What should you do in the first hour after a tree hits your roof?
Get everyone out of the affected rooms first. Even if the ceiling looks intact, drywall holds water until it does not, and a saturated section can drop 40 to 80 pounds without warning. Cut power to the area at the breaker if you see any sagging fixtures or wet outlets. Then step outside, stay clear of any sagging limbs, and take photos from a safe distance. Wide shots, close shots, and a few from the street all help later. Call Brendonwood Metal Roofing once the scene is stable. We dispatch tarp crews in Brendonwood the same day for active leaks, and we do not charge for the initial visit.
Is it safe to stay in the house?
That depends on where the tree landed and how the structure responded. If the trunk hit a load bearing wall, the ridge beam, or a main truss, you should plan to sleep elsewhere until a contractor or structural engineer clears the home. Signs that you need to leave include doors that suddenly will not close, new cracks running along interior walls, water actively pouring into living space, or any creaking sounds from the attic. Smaller branch hits that only damaged shingles and decking are usually fine to live under once the area is tarped. When we do free inspections after a tree event, the first thing we evaluate is whether the load path is still intact. We also check the gable ends and any interior walls that run perpendicular to the impact, because those are the spots that telegraph hidden movement before the ceiling shows it. If anything looks off, we will tell you straight, and we will not let a family sleep under a roof we are not confident in.
What records should you keep during the claim process?
Documentation is the difference between a smooth claim and a frustrating one. Save every receipt, even the small ones for tarps, buckets, fans, or a hotel stay if you had to leave the house. Keep a simple log with dates and notes from every phone call, including who you spoke with and what they promised. Photograph the interior damage room by room before anything is moved, and take a second round of photos after debris is cleared so the adjuster can see both states. If contents were damaged, write down brand names, approximate purchase dates, and replacement costs. Brendonwood Metal Roofing provides homeowners with a written scope of work that breaks out labor, materials, and code upgrades line by line, and that document tends to resolve most disputes before they start. The more organized your file is, the faster your carrier pays.
How fast can the tree come off and the roof get covered?
For typical Brendonwood jobs, tree removal happens within 24 to 72 hours of the call, depending on size and crane access. We coordinate with licensed arborists rather than cutting the tree ourselves, because chainsaw work on a damaged roof structure adds risk. Once the tree is off, our crew tarps the same day. A proper emergency tarp uses 6-mil poly, runs over the ridge when possible, and is fastened with battens rather than just nails through the field. That tarp will hold for 30 to 90 days while the claim is processed and materials are ordered. After major storms in Brendonwood, demand for crane time and arborist crews spikes, so calling early in the cycle gets you on the schedule before the backlog stretches into a week or more.
Will insurance actually cover the damage?
In almost every case, yes. Standard Brendonwood homeowner policies cover sudden tree impact regardless of which yard the tree grew in, with a few specific exceptions. If the tree was visibly dead or rotted and a neighbor reported it before it fell, the claim can shift to their liability policy. If the tree fell during a non weather event with no wind, coverage gets murkier. Tree removal is often capped (typical limits run $500 to $1,500 per tree, $1,000 to $2,000 per event), but roof repair itself is usually paid up to your dwelling limit minus the deductible. The adjuster will separate the tree work from the structural and roofing work, and that is normal.
How do you tell if the damage is repair or full replacement?
This is where having an honest contractor matters. A limb strike that breaks 8 to 15 shingles, dents a section of flashing, and leaves the decking intact is a straightforward roof repair. A trunk hit that punctures decking, cracks rafters, or compresses a wide area of the roof plane usually pushes into replacement territory, especially if your shingles are over 12 years old and the colors will never match. We look at four things on every fallen tree job: decking integrity, rafter or truss damage, the age and condition of the surrounding shingles, and whether the underlayment is still sealing. If three of the four are compromised, replacement is the smarter long term call.
What about hidden damage you cannot see from the ground?
Hidden damage is the part that bites homeowners six months later. A tree that looked like it only scraped the surface can fracture decking nails, lift shingle tabs across a 10 foot radius, and crack the seal on plumbing boots. We pull a few shingles in the impact zone to check the deck, walk the attic with a moisture meter, and look for daylight along the rafters. If you spot stains on a bedroom ceiling weeks after a tree event, that is hidden damage talking, and it usually means water has been tracking down the inside of the sheathing. Fast follow up keeps a small repair from becoming a deck replacement. We also recommend a second inspection 60 to 90 days after the original repair, because some issues only show up after a few rain cycles work water into the gaps. That follow up visit is included with every fallen tree job Brendonwood Metal Roofing handles in Brendonwood, and it is the easiest way to catch a slow leak before it reaches your insulation or framing.
Who do you call first, the roofer or the insurance company?
Call your roofer first if there is an active leak, because mitigation comes before paperwork. Most policies actually require you to prevent further damage, and a tarped roof checks that box. Once the leak is contained, call your insurance carrier and open a claim. Have your photos, the date and time of the storm, and a rough description of the tree (yours, a neighbor's, or a public tree) ready. Brendonwood Metal Roofing works with every major carrier in Indiana, and our team can sit in on the adjuster meeting so nothing gets missed. If you want a deeper walkthrough of how this process works, our guide to storm damage insurance claims covers the documentation steps in detail.