Documenting hardscape damage for an insurance claim
Photos in May, photos before cleanup, an assessment that keeps site work off the building's ledger.
- Before
- Photos every May; invoices on file
- After
- Photos before anything moves
- Separate
- Site work from building repairs
- Then
- Contractor assessment with scope and price
What should I send the insurer after a storm damages my pool deck or driveway?
Pre-storm photos (taken every May, date-stamped), post-storm photos before anything is touched, the waterline height and the direction things moved, a contractor's written assessment that lists the damage, separates site work from the building, and states the repair scope and price, and the invoices for the original work. Keep hardscape on its own invoice so the building's substantial-damage calculation under the NFIP 50 percent rule isn't inflated by a deck.
Coverage varies: homeowner policies often limit other structures, and NFIP flood policies generally exclude decks, driveways and pavers. Document regardless, because wind, debris and surge are adjusted differently and the assessment is also what the permit office wants.
The file
- May photo set: every surface, close and wide, drains, edges, coping, survey pins; saved to the cloud.
- Post-storm photo set before cleanup: same angles, plus waterlines and displaced items.
- A sketch of what moved where.
- Contractor assessment: damage list, cause (surge, wind, debris), site work vs building, scope, price, timeline.
- Original invoices and warranty for the hardscape.
- Permit records for the hardscape.
- Correspondence log with the adjuster.
Questions we get about this
How do I document hardscape damage for a hurricane insurance claim?
Date-stamped photographs before the storm (every May) and after it before anything is moved, close and wide, with a tape or a known object for scale; the waterline on walls; the direction pavers moved; drains and edges; the survey pins. Then a written assessment from the contractor separating site work (deck, driveway, pavers) from the building, with a repair scope and price, and the pre-storm invoices for what was there.
Is hardscape covered?
Depends on the policy: many homeowner policies exclude or limit "other structures" and site improvements, and flood policies through the NFIP generally don't cover decks, driveways and pavers. Read the policy; document anyway, because wind and debris damage is treated differently from flood.
Why separate site work from the building?
Because the building's repairs count toward the NFIP 50 percent substantial-damage threshold and site work doesn't; a bundled invoice can push a building into full flood compliance unnecessarily.
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 by the Sarasota Concrete editorial team (author name pending owner input).