Contractor Says Home Repairs Following Damaging Hail Storm Could Take Weeks, Months

Contractors responding to requests for glass repair at homes damaged by Wednesday’s hail storm are warning homeowners the process may take weeks, if not months. 

Soonerbuild owner James Whitworth said he began getting calls at 10:30 p.m. during the storm. He woke up to a long list of home repairs to attend to. 

“Started getting calls about 10:30 last night and I woke up this morning and I’ve been everywhere,” he said. 

Whitworth expects to put a temporary patch on 30 windows in the first day following the storm, with days of more temporary patchwork ahead. 

“If your window has to be replaced, you’re at a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks. If they can come out and just replace the glass itself, you’re probably 3 or 4 weeks out on that,” he said. 

His crew is using a material similar to plywood but said any homeowner can create a patch with a few simple materials. He recommends using a corrugated plastic material. 

“You can pick it up at Home Depot or Hobby Lobby or something. If you have an Exact-o knife or a utility knife or something, you can do the same thing that we’re doing with sheeting,” Whitworth said.

Fit the plastic on the outside of the window and seal it with duct tape or something equally strong. The key is placing the patch on the outside to prevent water from becoming trapped inside the window.

The damages from Wednesday’s storm come on the heels of delays across the construction industry. Whitworth said staffing shortages across the board due to COVID-19 have extended project times for the past year.

“So, all those factors take a job that used to take us two or three weeks and now those same jobs are 12 to 14-week turn arounds. I mean your hands are tied,” he said.