House Damage Question

[Warhammer]

So we had a pretty big storm roll through last night. Everything was fine for the most part, but when I let the dog out this morning, I noticed the flashing below the siding on the backside of the house had let go and peeled back a bit. Not a big deal I thought, figured a few nails and I would be good to go.

So I let it air out during the early afternoon, got the ladder out, and was about to go to work when I saw that the area under the flashing was blackened. I checked, and my fears were confirmed, the wood had rotted and that was why the flashing had peeled back as the nails had nothing to bite into.

I called the insurance company and they told me to get a few estimates and see what they would look like before processing a claim. Now here is where it gets dicey.

This is on the backside of the house. The upper floor sticks out a bit over the lower level on the backside. Where the damage occurred is where the beam from the side of the house meets the beam from the back of the house. I did not check to see how far down either side the rot goes, but does anyone have any experience here? Also, what questions should I ask the contractor when they come out?

[Swaggs]

I think, worst case, you should be prepared for the rotten wood repair to not be covered by insurance, as it obviously did not rot overnight. Insurance will probably pay got the exterior repair with the claim from this storm, but you may be looking at a more substantial job if a lot of plywood needs repaired, as they will have to strip and reinstall/replace siding (or whatever exterior cover you have) to examine the extent of the wood that needs replaced. If it extends to the framing and joists, you are going to likewise need interior repairs and may need mold remediation.

Best case, flashing may have been failing for awhile in this isolated area and the plywood repair is small enough that the insurance company will trust the contractors' estimates without checking out the pre-existing damage and the contractor can easily access it during the repair of the exterior.