You should be able to get free estimate(s) as well as professional reassurance that your trees are healthy (or not). Cost quotes can vary widely, so getting 2-3 estimates is a good idea.
The cost of tree trimming or removal may not be as high as you fear, and if the service is needed, you’ll sleep a lot better!
The block of sidewalk and the first part of the fence is my property, but since the tree was considered to be on town property, they fixed the sidewalk (but it took them over a year).
You call friend(s) with a ladder, a chain saw and some common sense. You should have, rope, tarp or heavy-duty plastic sheeting on-hand.
We had a major windstorm in my area 2 years ago and the problem with covering the roof is that you still have a large tree in the way. That means cutting away much of the tree OVER THE ROOF so you can get tarps over the damage. You don’t have to take the tree down and in many cases that is a dangerous venture in itself involving one or more braces. What I saw in many cases was the tree breaching the roof and exposing the outer wall which means not only does water pour into the attic, it is funneled into the outer wall which is a future mold colony in the making.
I think the biggest complaint Insurance companies have is when you don’t remove an obviously sick and/or damaged tree before it goes through your roof.
Once the tree falls mitigating the damage is all you can do. (moving stuff etc.) I cannot imagine any insurance policy requiring you to climb on your roof in a wind and rain storm however.
Thanks for the replies.
I do get the trees checked out yearly by a good tree service. The trees are healthy, but aging (and huge). I do love the trees (despite the mess they make) and they cool my house in the summer nicely, so I don’t think I would take them down unless they became a visible danger.
Keeping a large tarp handy sounds like a good idea and might come in handy in some situations. You would also need sufficient rope and some stakes.
After Googling ‘roof tarp’ I see that stakes are not the way to go. You basically need to use 2x4s and screw them into the roof. Maybe if I were younger!
If that’s the case, then (in a sane world) any decent insurance company should be happy to cover any damage. You’ve done everything reasonable to pro-actively mitigate tree related problems, using your own money. Surely that makes you the ideal client.
A tree fell on my house while I was on vacation and did a fair bit of damage. Neighbors let us know and we came back the next morning to sort things out. The insurance company didn’t give us any hassle at all about whether our claim would be accepted.
I can’t imagine trying to cut a tree off the house myself while it’s still raining, as Magiver seems to recommend. My tree was a huge oak, which was removed in pieces by a crane. Restoration folks were on hand to install the tarp once the tree was out of the way.
Insurance paid for everying, including tree removal, water damage restoration, structural repair, new roof, ruined personal effects, and stump grinding.
Not a house, but a fort. Was 1999, Hurricane Floyd. The wind blew off the top of a tree in the woods behind out house, and- honest to Og, this is what happened- the top lifted up, flew about thirty feet through the air, and crash-landed on the fort.
Jeese, I used red bolding and everything. I’m not advocating cutting the tree off the house. I’m pointing out, in advance that you can’t put tarps over a roof if the tree canopy is sticking 10 feet in the air. You have to trim the limbs down to where you can cover the roof. And yes, it’s loads of fun to do this in the rain, in the dark. I rescued a number of houses with my brother inlaw. The worst involved a 3 foot diameter oak tree along with a series of 2 foot maples. We had to cut our way through another tree just to get into the driveway. We actually removed the main tree but that involved some carefully engineered bracing and is way beyond most home owners.
Common sense has to prevail. My house is a 2 story with a 7/12 roof pitch. You’re not going to go walking around the roof without safety equipment on a sunny day let alone at night in the rain. The problem as I see it in a major storm, is the ability to get professional help in a timely manner. they were still repairing roofs a year later because of the extent of the regional damage. Getting tarps up is something that a homeowner is going to have to help organize ahead of the insurance company.
Luckily no, but check out these photos from my neighborhood back home from this past weekend’s storm. Fallen trees, crushed cars & upended sidewalks! Our property suffered no damage, but a large tree outside my (former) bedroom window had to be removed today because it started dangerously leaning over the building next door.
A tree fell and hit my home during a wind storm a couple years ago. Damage to the roof involved the first two feet of the lower edge of the roof and the sofit/facia (sp?). My insurance company asked, if possible, that if I can get someone out to cover the damage with a tarp to prevent future damage. Since this particular storm caused widespread damage throughout the area, including loss of power for up to a few weeks for some people, the roofing companies were quite overwhelmed with requests. I managed to get a local independent roofer to come and put up a tarp within a couple days.
My insurance company never made an issue out of it, perhaps because no additional damage was done to the roof after A $%#@ING 75 FOOT TREE HIT MY LOVELY HOME! (Hehe)
