Paramount, CA
Storm damage, insurance and what to do first
Storm work attracts two kinds of contractor: the ones who live here, and the ones who followed the weather in. Only one of them will answer the phone next spring.
Or call (562) 316-3010Describe the storm damage job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Paramount contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Paramount and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a storm damage job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- What the emergency tarp costs, separate from the repair
- Photographs of the damage before any work happens
- A written scope you can put in front of an adjuster
- A local address you could actually drive to
- Whether the contractor is licensed and insured in this state
Photograph the outside, the inside, and the date. Then get a tarp on it. An adjuster can work with photographs of the original damage; they cannot work with your description of what it looked like before the repair.
A local contractor who inspects and documents properly is more use to your claim than a fast one who is already on the roof.
If the adjuster and the contractor disagree, ask for the contractor to be present at the re-inspection. It changes the conversation.
Locally
Behind it: the marine layer keeping the north slope damp. Slopes that never get direct sun stay wet for hours after the fog burns off, and that is where moss, lifted shingles and soft decking start.
About storm damage here
How quickly will someone call?
Usually within the hour during working hours. If you marked the job as an emergency it goes to the front of the queue and is normally picked up faster than that.
Can I stay in the house while it is done?
Yes, though it is loud, and things will fall off shelves in the garage. Move cars out of the driveway and take anything fragile off the walls of the top floor.
Do you handle commercial buildings?
We do. It is a different set of contractors — commercial and low-slope work is a separate trade from residential re-roofing — so answering the property question accurately matters.
What if the decking is rotten underneath?
Some of it usually is. The important thing is that the price per sheet is agreed in writing before the tear-off, so the conversation on day two is about quantity rather than rate.
What is it going to cost?
No cost, no obligation, and never more than three contractors.