Hail-Cracked Skylight Insurance Claim — Replace the Unit or Reglaze
The roofer found hail on the shingles. From the ladder, the skylight glass has a spider crack in the corner and the aluminum frame is dimpled all the way around. Here is how that goes on the scope and how it gets fixed.
A hail damaged skylight claim usually rides on the roof claim: the adjuster lists the skylight as a unit, or as glass and flashing, alongside the shingles. JMB Builders handles the skylight side across the Twin Cities metro: cracked glass, a split acrylic dome, dented cladding and flashing, documented with photos from the roof and replaced as a whole unit or reglazed where the maker still sells the glass. Priced per unit.
- Priced per skylight unit
- Replace the unit, or reglaze when glass is available
- Flashing kit and curb checked with the shingles
- Send photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
Skylights take hail straight on. Tempered outer glass can crack from a big stone, and once the outer pane goes the sealed unit is done. Older acrylic domes go brittle in the sun and split or hole through. The aluminum cladding on the frame dents like window capping does, and the step flashing and the saddle flashing above the skylight get dimpled with the rest of the roof. From the ground none of that shows. From the roof it is obvious, and the roofer inspecting for the claim usually sees it first.
On the scope a skylight is written as a unit, with a flashing kit, or as glass only when the adjuster thinks the frame is fine. Which one is right depends on the skylight. A curb-mounted unit with cracked glass and a sound frame can sometimes take a new glass pack from the manufacturer. A deck-mounted unit with dented cladding and a cracked pane is replaced, because the cladding is the weather seal. A dome is replaced; nobody reglazes a dome. We photograph the glass, the cladding and the flashing from the roof and say which it is, so the line on the scope is the right one.
The skylight comes out and goes back in with the roofing, because the flashing kit laps into the shingles. If the roof is being replaced on the same claim, the skylight is set the day that slope is shingled. If the roof is staying, we pull the shingles around the curb, set the new unit and flashing kit, and weave the shingles back. A new skylight into old shingles is a normal repair, not a reason to replace the roof.
What you supply
- Photos of the skylight from inside looking up, and from the roof or ladder if someone can take them safely
- The brand and model from the label inside the frame, and whether it is curb-mounted or deck-mounted, if you know
- The adjuster's scope and whether the roof is being replaced on the same claim
- Your choice of glass: clear, tinted or laminated, and whether you want a venting unit while it is being replaced
What JMB supplies
- Photos of the glass, cladding, curb and flashing from the roof, with the crack and dents marked, for the file
- A line on the scope written as unit plus flashing kit, or glass only, with the reason
- A new skylight in the same size and mount type, or a manufacturer glass pack where the frame is sound and glass is sold
- The flashing kit for the new unit, woven into the shingles, with ice-and-water membrane around the curb
- Curb and framing checked and repaired if the old flashing let water in
- The interior shaft checked for water stains and the trim or drywall repaired as its own line if the leak got inside
- Before-and-after photos in your job folder, and a note to the roofer on timing if the roof is being done
How it is priced: per unit
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Whole unit vs. a glass pack, which depends on the brand and age of the skylight
- Curb-mounted vs. deck-mounted, and whether the curb needs rebuilding
- Fixed vs. venting, and manual vs. electric if you want to change
- Roof pitch and height, and whether the roof is being replaced at the same time
- Flashing kit woven into existing shingles vs. set with new roofing
- Interior shaft damage from a leak, repaired as a separate line
Send a photo from inside looking up at the glass and one of the label on the frame. We reply within one business day with whether it is a unit or a glass pack and what to ask the adjuster to list.
How long it takes
One skylight into an existing roof: most of a day including reflashing. Set with a reroof: done the day that slope is shingled. Units and glass packs usually take a week or two to arrive.
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
Replace the unit and flashing kit
Cracked glass plus dented cladding, or any damaged dome. The old unit comes out, the curb or deck opening is checked, and a new skylight goes in with its flashing kit and membrane, woven into the shingles. This is what most hail scopes should read.
Reglaze with a glass pack
Curb-mounted unit, frame undented, maker still sells the glass. The sealed glass pack is swapped in the existing frame with new gaskets. Less work, no roofing disturbed. Only when the frame is truly sound; dented cladding means a unit.
Dome replacement
Old acrylic bubble domes are replaced, not patched. The dome lifts off the curb frame and a new one is set with new gasket and screws, or the whole curb unit is replaced with a glass skylight if you want to be rid of the dome.
Skylight with the reroof
The roof is being replaced on the same claim. We set the new skylight and flashing kit the day that slope is shingled so the flashing laps correctly, and the roofer's schedule and ours line up. The skylight is still its own line on the scope.
Hail-Cracked Skylight Insurance Claim — Replace the Unit or Reglaze: questions, answered
Does a hail claim cover the skylight as well as the roof?
Usually the skylight is written on the same claim as the shingles, as a unit with a flashing kit or as glass only. Whether it is covered and how it is written is the adjuster's call under your policy. Our part is the photos from the roof that show the crack and the dents, and a line on our estimate that says unit or glass pack and why, so the scope matches the skylight that is actually up there.
Can a hail-cracked skylight be reglazed instead of replaced?
Sometimes. A curb-mounted skylight with a sound, undented frame can take a new sealed glass pack if the manufacturer still sells one for that model. A deck-mounted unit with dented cladding cannot, because the cladding is part of the weather seal, and acrylic domes are always replaced. We look at the frame from the roof and tell you which yours is before it goes on the scope.
Is a dented skylight frame hail damage or cosmetic?
Dented aluminum cladding on a deck-mounted skylight is part of the unit's seal against water, and a dented flashing kit does not lap flat into the shingles, so it is not only cosmetic. On a curb-mounted unit with a separate flashing kit, dents in the frame cladding alone may be treated as cosmetic by some insurers. We photograph both and describe what each dent does.
Should the skylight be replaced before or with the new roof?
With it. The flashing kit for a skylight laps under and over the shingles around it, so the right time to set the skylight is the day that slope is shingled. If the roof is staying, we lift the shingles around the curb and weave them back, which is normal repair work. Setting a skylight and then having a roofer tear around it a month later is the wrong order.
My skylight is twenty years old and the glass cracked in the hail. Will the new one be the same size?
Most makers have kept their standard sizes, so a same-size replacement usually fits the opening or curb. Where a size was dropped, the nearest unit is set with a curb adapter or the opening is reframed, which adds a line. Send the label from inside the frame and we check the size before anything is ordered.
The hail cracked the glass and now the drywall in the skylight shaft is stained. Is that on the claim?
Water that came through the cracked glass or dented flashing and stained the shaft is damage from the storm, and the adjuster usually writes the shaft drywall and paint as interior lines. Photograph the stain with the date. We repair the shaft, drywall, trim or wood, as its own line after the new skylight is in and the leak is stopped.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
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