Damage to house, insurance claim issues

[dcbozarth73]

What is the name of your state? New Jersey

A month ago I had a tree fall onto my house. The tree was on my property. The front of my house was completely smashed. My insurance has said that they will reside the front of my house. The construction company brought over the paper work and samples of the new siding. Well... they found the same original siding. However, because of sun exposure over the last 3 years, the new siding is 2 shades darker. They are only willing to side the front of my house leaving me with a home that now has 2 different colors. Is this crazy? I called my insurance company and have worked my way up the ranks to a supervisor. Isn't it true that they must return my house to its original condition? My home was not bicolored to start with? What can I do? They say they are only responsible for the front since it was damaged. The sides were also damaged, just not as much. The plan was to take undamaged siding from the front to fix the spots on the sides. This is crazy right? What would my resale value be wtih a house with 2 colors. Help!

 

[las365]

I'm not a lawyer or an insurance adjuster.

The general rule is that replacement materials must be of "like kind and quality" as the original materials. Since the same material was found, that oesn't seem to be an issue. Will the new siding fade until it matches the old? Or will it all continue to fade and the house remain mismatched? Have you considered using a lighter color of new siding to match the faded siding?

If the siding on the sides of the house wasn't damaged, I think you will have a hard time proving your argument that your insurance carrier should have to replace it. I could be wrong, though.

 

[moburkes]

Unless you have a special policy that requires them to replace something that wasn't damaged, they are not required to. You can do as was suggested or paint.

 

[uswcdh44]

Insurance carriers are not required to make the whole house match. they pay only for damaged property, and what is considered "like kind and quality" and a reasonably uniform appearance. they typically do pay only to lace in the undamaged siding, and replace the damaged siding. the new stuff will fade, too over time. you may want to power wash the older areas to knock off some of the oxidation, or spray a mixture of baking soda and water on the new stuff to make it fade faster.

 

[kat1963]

Replacement (NOT repair) of siding & roofing is a special rider that you could have added to your insurance policy. This is why it pays to take the time to read the policy & especially the renewals that come because they change things all the time. By the time you need it, they gotcha' ya' if you aren't paying attention. Living in hurricane country we pay less the $20.00 per year for both. That said there are products that can restore the color to your older vinyl. My neighbor used a kit from Home Depot (about $50.00) on her dark green siding, it looks great!! Three years later no chipping, peeling for additional fading.

Good luck!