Car Hit My House Repair — Wall, Garage and Framing Rebuilt
Someone missed the brake, the garage wall is pushed in and the door will not close. Here is how the wall gets checked, shored and rebuilt, and what the insurers need to see.
Car hit my house? JMB Builders does the repair across the Twin Cities metro: crushed studs, a shifted header, broken sheathing, siding, a service or entry door, and the drywall behind it. We document the damage for the insurers, meet the adjuster, and rebuild once the scope is approved. When the structure is hit, a structural engineer writes the repair first. Priced per project, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per project
- Garage and house walls, doors, framing
- Engineer's repair letter when structure is hit
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A car that hits a house usually hits low: the bottom of a garage wall, a corner, the service door, or the front steps and the wall behind them. What you see is broken siding and a dent. What matters is behind it: studs cracked or pushed off the bottom plate, a header that dropped over a door, a sill plate shoved off the foundation. A wall can look fine from the driveway and be carrying the roof on less than it should.
The first steps are safety. If the gas meter, electric meter or a line was hit, call the utility before anyone goes near it. If the wall is pushed in or the header dropped, the wall gets shored with temporary posts before anything is pulled off. A structural engineer then looks at the framing and writes the repair, and structural repair usually needs a building permit. After that the wall is rebuilt from the plate up: framing, sheathing, house wrap, siding, door or window, insulation and drywall.
The claim may go through the driver's auto insurance, your homeowners policy, or both; that is between you and the insurers. We give you the photos and a line-item scope, meet the adjuster and walk the damage, and rebuild once it is approved. Minnesota law bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or paying your deductible, and we do not.
What you supply
- Photos from the day it happened, the police report number and the driver's insurance details
- Your own claim number if you filed with your homeowners insurer
- The approved scope and any engineer's letter once you have them
- Access to the garage or rooms behind the damaged wall, cleared a few feet back
- Your paint colors — painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Photos of the damage inside and out with a scale reference, and a line-item list for the insurers
- Meeting the adjuster, or each adjuster, to walk the damage
- Temporary shoring and a closed-in wall when the framing is pushed in
- Framing rebuilt to the engineer's letter: studs, plates, header, corner
- Sheathing, house wrap, flashing and siding matched as close as the product allows
- Service, entry or patio door in the damaged wall replaced or reset
- Insulation, drywall and trim inside, and finished photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Whether framing is broken and needs an engineer's repair, or only sheathing and siding
- A garage wall vs. a wall of the house with finished rooms behind it
- A header over a door or window that dropped and has to be replaced
- A door or window in the damaged wall
- Siding, brick or stucco that has to be matched
- Temporary shoring and close-in before the rebuild
Send a photo of the wall from outside, one from inside, and a close-up of the worst spot. Say whether the doors in that wall still open and close.
How long it takes
Shoring and close-in: as soon as it can be scheduled after the accident. The rebuild starts once the scope and any engineer's letter are in; one damaged wall section usually takes a few days on site.
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 quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 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.
Car Hit My House Repair — Wall, Garage and Framing Rebuilt: questions, answered
What do I do right after a car hits my house?
Make sure nobody is hurt and get a police report. If the gas or electric meter or a line was hit, call the utility before anyone goes near it. Photograph the car in place if you can, then the wall inside and out. Get the driver's insurance details, call your own insurer, and keep people out of the garage or room behind the wall until someone has looked at the framing.
Do I need a structural engineer if a car hit my house?
If studs are cracked or pushed off the plate, a header over a door dropped, the corner moved, or the wall is out of plumb, yes. An engineer looks at the framing and writes the repair, and that letter is what the permit and the adjusters go by. If only the siding and sheathing broke and the framing is straight and tight, usually not.
Whose insurance pays when a car hits my house?
It depends on the driver, the policies and who is at fault, and that is between you and the insurers. Often the driver's auto liability insurance pays, or your homeowners insurer pays and goes after the driver's insurer. Either way, the adjusters need the same thing: photos and a line-item scope of the damage.
Can a car hitting the garage damage the house framing?
Yes. On an attached garage, the garage wall often carries part of the roof, and a hit at the corner or under a header can move the framing above it. Signs are a door that stopped latching, new drywall cracks inside, or a roof line that sags. Those are worth an engineer's look even if the siding is the only visible damage.
Can the siding be matched after a car hit the wall?
We match the profile, color and brand when they are still made, and use leftover material from the garage or another wall when they are not. When an exact match is gone, ask the adjuster in writing how the matching is handled before anything is ordered.
Can a contractor pay my deductible after a car hit my house?
No. Minnesota law bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or paying any part of your insurance deductible, and JMB Builders does not. If the claim runs through your homeowners policy, the deductible is your share and is paid as part of the job.
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 for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
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