Document Hail Damage on Every Window — An Opening-by-Opening Log
Twenty-six windows, four doors, a patio slider and screens in the garage.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To document hail damage on every window after a storm, number every opening on a sketch of the house, then photograph each one the same way: a wide shot that shows where it is, close shots of glass, sash corners, capping and screen with a tape for scale, and one line in a log saying what is wrong. JMB Builders builds that log for houses with twenty or more openings, Twin Cities metro.
- Every opening numbered on a sketch of the house
- Wide shot, close shots, scale in every photo
- One log line per opening: damage and repair
On a house with four windows, a few phone photos and a note will do. On a house with twenty or thirty openings, they will not. Photos without numbers turn into a camera roll of white frames that all look alike, and an adjuster cannot tell which picture is which window. Openings get counted twice or not at all. A cracked sash corner on the back bedroom ends up attached to the wrong window and gets argued about later.
The fix is an opening schedule. Draw the house from above, label the sides front, left, back, right, and number every window and door clockwise from the front door: W1, W2, D1. Write the number on painter's tape and stick it on the glass before you photograph it. Then shoot each opening the same way every time: one wide shot showing where it is on the wall, then close shots of the glass, each sash corner, the capping or brickmould and the screen, with a tape measure or a coin in the frame. Last, one line per opening in the log: type, rough size, what is damaged, and what it needs.
We do that walk for you on large houses, numbered and photographed in one visit, with the log in the same line-item order as the repair quote. The same numbers carry through the adjuster's visit, the order and the install, so window W14 is W14 from the first photo to the final invoice. You file the claim; we document and repair.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The storm date, your claim number and any photos you took that day
- Access to every room and the garage, and screens you already pulled
- Unlocked windows so operation can be checked and noted
- Any window labels, paperwork or original order you can find
What JMB supplies
- A sketch of the house with every window and door numbered
- Wide and close photos of each opening, with a scale reference in every close shot
- A log with one line per opening: type, size, damage, glass, sash, screen or unit
- A check of lock and operation on every window, noted in the log
- The log and photos in the same order as our line-item repair quote
- A walk with the adjuster using the same numbers, when you want us there
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of openings, doors and screens on the house
- Upper-floor openings that need a ladder or access from inside
- Detached garage, porch or outbuilding openings on the same claim
- Whether the log is used for a repair we quote or on its own
Send a photo of each side of the house and a count of windows and doors. We reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate and we do the walk then.
How long it takes
Documenting a house with twenty to thirty openings: usually one visit. The log and photos follow with the repair quote.
How your project works
- 1
Sketch and number
Every window, door and screen gets a number on a sketch of the house, clockwise from the front door, with tape on the glass.
- 2
Photograph the same way
Wide shot for location, close shots of glass, corners, capping and screen, scale in the frame, in the same order on every opening.
- 3
Log each opening
One line per opening: type, size, what is damaged and whether it needs glass, sash, screen or the whole unit.
- 4
Carry the numbers through
The same numbers go on the quote, the adjuster walk, the order and the install, so nothing gets counted twice or missed.
Document Hail Damage on Every Window — An Opening-by-Opening Log: questions, answered
How do I photograph hail damage on windows so the adjuster can use it?
Number the window first, on tape on the glass, so every photo says which one it is. Take one wide shot that shows where it is on the house, then close shots of the glass, the sash corners, the capping and the screen with a tape measure or coin in the frame for scale. Shoot in daylight at an angle so dents and chips throw a shadow. Keep the same order for every window.
What is an opening schedule for an insurance claim?
It is a numbered list of every window and door on the house, tied to a sketch, with one line per opening saying what it is and what is damaged. It lets an adjuster check a large claim line by line and keeps the count straight from the first photo through the final invoice. We build one for every large claim we document.
Do I need to photograph windows that look fine?
Yes, at least a wide shot. A photo showing an opening is undamaged closes the question, and a seal that fogs a month later is easier to add when the window was already on the list. On a large house it also proves every opening was looked at.
How long does it take to document hail damage on 20 windows?
Usually one visit, longer if the upper floor needs a ladder on every wall or there is a detached garage on the same claim. The log and photos come with the line-item quote, in the same numbered order.
Is this the same as taking photos before hail season?
No. Before-storm photos are a baseline of how the house looked. This is the record after the storm, opening by opening, of what the hail did. If you have spring photos, keep them with the log; they show what was already there.
Can I send you my own window-by-window photos for a quote?
Yes. Number the openings first and send them in order with a photo of each side of the house. We reply within one business day and tell you what is missing, or book a free in-home estimate and we do the full walk and measure every opening in person.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
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