Lawn mower breaks window. Does Home Insurance Cover Smashed Windows

My House Backs Onto A Laneway, And Someone Threw A Stone And Shattered A Large Quadruple Paned Window, Am I Covered By House Insurance?

You’re minding your business one day, when you hear a smash of glass from downstairs. It’s annoying and unwanted, but will your home insurance cover a broken window?

Yes – your home insurance policy will cover accidental (or deliberate) breakage of fixed glass in Windows, doors, fanlights and other fixtures.

If the stone was deliberately thrown at your window, call the Gardai and file a police report. Getting as much evidence on your side as possible will help back up your claim.

In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:

• My window was broken accidentally by someone else, can I claim?
• Can I claim on home insurance for vandalism?
• Does my home insurance cover broken glass?

When it comes to throwing stones, the phrase “kids will be kids” is all well and good until a window gets smashed. In these cases, insurance providers will be insurance providers: someone must pay for the damage and face consequences.

First, check if it was an accident or not

Many situations can cause a stone to smash a window. A particularly violent storm may cause debris to come loose, or a close-by stone wall may start to crumble. Or, a particularly careless person may have been aiming for something else (though this does beg the question: what were they aiming for?).

There have been many documented cases of lawnmowers and motorcycles causing stones to go flying, shattering like bullets through glass. If your neighbour is out mowing the lawn and you hear a sudden smash, this may well be the case.

Before you do anything else, make the scene safe for yourself and others. Keep children and animals out of the room, and put on shoes if you haven’t already. But, don’t start clearing up until you know what went on and that the danger is over.

Try and figure out what happened without disturbing the scene too much. If a chunk of flint is lying on your living room carpet and it wasn’t there five minutes ago? Then it’s pretty obvious. But you may have to search under sofas, behind tables or around the broken glass itself to find the culprit.

If your gut instinct is telling you the damage was malicious, take as many photos as you can early on. This will help the Gardai, as well as your insurance provider, work out who was at fault.

Deliberate or accidental damage

No matter if the breakage was deliberate or accidental, your home insurance will cover you.

This is because all standard home insurance policies should cover you for damage caused by vandalism, riots, strikes or civil unrest. Of course, all policies are different in their own ways, so check your policy wording thoroughly or have a broker look it over.

But even if you have this cover, you’ll want to know if someone deliberately meant harm to your property. This is so you can inform the Gardai and stop it happening to you or someone else again.

This does, of course, mean that the crime statistics in your area increase and you may end up paying more for your premium.

If you live in an area where vandalism occurs regularly, this could make your policy more expensive. It’s all about risk: if your property is at higher risk of vandalism or reoccurring damage, even if accidental, this may affect how much you pay.

Vacant properties

It’s essential to know that normal home insurance coverage will not apply if your house is left unoccupied or unfurnished for 40 days in a row or more.

This is because the house will then be technically vacant – even if you’re on an extended holiday or moving out during remodelling – and vacant properties have a higher risk of vandalism.

It also means that if there’s no one around, one smashed window could lead to bigger problems down the road. It’s not so bad if someone is there to sweep up glass and board up the window immediately, but what about after a week? Wildlife may enter the property, it may attract criminals who then know the house is vacant, or more of the window may collapse. Plants may even enter the property, given long enough.

A broken window is usually nothing to worry about, until it becomes a bigger problem.

Your home insurance will cover you unless you have special circumstances, in which case you’ll need to check your policy. Give us a call today, and we’ll be happy to look it over. You can call us on Monday – Friday 8.30-5.30pm on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.

All Information in this post is accurate as of the date of publishing.

How Much Time Americans Spend Mowing in Their Lifetime

Elisabeth Beauchamp is a content producer for Today’s Homeowner’s Lawn and Windows categories. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Journalism and Linguistics. When Elisabeth isn’t writing about flowers, foliage, and fertilizer, she’s researching landscaping trends and current events in the agricultural space. Elisabeth aims to educate and equip readers with the tools they need to create a home they love.

Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.

April 26, 2023 July 22, 2022

Mowing your lawn serves the dual purpose of keeping your grass healthy while keeping your yard crisp and clean for outdoor enjoyment. Mowing can be source of income for young adults, a stabilizing force during a stressful week, or a chore we dread as the weekend draws closer. But how long do we really spend on our lawn care regimen on a weekly or yearly basis—let alone throughout our lives?

