LEAWOOD, Kan. — Families are in the process of repairing their homes days after a tornado tore through Johnson County, Kansas, and one construction company says repair costs will be a lot more expensive because of inflation and shortages.
Frontier Restoration out of Olathe was hired by several homeowners. One home they are working on, off of 95th and Belinder Road, had a tree fall through its garage.
The tree caused structural damage to the home, tore through the roof and even damaged the parked car inside. Frontier Restoration estimates the damage is in the tens of thousands of dollars and will require demolishing the damaged section of the house before starting on repairs.
"We work hand in hand with the insurance adjusters, and that's why we have these great relationships with insurance companies — because they trust us," said Craig Hartwell, project manager with Frontier Restoration. "They will come in and do their scope or their estimate, we will do ours and compare them and then we come to an agreement."
Hartwell explains when it comes to working with insurance companies, the process of starting a repair can take a while but the situation can also be impacted by labor shortages and lack of materials. He says his company has all the equipment and manpower to get the jobs done, but the workload will take them a while to get through.
"I'm not sure how many requests we specifically got from the storm, but we are very busy," Hartwell said.
Frontier Restoration advises repairs won't be cheap, either, as material, lumber and gas have all increased in price. Naturally, repair costs will also increase to reflect the change.
"We have to drive all these locations, so gas is high and with my truck, filling it up was $115 when it used to be like $60, so that's how it affects us," Hartwell said.
Prices are not set in stone due to damage that could be found once repairs are underway.
"If we find work that we didn't see in the beginning, like something behind a wall, that can always turn in supplemental work," Hartwell said.
Scammers often target homeowners who have been affected by a natural disaster. Hartwell advises conducting thorough research to be sure homeowners are selecting a reputable company to complete the job and do so well.
He suggests looking at Google and Yelp reviews along with checking with home insurance companies for recommendations.
