Snow Slid Off Roof, Broke Window or Door — Glass, Door, Guards
The whole slab let go off the metal roof and came down through the patio door glass, or ice off the eave cracked the storm door.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Snow slid off roof, broke window glass, a patio door or a storm door? JMB Builders closes the opening, photographs the damage with a scale reference, writes it up line by line for your claim, and replaces the glass, panel or door. Then we look at why it happened: a metal roof with no snow guards, a valley dumping onto a door. Twin Cities metro, priced per window or door.
- Priced per window or per door
- Glass, panel, storm door or whole unit
- Snow guards and roof fixes quoted on their own line
Snow on a roof lets go all at once when the sun or a warm day loosens it. Metal roofs shed it fastest, but a steep shingled roof, a valley or an upper roof over a lower one can drop a slab just as hard. What sits under the eave takes it: patio doors, storm doors, low windows, window wells, the deck rail. Ice is worse than snow; a chunk of ice off an eave breaks tempered glass easily.
First, keep people away from that side of the house until the roof is clear, and close the opening. Plywood screwed over the outside, or heavy plastic taped inside, keeps the cold out. Photograph the broken glass, the pile of snow or ice under it and the roof edge above before anything is cleared. Damage from falling snow and ice, or from the weight of ice and snow, is a covered peril on many policies, but how yours reads, and any deductible, is between you and your insurer, so check your policy and ask your agent. You file the claim; we give you the photos and a line-item scope and meet your adjuster if you want us there.
Then the repair: new tempered glass or a new panel when the frame is sound, a new storm door or a whole patio door when the frame is bent. And the cause. Snow guards along a metal roof edge hold the snow so it melts in place instead of sliding. A storm door under a valley may need a small roof or diverter above it. Those are quoted on their own lines, apart from the damage.
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
- Photos of the broken glass or door, the snow or ice pile and the roof edge above, before anything is cleared
- The date it happened, and the claim number and approved scope once you have them
- The door or window brand and label if you can find it
- Clear, safe access to that side of the house once the roof above has shed its snow
- Your choice on snow guards or other changes to keep it from happening again
What JMB supplies
- Board-up or plastic over the opening when it is still open
- Photos with a scale reference and a line-item scope: glass, panel, screen, frame, trim, storm door
- Meeting your adjuster to walk the damage, when you want us there
- Replacement tempered glass, operating panel, storm door or whole door or window as the scope lists it
- For a whole unit: sill pan, flashing, foam, sealant and interior trim reset
- Snow guards on a metal or shingled roof edge above the door or window, quoted as a separate line
- Cleanup of broken glass and haul-away of the old parts
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Glass only, a single panel, a storm door or a whole patio door or window
- Whether the maker still makes a matching panel or glass unit
- Frame, sill, deck or trim damage below the opening
- Ladder or lift access when the roof edge is high
- Snow guards: roof type, length of the eave to cover and the guard style
- Board-up first if the opening is still open
Send a photo of the damage, the roof edge above it and any label on the door or window. Tell us whether the opening is covered.
How long it takes
Board-up the visit we come out. Glass and doors are made to order; once here, a glass or panel swap takes a few hours and a whole patio door about a day. Snow guards go on when the roof is clear.
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
Storm door glass or the storm door
Ice off the eave cracked the storm door glass or bent the door. A new glass panel when the door is sound; a new storm door when the frame is bent or the closer and hinges tore out.
Patio door glass or panel
A slab of snow broke the fixed panel or the slider. A new tempered glass unit or panel goes into the old frame when the frame, track and sill are straight.
Whole window or door
The weight bent the frame, cracked the sill or pushed the unit out of square. It comes out, the opening is checked and flashed, and a new unit goes in.
Snow guards above the opening
Guards fastened along the roof edge or across the panels hold snow so it melts in place. On a metal roof they are clamped or fastened to suit the panel. Quoted on their own line, apart from the claim scope.
Snow Slid Off Roof, Broke Window or Door — Glass, Door, Guards: questions, answered
Does homeowners insurance cover a window broken by snow sliding off the roof?
Many policies cover damage from falling objects and from the weight of ice and snow, but the wording and any exclusions vary. Check your policy and ask your agent. If you file, we provide photos with a scale reference and a line-item scope, and we can meet your adjuster.
Can snow guards be added to a metal roof that already has snow sliding off?
Yes. Snow guards can be added to an existing metal roof, clamped to the seams of a standing-seam roof or fastened through the panel with sealed fasteners on an exposed-fastener roof. They go in rows near the eave above doors, walkways and lower roofs. Shingled roofs can take guards too.
What should I do right after ice breaks my patio door glass?
Keep everyone away from that side of the house until the roof above is clear. Photograph the glass, the ice or snow pile and the roof edge before you clean up. Then sweep up with shoes on and close the opening with plywood outside or heavy plastic inside, and keep the receipts.
Is a storm door broken by falling ice a separate item on the claim?
It should be its own line, separate from the entry door behind it and any glass. A storm door is listed by its own size and type, with the closer, hardware and glass. If the entry door or the trim around it was hit too, those are listed on their own lines as well.
Can you replace just the glass in a door broken by a snow slide?
Often, yes, if the frame, track and sill are still straight and the maker still makes the glass or panel. We order tempered glass to the door's specs and set it in the existing frame. If the frame is bent or the parts are no longer made, the whole door is replaced.
How do I keep snow from sliding off the roof onto my patio door?
Snow guards along the roof edge above the door hold the snow so it melts in place. Where a valley dumps onto a door, a small roof or diverter above the door can move the snow to the side. A deck or patio below should keep people out of the slide zone until the guards are on.
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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