Hail on Storm Windows: Photograph the Glass Edge First

Hail that hits a storm window rarely shatters the whole pane. More often it chips the glass at the edge, cracks the corner where the glass meets the frame, or dents an aluminum sash until it no longer closes flush. Many older houses across St. Louis County and the city carry storm panels that fit over the original sash, and the glass often looks whole from the sidewalk, so the damage gets missed. This page is for the homeowner who is partway through a decision and needs to know what to photograph, what a glass quote should say, and what to ask before anyone starts work.

Storm and hail

Hail hits glass differently than it hits shingles. A shingle bruises and loses granules, which you read in the roof photos. Glass either stays whole, shows a star crack that spreads from the impact point, or loses a small piece at the edge, which is called a spall. Windows on the side of the house that faced the storm take the direct hits, but a stone can also carry into the lower sash on a slanted fall, so check every side rather than only the windward one.

Freeze and thaw matters here. A chip that was too small to notice in July can open into a crack once water gets into it in January and the glass expands and contracts. A cracked storm panel also lets air move through the gap, which shows up as a draft at the sill and, after a hard freeze, as frost on the inside of the glass. If a storm window was damaged and you are seeing frost or water at the sill in cold weather, photograph it that day, because the pattern can change within a week.

Photograph each window in a set order so the file is easy to read later. Stand back and take one straight-on photo of the whole unit with a tape or a coin in the frame for scale. Then take a close photo of each damaged spot with the flash off and the light crossing the glass at an angle, which shows chips better than a head-on shot. Photograph the frame corners, the sill and the bottom rail of any aluminum sash. Keep a simple sketch of the house with each window marked, and label each photo with its location, such as north elevation, second floor, left sash.

Use this list for the photo set:

• One straight-on photo of each storm unit, with a scale in the frame
• One angled close-up of each chip, crack or spall, flash off
• The frame corners and sill, with the paint or finish visible
• A sketch of the house with each damaged window marked and labeled
• A dated index of the files, kept on your own device and not only on a phone that may be replaced

The file is worth keeping whether or not the damage goes to your insurer. A glass company will ask for it, your insurer may ask for it, and if the window is later replaced, the photos show what was broken before the work started.

What it costs

Glass is priced per pane, and the price depends on the size, the type and what the pane sits in. A storm panel is a different product from the insulated glass in the main sash. Some panels are a standard size, but many older storm windows are not, which is why a measurement taken from a photo is only a guess. A quote that does not show measured dimensions for each pane has not measured them. Ask whether the figure comes from a standard size or a field measurement.

Two quotes for the same window can differ for reasons that have nothing to do with the glass. One may include removing the old glazing compound, putty or vinyl gasket, while the other treats that as an extra. One may include the hardware, locks and spring balances on a double-hung sash, while the other leaves them off. Disposal of the broken glass is another line that sometimes goes missing. Read the lines, not only the total.

When the damage reaches the roof edge, the cost sits in a different place. Hail that hits a window head often also hits the flashing above it, the drip edge, or a nearby gutter. Keys documents roof and exterior damage with photos and measurements and puts a written scope in the homeowner's hands, so any flashing or roof-edge damage found near a window can appear in the roof scope with its own photos. The glass itself is quoted by whoever replaces the windows. Keep those two quotes separate on paper so the roof work and the glass work do not get merged into one number.

Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) forbids a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, so the roofer will not present the window damage to your insurer for you. If your insurer sends an adjuster, you deal with that adjuster. The roofer can attend as the contractor while you do so, and can provide the written scope and the photos, but the claim conversation stays with you.

What to ask

Before you accept any glass quote, ask the questions below and write the answers beside the quote. A short written answer is enough. If the company will not answer in writing, the quote is not finished.

1. Are the prices for measured sizes, or for estimates taken from photos?
2. Does the quote cover the storm panel, the insulated glass in the main sash, or both?
3. Is removing the old glazing compound, gasket or putty included?
4. Are the hardware, locks and balances on a double-hung sash included?
5. Does the price include hauling away and disposing of the broken glass?
6. If a frame is cracked or bent, is the frame repair priced separately?
7. Who will come to the house to measure, and will they check that the frame is square before the glass is ordered?
8. What warranty covers the seal on an insulated unit, and is it written on the quote?

If hail also reached the roof edge near the window, ask the roofer which flashing and drip edge lines will appear in the roof scope and whether each one has its own photo. Ask for the photos as original files, not screenshots, so the dates and image details stay intact.

One more check belongs on the day of the work. The crew that removes a storm panel should set it down where it cannot be stepped on or knocked over, and the sill should be checked for water before the new glass goes in. A wet sill under a cracked storm panel is easy to miss once the new window is up.