Hail-Damaged Wood Window Claim — Dents, Glazing, Split Brickmould
The 1950s house has the original painted wood windows, and the north side took hail the size of quarters. The glass mostly held. The paint, the putty and the brickmould did not.
A hail-damaged wood window claim covers damage that cladding would have taken on a newer window: dents and gouges in the painted sash and sill, glazing putty cracked loose from the glass, split or shattered brickmould and broken panes. JMB Builders documents each wood window, decides repair or replace part by part, and writes the scope that way: reglaze and refinish, new sash, new brickmould or a whole unit. Twin Cities metro, priced per window.
- Repair or replace decided part by part
- Dents that break the paint film are listed, not cosmetic
- Reglazing and refinishing are real lines on a wood window
- Painting quoted as its own line, or paint it yourself
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
Hail does different things to a wood window than to vinyl or clad. Vinyl cracks. Aluminum cladding dents and stays dented. Painted wood dents, and the dent breaks the paint film, and from then on every rain soaks the bare wood under it. The sill and the bottom rail of the lower sash face up and take the direct hits. Glazing putty that was already brittle cracks and falls away from the glass, leaving the pane loose in its rabbet. Brickmould, the exterior casing, splits along the grain or shatters at the miter. And when the glass is single pane, as it is on most original wood windows, it breaks more easily than a modern insulated unit.
The repair question is different too, because wood can be repaired in a way vinyl cannot. A dented sash rail can be filled, sanded, primed and painted if the wood is sound under it. Cracked glazing is scraped out and reglazed with new putty and points. Split brickmould is replaced in the same profile and primed. A broken single pane is reglazed with new glass, tempered where code now requires it. Those are real lines on a scope: labor and material to put a wood window back, not a cosmetic touch-up. The adjuster has to see them as repairs, and that means showing the broken paint film and the loose putty up close, with scale.
Replacement is the answer when repair is not. A sash with a dent through the rail into the glazing rabbet, rot under the paint that the hail opened up, a brickmould profile that is no longer milled, or so many hits on one sash that filling them costs more than a new sash. We say which on each window, and we are straight about it when a wood window has reached the point where a new unit, with options such as a clad wood or fiberglass replacement, is the honest repair. You file the claim and settle like kind and matching with your insurer; we document, write the scope and do the work when it is approved. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself.
What you supply
- The storm date and photos you took that day, before any paint touch-up
- Your claim number and the adjuster's estimate once you have it
- The age of the windows if you know it, and any that were already rotting or painted shut before the storm
- Access to each window inside and out, with storms or screens pulled so the sash and brickmould show
- Your paint or stain color — painting and finishing are quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Photos of each wood window: broken paint film with scale, loose glazing, split brickmould, broken panes, by elevation
- A probe check for rot under the hits so a repair is not written on wood that is already gone
- A scope line per window reading reglaze, fill and refinish, new sash, new brickmould or whole unit, with the reason
- A walk of the house with your adjuster when you want us there
- Reglazing with new putty and points, new glass where panes broke, tempered where code requires
- Brickmould replaced in the matching profile, primed, with the joint to the siding or stucco sealed
- Replacement sashes or whole units where listed, with options such as wood, clad wood or fiberglass
- Painting or finishing of repaired and new parts as its own line when you want it
- A final invoice matched to the approved scope, with finished photos
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Repair lines versus replacement lines on each window, decided by probing the wood
- Number of lites per sash to reglaze, since a six-over-six takes far longer than a one-over-one
- Brickmould profile and whether it is a stock mill pattern or has to be run to match
- Single-pane glass to tempered where a replaced pane sits near a tub, floor or door
- Interior and exterior storm windows damaged on the same opening
- Painting and finishing, quoted as its own line, or left primed for you
- Whole-unit replacement where the frame or sill is gone, with sill pan, flashing and interior trim
Send a close-up of a hit on the sash with a coin next to it, one of the glazing at a corner of the glass, and one of any split brickmould. We reply within one business day on repair versus replace.
How long it takes
Reglazing and filling run a few windows per visit and need dry weather and a day for putty to skin before paint. Brickmould is stock or milled over a week or two. Sashes and units are made to order over weeks.
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
Reglaze and refinish
Dents broke the paint but the wood under them is sound, and the putty is cracked or loose. Hits are filled and sanded, old glazing scraped out, panes rebedded with new putty and points, and the sash primed. Paint is its own line or yours.
