Hail Damage on New Build Home Windows — Warranty or Insurance?
The house is a year or two old, the windows still have their labels in the paperwork, and a hailstorm just cracked glass and dented the cladding across one side.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Hail damage on new build home windows usually lands on insurance, not the builder: a builder warranty covers defects in work and materials, and hail is a storm. Read yours to be sure. JMB Builders documents each damaged window with its label and line, writes a line-item scope for your adjuster, and replaces glass, sashes or whole nail-fin units to match the rest of the house. Twin Cities metro. Priced per project.
- Labels and line noted for each window
- Builder and maker warranties: read what they exclude
- Nail-fin units replaced with the siding opened right
Owners of new houses often call the builder first, and that is a fair first call. But a builder's warranty is written for defects in the work and the materials, and a hailstorm is not a defect. The window maker's warranty usually reads the same way. Read both for what they exclude; if storm damage is excluded, the claim is with your homeowner's insurance. If the house had not closed yet when the storm hit, the builder's own insurance may be the one; ask the builder.
A new house is in some ways the easiest window claim there is. The windows are a current line, so the same series, color, glass and grille pattern can usually be ordered again, and the builder's window schedule or the labels tell you exactly what was installed. Matching, the fight on older houses, is often not an issue.
The catch is how new windows are set. Most new construction windows are nail-fin units, fastened through a flange behind the siding and taped into the wrap. Replacing a whole unit means opening the siding around it and re-flashing it, not popping it out from inside. Where only the glass or a sash is hit, those parts can often be replaced without touching the siding. You file and deal with your insurer; we document, meet the adjuster when you want us there, and do the repair. Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. 325E.66) bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or paying your deductible, and we do not.
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 builder's window schedule or closing paperwork, if you have it
- Your builder warranty and the window maker's warranty papers
- Your claim number once you file
- Any association rules on exterior color, if the development has them
- Access to every window inside and out
What JMB supplies
- Photos of each damaged window, door and screen with a scale reference
- Brand, series, color and glass for each window from labels or the builder's schedule
- A line-item scope: glass, sash or whole unit, with siding removal and reset where a fin unit comes out
- Meeting your adjuster when you want us there
- One in-person measure and one order, so new units match the ones that stay
- Nail-fin units replaced with the siding opened, the opening re-flashed and the siding reset
- A final invoice matched to the approved scope, with finished photos
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- How many windows, doors and screens the hail hit
- Glass or sash replacement versus a whole nail-fin unit
- Siding type around fin units: vinyl, LP SmartSide or fiber cement
- Second-story and walkout-level windows and staging
- Patio doors and entry doors on the same claim
- Whether exterior capping or trim is part of the window scope
Send photos of the damage and a photo of a window label or the builder's window list. We reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
How long it takes
Documentation: one visit. Order: depends on the brand and is written on the quote. Install: glass and sash swaps go quickly; a whole fin unit with siding reset takes longer per window.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Glass or sash only
When the frame and cladding are fine and only the insulated glass or a sash is hit, the maker's replacement part goes in from inside or out without disturbing the siding. Usually the quickest repair on a new house.
Whole nail-fin unit
When the frame or cladding is cracked or deeply dented, the unit comes out. Siding around it is removed, the fin unfastened, the new unit set and taped into the wrap, and the siding put back.
Not yet closed
If the storm hit before closing, the house may still be the builder's to insure and repair. Tell the builder in writing and ask how it will be handled before you close.
Hail Damage on New Build Home Windows — Warranty or Insurance?: questions, answered
Does my builder warranty cover hail damage to my new home's windows?
Usually not. Builder warranties are written for defects in the work and materials, and hail is a storm, which most exclude. Read your warranty for its exclusions, and call your homeowner's insurance if storm damage is excluded.
Will the window manufacturer warranty cover hail?
Read the warranty papers; many window warranties exclude damage from storms and acts of nature. The warranty paperwork is still useful on a claim because it names the exact series and options installed.
Can my new windows be matched after hail?
Usually, because a new house has a current window line. The same series, color, glass and grilles can typically be ordered again from the label or the builder's window schedule. We confirm what is available before the scope goes to your adjuster.
Does the siding have to come off to replace a new construction window?
For a whole unit, yes, around that window. New construction windows are fastened through a nailing fin behind the siding and taped to the wrap, so the siding is opened, the unit is replaced and re-flashed, and the siding is reset. Glass or sash repairs usually do not need it.
What if hail hit the house before we closed?
Then the house may still be the builder's responsibility. Tell the builder in writing, ask how the damage will be repaired and insured, and ask your agent when your coverage starts. Do not close without an answer in writing.
Can a contractor pay my deductible on a new home hail claim?
No. Minnesota law bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or paying any part of your insurance deductible, and JMB Builders does not. The deductible is the same on a new house as on an old one.
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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Insurance & Storm Damage Repairs near you
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