Hail damage from last year still being repaired

Hail damage from last year still being repaired

Thousands of homes were hit – contractors still catching up

April 7, 2018 Idaho Falls suffered the worst hail storm most people ever remembered, and the repairs are still going on more than a year later.

The hail stones weakened roofs and put holes in siding.

Josh Aikele of Paul Davis restoration remembers well how crazy the month after was.

“We went from our average workflow of taking on five to ten new jobs a week to 50 phone calls a day,” Aikele said.

Aikele estimates up to 10,000 homes were damaged in a swath from southwest Idaho Falls to the northeast corner of town.

And while it seemed devastating, in some ways the storm was a blessing in disguise.

“It’s been a shot in the arm for the local economy, ” Aikele said. ” Every roofer I know had a great 2018.”

For homeowners who filed insurance claims for damaged homes it was a blessing too. A new roof ranges from $6,000 for a smaller home up to $20,000 or more for a larger one.

“To get that roof replaced for the cost of an insurance deductible — yeah that’s a great blessing to a home owner. ” Aikele said.

‘ We were elated, we were excited.”

That was John Terrill’s reaction when the insurance company finally agreed to replace all the siding. Only the west side was damaged, but they couldn’t find new siding that matched for the rest of it. Terrills took the opportunity to change the siding color and trim.

“The house has a better balance. It looks much nicer. We really enjoy it,” Terrill said.

Some homeowners changed not only the color but the entire style of the front of the home.

“It’s actually nice to see as I’ve driven around town, some places that were in disrepair are looking a whole lot better , ” Aikele said.

Aikele predicted it will take the rest of 2019 to repair all the hail damage.