New brickmould
The exterior casing split along the grain or shattered at a miter. Replaced in the same profile, back-primed, mitered and sealed to the siding, stucco or brick. Written per window because each opening's profile and length differ.
New sash, keep the frame
The dent went through the rail into the glazing rabbet, or there are too many hits to fill. A new wood sash is made to the frame and glazed. The frame, interior trim and wall are untouched.
Whole unit
The hail opened up rot already in the sill or frame, or the frame itself is broken. The old window comes out, the opening is repaired, and a new unit goes in with sill pan, flashing and trim, with options such as wood, clad wood or fiberglass.
Hail-Damaged Wood Window Claim — Dents, Glazing, Split Brickmould: questions, answered
Can hail-dented wood windows be repaired instead of replaced?
Often, yes. If the wood under the dent is sound, the hit is filled, sanded, primed and painted, and that is a real repair line, not a cosmetic one, because the broken paint film is what lets water in. Cracked glazing is scraped out and the pane rebedded in new putty. The window is replaced when a dent goes through into the glazing rabbet, when the hail opened up rot that was already under the paint, or when there are so many hits that filling them costs more than a new sash.
Is cracked glazing putty from hail covered on an insurance claim?
Your policy and adjuster decide, but it is storm damage to a part of the window that holds the glass in, and we list it as a repair line with photos. Old putty is brittle and a hard hit cracks it loose along the pane. Show it up close with a coin for scale and a wide shot of the window. If the putty was already falling out before the storm, that part is wear, and an adjuster can usually tell; we only list what the hail did.
What is brickmould and why does hail break it?
Brickmould is the thick exterior casing around a wood window, the trim between the frame and the siding or stucco. It is solid wood, often old and dry, and hail hitting its top edge splits it along the grain or opens the miter at the corner. Split brickmould lets water behind the window frame. It is replaced in the matching profile, back-primed and sealed to the wall, and written as its own line on the scope.
Do I have to replace single-pane glass with insulated glass after hail?
No. A broken single pane in a wood sash is reglazed with new single-pane glass; that is like kind. The one change code may require is tempered glass if the pane is near a tub or shower, close to the floor or beside a door. If you want to move to insulated glass in the same sash it is sometimes possible with a deeper rabbet, and that is an upgrade line you pay the difference on.
Will the adjuster call hail dents in painted wood windows cosmetic?
Some do, from the lawn. A dent in painted wood is different from a dent in aluminum: it breaks the paint film and exposes bare wood, which takes on water and rots. Photograph the broken paint and the bare wood up close with a scale reference, and show any hits on the sill, which faces up and holds water. Whether your policy excludes cosmetic damage is a question for your agent; what the photos show is that this damage is not cosmetic.
Does the repaired wood window get painted as part of the claim?
Repaired and new wood goes in primed, filled and caulked. Finish paint or stain is quoted as a separate line on our scope so the adjuster can see it, and you can have us do it or paint it yourself once the putty has skinned. On a wood window the paint is not decoration; it is the weather seal, so the finish coat should go on the same season as the repair.
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 763-333-4066.
Related jobs we do
Insurance Claim Window Replacement — From the Storm to New Windows
Hail or straight-line wind took out windows on one side of the house and you have never filed a claim. Here is the whole path, from the first photos to the last check.
Read moreHail Dents on Aluminum Clad Window Sash — Sash Only or Whole Unit
The hail left dents all over the aluminum cladding on the sashes and the sill. The glass is fine, and you want to know what gets replaced.
Read moreHail Damage Window Replacement — Cracked Glass, Sashes and Frames
Hail left star cracks in the glass, dents in the vinyl sill and a sash that will not close tight. Here is how each one gets fixed, and what goes on the list for your adjuster.
Read moreReplace Old Wood Windows With Clad Wood Windows — Wood In, Clad Out
The old wood windows are rotting outside, but you want wood trim and wood sash inside. Clad wood keeps the wood where you see it and covers it where the weather hits.
Read moreWindow Sash Replacement Only — New Sashes, Keep the Frame
The sashes are rotted, fogged or will not stay up, but the frame is solid and the trim is original. You do not want the whole window torn out.
Read moreActual Cash Value vs Replacement Cost — Why the First Check Is Less
The adjuster's estimate says one number, the check that came says a smaller one, and the letter mentions depreciation. Nothing is wrong. Here is what the numbers are and what has to happen for the rest to arrive.
Read morePage reviewed October 2, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
Where we work
Insurance repairs near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: