Pole Barn Storm Damage Repair — Bent Steel Panels, Trim and Purlins
The wind peeled a run of roof steel off the east side, the hail dimpled the rest, and the trim is hanging by one screw — repaired to match, with the paperwork your insurance file needs.
JMB Builders does pole barn storm damage repair across the north metro and central Minnesota. After wind or hail we replace bent, torn or missing steel panels, ridge cap, trim and any purlins or girts pulled loose, with steel matched to the building's profile and color. We photograph the damage for your insurance file and meet the adjuster if you ask. Priced per project from a site visit, with a first estimate from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per project after a site visit
- Steel matched by profile and color chart
- Damage photographed for your insurance file
- First estimate from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Straight-line wind gets under the eave of a pole barn and lifts the roof steel from the edge in, one panel pulling the next. When it stops, there is a bare stretch of purlins, panels in the field, and the trim and ridge cap folded back. Hail does quieter damage: dimpled roof and wall steel, cracked skylight panels, dented trim. Either way the fix is the same trade: take off what is bent, check what is under it, and put back matching steel screwed to sound framing.
Purlins matter as much as the panels. When the wind rips a panel off it often pulls the purlin screws through or splits the purlin along the screw line. New steel over a split purlin will lift in the next storm. We check every purlin and girt under the damaged area, sister or replace the bad ones, and run the new panels with screws in fresh wood.
If you are filing a claim, we photograph the damage before we touch it, write the scope in the same terms the adjuster uses, and meet the adjuster at the building if you want us to. We do not decide what your policy covers and we do not promise a result; we document what is there and repair what is approved or what you choose to have done.
What you supply
- Photos of every damaged side and the roof from the ground, plus any panels that landed in the yard
- A photo of the manufacturer's label or a leftover piece of steel, if you have one, for the profile and color
- The builder's name or the year it was built, if known; it narrows the steel match
- Your claim number and adjuster's contact if you are filing, so our scope goes into the file
What JMB supplies
- A site visit to measure the panels, count the fasteners and check the purlins, girts and trusses under the damage
- Replacement roof and wall steel in the matching profile and the closest color on the current chart
- New ridge cap, rake, eave, corner and gable trim, and closures and butyl at the laps
- Purlins and girts sistered or replaced where they are split, and new screws with sealing washers throughout
- Skylight panels and vents replaced when hail cracked them
- Photos before, during and after for your insurance file and your job folder
- A written scope in adjuster terms, and a meeting at the building with the adjuster if you want it
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- How much steel is bent or missing: a few panels vs. a whole side or roof slope
- Purlins and girts that are split or pulled and have to be sistered or replaced
- Roof height and pitch; a tall shop roof needs a lift or staging
- Whether the steel profile is still made and how close the color match is
- Trim, ridge cap, closures and skylight panels included in the repair
- Insulation or liner inside that got wet and has to be replaced behind the new steel
- Whether the damage is repaired to an approved insurance scope or to what you choose
Photos get you a first estimate in a day; the firm number comes from the site visit, since panel lengths and purlin damage cannot be read from the yard.
How long it takes
A few panels and trim: one day. A full roof slope with purlin repair: two to three days once the steel arrives, which is usually a week or two for a color match.
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.
Situations and options
Wall steel replacement
Bent or hail-dimpled wall panels unscrewed and replaced from the corner trim in, with new closures at the base and the eave. On an older building we may replace the whole side so the color is even rather than a patchwork of new panels among faded ones.
Roof panels and ridge cap
Missing and creased roof steel replaced full length from eave to ridge, laid under the panel upwind so the laps shed water, with new ridge cap, closures and screws. Roof steel is never patched short; a splice on a roof is a leak.
Trim and closures
Rake, eave, corner and gable trim that the wind folded back, and the foam closures under it that keep birds and snow out. Often the only damage on a building that otherwise held, and a half-day job.
Purlins, girts and framing
Split purlins are sistered with new lumber or replaced between trusses; girts pulled from the posts are refastened or replaced. A bent truss or a post that moved is beyond a steel repair and goes to an engineer before we touch it.
Doors and windows hit by the storm
A sliding door blown off its track or a walk door and windows broken by debris get repaired or replaced in the same visit. Overhead doors bent by wind are usually a garage door company's replacement, and we frame and trim for it.
Pole Barn Storm Damage Repair — Bent Steel Panels, Trim and Purlins: questions, answered
Does insurance cover hail or wind damage on a pole barn?
That depends on your policy and how the building is listed on it. Many homeowner and farm policies cover outbuildings, some at a lower limit or with a separate deductible, and some cover wind but treat cosmetic hail dents differently. We are not the ones who decide that. What we do is photograph everything before it is touched, write a scope in the terms an adjuster uses, and meet the adjuster at the building if you ask, so the file is complete when the decision is made.
Can you replace just a few panels of steel on a pole barn?
Yes. Panels come off and go on individually, so a few bent ones on a wall or a missing run on the roof can be replaced without redoing the side. The catch is color: new steel next to steel that has faded for fifteen years shows. On a newer building it blends; on an older one we tell you how it will look and you can choose to replace the whole side or live with a visible repair.
Will the new steel match the old color?
It matches the current color chart, which is close to the original on a newer building and noticeably brighter on an older, faded one. The profile, the rib shape and spacing, has to match exactly or the laps will not seal, and we confirm it from a leftover piece or the builder's name. Where the match will be poor we say so up front and offer the whole side so it is even.
What if the purlins or trusses are bent?
Split or pulled purlins and girts are normal after a panel comes off, and we sister or replace them before the new steel goes on. A bent truss, a cracked truss chord or a post that shifted is a structural problem, and we bring in an engineer to say what the repair is before we put steel over it. Sometimes that is a sistered truss; sometimes it is a replaced one. We do not guess at it.
Do you meet the insurance adjuster at the pole barn?
If you want us there, yes. We walk the building with the adjuster, point out the damage we documented, including the purlin damage under the missing panels that is easy to miss from the ground, and answer questions about the repair. We do not negotiate your claim or promise what the adjuster will approve, and we never offer to cover a deductible.
Should hail-dented pole barn steel be replaced if it is not leaking?
Dents alone do not leak, and a lightly dimpled roof will shed water for years. Dents that cracked the paint will rust from those spots, and dents at the laps or the screws can open the seal. We look at where the hail hit and tell you whether it is cosmetic, whether it will rust, or whether it is a leak in a season or two. If your policy pays for cosmetic damage the decision is easy; if not, a dented roof that holds water out can stay.
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 pole barns pages
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