After a hailstorm in St. Louis, most homeowners walk straight to the roof, the gutters and the siding. Those are the parts that cost the most to fix, so they get the attention. The smaller things in the yard often tell the same story, and they are easier to lose track of. A lawn chair with pitted aluminum arms, a grill lid with a dimple the size of a quarter, or a trash cart with a cracked lid can all show that hail reached the property. If you are working through a decision about storm damage, a short set of dated photos of these items belongs in the same file as the roof.
This page covers the yard items that most often take hail: patio furniture, grill lids and side shelves, trash and recycling carts, and the smaller metal pieces that sit out all season. It also covers how to photograph them so the pictures are useful to you, and to whoever you hand them to later. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 if you want a second set of eyes on the property.
Why the small items matter
Hail leaves a mark on anything it strikes, but the marks are not all the same. A soft metal surface like aluminum or thin steel will show a round dent with a clean edge. Painted steel may show the dent and also a crack or a chip in the paint, and that chip can start rust within a season. Plastic, such as a trash cart lid or a polyethylene chair, may crack, split or go chalky at the point of impact. Glass and some plastic panels can show a star-shaped break. Each of these results tells you something about the size and force of the stones.
Because the items are on the ground or close to it, they are often hit by stones that have bounced or rolled. That does not make them less useful as evidence. A pattern of dents across a row of chairs or a set of carts usually shows that the hail was dense enough to reach the yard. A single dent on one item and nothing on the rest of the patio is a weaker sign, and you should say that in your notes rather than overstate it.
Patio furniture and cushions
Aluminum patio chairs and tables are common in St. Louis yards, and they show hail well. Look at the top rails, the arm caps and the flat tabletop. Dents on a flat surface are easy to see in the right light, so take the photo at a low angle in the late afternoon or early morning when the sun rakes across the metal. Include a coin or a tape measure beside each dent so the size can be judged later.
Cushions and fabric covers can show hail as well, though it is less obvious. A torn seam, a split at a corner or a hole where a stone punched through the fabric is worth photographing. Cushions also get wet, and a damp cushion can look worse than it is for a few days after the storm. Photograph them once they have dried, and note the date. If a cushion was already faded or torn before the storm, say so in the notes, because an unexplained tear next to an old one is hard to read later.
Glass tabletops deserve a separate look. A chip on the edge or a crack that runs from a corner can come from hail, but it can also come from a dropped glass or a cold snap. Photograph the crack from several angles and write down whether you saw the table hit during the storm. Keep the glass fragments if they are safe to keep, since a pattern of breaks can help show what struck the surface.
Grill lids, side shelves and burner covers
Gas and charcoal grills are usually made of painted steel or stainless steel, and the lids are the most exposed part. Hail dents on a lid often look like shallow round bowls with a slightly raised rim. On a painted lid the dent may also crack the paint at the bottom of the bowl. Photograph the lid flat on the grill, then take a second picture from a few feet back so the dent can be placed on the whole piece.
Side shelves, control panels and the thin metal covers over burners are also worth a look. A dent on a control panel can affect how the knobs turn, so if the grill works differently after a storm, note that in writing and take the grill's photos before anyone repairs it. If the grill is covered by a cover, check whether the cover itself has holes or tears, because a grill cover that absorbed a hit is still a record of the storm.
If you have a propane tank next to the grill, photograph the tank's valve area and collar too. A dent in the collar is not a leak by itself, but it is a detail that a repair person may want to see, and it helps show the path the stones took across the patio.
Trash, recycling and yard carts
Plastic trash carts and recycling carts are usually sitting out on the curb or along the side of the house, and they often take hail on the lid and the handle. Look for cracks in the lid, chips along the edge, a split at the hinge and a bent or broken wheel. Hail can also knock a cart over, which can crack the lid on the way down, so photograph the cart where it came to rest as well as the damage itself.
Many carts are sold in the same color, so a row of identical carts makes an easy pattern to read. Photograph each cart separately, then take one wide picture of the whole row so the spacing and the positions are clear. If one cart has damage and the others look fine, say so. An honest set of photos that shows the difference is more useful than one that makes every cart look broken.
Building the photo set
Start with a wide photo of each area. Stand back and take in the patio, the grill and the cart row, then move closer. For each item, take one wide shot, one medium shot that shows the item, and one close shot of each mark with a coin or a ruler in the frame. Keep the originals on your phone or camera rather than screenshots, and do not edit them. A file that has been cropped or filtered is harder to trust later.
Write the date and time on a note for each group of photos, and record where the item was when it was hit, if you know. A short list works well: the chair with dented arms, the grill lid with three dents, the cart with a cracked lid. If you can, share the photos with a family member or keep a copy in an email to yourself with the date on it. A dated file is easier to follow than a folder of pictures with no notes.
Do not move the damaged items until they are photographed. It is tempting to bring the chairs inside or to stand the carts up, but the position of an item before it is moved is part of the record. If the item is in the way of a repair or a delivery, take the photos first and then move it.
What to ask about these items
When you talk with a contractor, ask whether they will look at the yard items or only the house. A roofing company may want to photograph the roof, the gutters and the siding, and that is a sensible place to start. The yard items are a separate question, and the answer may be that they are outside the roof scope. Ask that directly, and ask for the answer in writing, so you know what your photo file covers.
Ask whether the photos you take will be given back to you in full resolution. A good file includes the originals, the dates and a short list of what each photo shows. If a company offers to keep the only copy of your photos, ask why, and consider keeping your own set.
Keep the list of items with the rest of your storm notes. Chairs, grill lids and carts may seem minor next to a roof, but a clear record of every item that took a hit makes the whole storm file easier to read, for you and for anyone you show it to.