Lattice skirting goes around the bottom of a porch, a deck, or a crawl space opening, and it sits where hail can reach it from two directions. The panels take the direct hits, and the rails and posts take the wind-blown ones. Most homeowners photograph the wall of the house after a storm and forget the skirting entirely, which leaves a gap in the file that matters if you later need to show what the storm did to the lower part of the property.
Storm and hail
Vinyl lattice is the most common kind in St. Louis yards. It is light, it does not rot, and it stays flexible in warm weather. In cold weather it stiffens. A panel that bends in July can crack along a grid junction in January, and a hailstone that dents a panel in spring may only show a crack after a few freeze and thaw cycles. That is why the photo set for lattice should be taken soon after the storm, before the cold has had time to do its own work. Wood lattice shows hail differently. A stone can split a slat, chip the paint along the edge, or push a strip out of its groove. Aluminum and steel lattice is rare on older houses, but where it appears, look for flattened strands at the crossings.
Walk the skirting on the windward side of the house first. Hail usually comes in on a slant, so the panels facing the storm take the most hits. Then walk the other sides, because the lee side can still be struck by larger stones that bounce off the ground.
Take each photo with a ruler or a tape laid flat next to the damage. Photograph the whole run from a few feet back, then move in close on each dent or crack. Note the panel number if you have a plan of the skirting, and write the storm date on the first photo of the set. Keep the original files as they came off the phone. A screenshot loses the metadata that shows when the picture was taken.
Check the frame, not just the lattice. The rail that holds the lattice panels, the corner posts, and the bottom channel are where the impact transfers. A cracked bottom channel or a bent corner post means the panels cannot be swapped alone and still sit square. Photograph the fasteners too. Screws that have pulled through vinyl or wood, or nails that have backed out, show that the storm loaded the frame.
Ground contact matters. Lattice that sits in soil or mulch can hide a split at the bottom edge. Pull back the mulch in a few spots and photograph the bottom of the panel. If the skirting touches the ground, check whether soil moisture has pushed the panel toward the house, since that can look like storm movement when it is only settling.
What it costs
Lattice is usually priced by the panel, by the linear foot of run, or as a repair of one section. Ask for the basis in writing before anyone starts. A run with several cracked panels can cost more to replace by section than to replace the whole run, especially if the frame is also damaged. Also ask whether the price includes the trim and fasteners that hold the lattice, since a panel without matching trim is not a finished repair.
Matching is the tricky part. Vinyl lattice from one manufacturer may not match a run that has aged in the sun for years, and color fades on the exposed side first. Ask how the replacement will be sourced and whether the crew will tell you before the work starts if the color will not match. Missouri has no matching statute and no matching regulation for roofs or exterior trim, so the question turns on the policy wording, not on a rule about how a skirting run must look after repair.
Crews that work on the roof often offer skirting work too. Keep the two quotes separate. A roof bid that folds in a lattice line hides the lattice cost and makes the roof number look larger or smaller than it is. Ask for the skirting as its own line with its own photos.
What to ask
Ask who will photograph the skirting before any panel comes off. The photos should show the run from the windward side, each damaged panel up close with a ruler, the frame and its fasteners, and the bottom edge at ground level. If a contractor offers to photograph only the roof, ask who covers the rest of the house and its outbuildings.
Ask what happens to the removed panels. Keep at least one damaged piece, or the photos of it, until the repair is finished and you have checked the new panels for fit. A cracked panel that is discarded before anyone photographs it leaves no physical record.
Ask whether the crew will set the new panels at the same depth and height as the old ones. Lattice that sits too high can let animals under the deck, and lattice that sits too low traps moisture against the wood frame.
Ask for a written scope that lists each panel, each trim piece, and each fastener that will be replaced, along with the photos that support each line. Keys puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, so the file you keep after the work matches what was done. Keys does not handle your insurance claim, and Missouri law bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim. If the skirting damage goes on a claim, you deal with your own insurer, and the contractor's role is to document the damage and attend as the contractor.
If you want to talk through a skirting run before the cold sets in, call the Keys office at (314) 220-2333.