Emergency tarp over a damaged roof section on a Long Island house

Alec's Construction handles storm damage and insurance restoration in Islip, Suffolk County — emergency tarping, drying, the documentation, and the rebuild — working out of the yard in East Patchogue. Winter is when most of it happens here: nor'easters from November, ice dams from January, and burst pipes any night the temperature drops after a power cut.

Winter Damage in Islip

The hamlet of Islip has the older colonials and capes near the bay, and older houses have the most to lose from a winter storm — original windows that leak under wind-driven rain, chimneys with failed flashing that only show themselves in a nor'easter, and plumbing that was extended through unheated spaces decades ago and freezes when the power goes out. South of Montauk Highway the water comes up as well as down.

On the South Shore, the Storm Comes From Two Directions

Near the bay a nor'easter is wind off open water at the same time as a tide pushing up the canals, and the two do different damage that goes to two different policies. The wind takes shingles and siding off the exposed elevations and drives rain in around windows and flashing — that is the homeowners claim. The water that comes up into the yard and the garage is a flood claim, on a separate policy with a separate adjuster.

We document the two separately from the first hour, because they are going to be handled separately, and keeping the scopes distinct is what stops one carrier pointing at the other. Inland from the water the winter story is ice dams and frozen pipes, same as everywhere else.

How a Winter Claim Goes

1. Stop the water. Tarp the roof, cover the opening, shut the supply, pull the wet material that will grow mould if it stays. Same day where we can. 2. Document as found. Photographs of everything before it is disturbed — the damage, the cause, the water path. This is what the claim rests on. 3. Write the scope. Line by line, the way the adjuster reads one, with the photographs attached. Storm damage and pre-existing wear kept separate, so the claim is for what the storm did. 4. Meet the adjuster at the house if it helps, and answer the questions with the photographs. 5. Rebuild to the agreed scope, and correct the cause — the flashing, the attic, the pipe run — so the same claim does not come back next winter.

Ice dam and icicles along the eave of a Long Island house in winter

What Is Usually Covered and What Is Not

Wind damage and the water it drives in, ice-dam water damage, a tree on the house and the tree's removal up to a limit, and burst-pipe water damage in a heated house are the usual winter claims under a standard homeowners policy. Tidal flooding is a flood-policy claim on a separate policy. The age of a roof is not a claim, and the attic that caused the ice dam is not a claim — those are the fixes, and we tell you which is which before you file.

Building Department in Islip

Islip files with the Town of Islip, whose published permit guidance treats finish work differently from anything touching water, gas or electric. Emergency repairs to make a house safe do not wait for a permit, but the rebuild that follows is permitted work like any other — structural repairs, roofing, electrical — and we file it.

Free walkthrough in Islip, and if it is an emergency, call rather than fill in the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

What winter damage do you see most in Islip?

Three things, and they overlap. Wind-driven rain getting in around older windows and chimney flashing during a nor'easter, which shows up as ceiling stains a day later. Ice dams on the capes and colonials with under-insulated attics, which back water up under the shingles. And burst pipes after a cold snap, which is the one that does the most damage in the least time. All three are claims when they are documented properly, and the documentation is what we do first.

Is ice dam damage covered by homeowners insurance?

The water damage usually is — the ceiling, the wall, the wet insulation — because it is sudden and accidental water intrusion. What is not covered is the cause, which is the attic, and the carrier will expect it to be corrected so the claim does not repeat. We restore the damage as the claim and correct the attic as the fix.

Are burst pipes a claim?

The water damage from a burst pipe is generally covered under a standard policy, provided the house was heated — carriers exclude freeze damage in a house left unheated without the water shut off. The pipe repair itself is usually the plumber's small job; the damage it did to the floor, the wall and the ceiling is the restoration and the claim.

Do you work with the adjuster?

Yes. We write the scope the way the adjuster reads one, line by line with the photographs attached, and we meet them at the house if it helps. We do not adjust the claim — that is your carrier's job or a public adjuster's — but a scope that matches what the adjuster sees is what gets a claim settled without a second visit.

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Work With Alec's Construction

This guide is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's Storm Damage & Insurance Restoration service — emergency tarping, documentation and the claim itself. Licensed and insured on Long Island, one crew start to finish, free walkthrough and a written estimate inside 48 hours.

Booking the cold months now: we also handle Roofing and Siding.

Get a Free Estimate from Alec's Construction

Working across Suffolk County since 2018, one crew from start to finish. We come out, look at the actual job, and put a written number in your hand — no pressure, no obligation.

Or call (631) 312-7441

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