We reviewed data for the 300 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas and calculated how long an average resident spends mowing. We considered hours of sun exposure, spring and summer temperature, and mowing frequency per year. Our full ranking breaks down the top 10 cities that spend the most and least time mowing every year.

Top 10 Cities For Most Days Spent Mowing

Among our top cities for the most time spent mowing, we found that they were primarily concentrated in the Western and Southern United States. They all had ideal sunlight exposure, spring and summer temperature, and their yard sizes fell between roughly a half acre and one acre.

Top 10 Cities For Least Days Spent Mowing

If you’re hunting for a home where the lawn is the last thing you’ll have to worry about, these cities are the right place to look. In our research, we found that residents in Cambridge, Massachusetts will spend an average of only 1.28 days of their lifetimes mowing their lawns. Northeast cities dominated our list for places that require less time tending landscapes. Both reduced sunlight and lower spring and summer temperatures help keep yard work obligations to a minimum.

Conclusion

No matter where you live, lawn maintenance is important for your home’s overall appearance and upkeep. Consider hiring professional services if you want to take your lawn to the next level. The Today’s Home team has compiled a list of our best lawn service companies to help you choose the best one for you. We recommend checking out TruGreen to make your life a little easier. TruGreen partners with you to provide personalized mowing tips and keep your yard healthy. Mowing the yard may be time-consuming, but it makes relaxing outdoors much more enjoyable.

Methodology

To determine which cities were host to the longest and shortest mowing times, we looked at data for the 300 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. After removing some outliers (e.g., New York City, N.Y., and Anchorage, Alaska), we calculated our national and city averages using the following variables:

• Average hours of sunlight per year by state (to determine mowing frequency)
• Average spring and summer temperature by state (to determine mowing frequency)
• Average lawn acres (calculated by subtracting the city’s median home size from its average yard size.)
• Mower size (for lawn acres less than.5, we assumed the use of a small push mower with a mower deck size width of 21 inches, for lawn acres equal to or greater than.5 acres, we assumed the use of a large push mower with a mower deck size of 28 inches.)

With this data, we calculated the time it takes to mow a single acre based on the mower deck size and miles per hour potential using the following formula from Encore Equipment:

• 9 / (3.1 mph x 0.9 x mower deck width in inches) x = Hours to mow one acre

• “0.9” refers to the minimal overlap seen when mowing each swathe of lawn.
• “108.9” refers to the dimensions of the acres per hour.

Sources

Elisabeth Beauchamp is a content producer for Today’s Homeowner’s Lawn and Windows categories. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Journalism and Linguistics. When Elisabeth isn’t writing about flowers, foliage, and fertilizer, she’s researching landscaping trends and current events in the agricultural space. Elisabeth aims to educate and equip readers with the tools they need to create a home they love.

Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.

How to Replace Broken Glass in a Single-Pane Window

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Kelly Bacon is a licensed general contractor with over 40 years of experience in construction, home building and remodeling, and commercial building. He is a member of The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.

Sarah Scott is a fact-checker and researcher who has worked in the custom home building industry in sales, marketing, and design.

• Working Time: 1 hr
• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Yield: One window pane

• Skill Level: Beginner
• Estimated Cost: 10 to 30

All it takes is an errant baseball, a pebble thrown by a lawnmower blade, or a misguided bird to break the glass in a window. Occasional glass breakage is a normal part of owning a home. If the window uses insulated thermo-pane glass consisting of two glass panels around an empty space, repairing it requires a repair call from a glazier or a visit from a window company to replace the entire sash. You can determine if you have multiple-pane Windows by shining a light on the window from the inside while it is dark outdoors. If the window has multiple panes, the light reflection will be repeated. For example, on double-pane Windows, two reflections will show up, one next to the other.

But if you have older wood-framed Windows with single-pane glass, it is relatively easy to fix broken glass yourself. You just need a few simple tools and materials, some of which you may already have on hand. Other materials are easily obtainable at home centers and hardware stores.

Remember that working with glass is always inherently hazardous. Be sure to always wear safety glasses and thick gloves.

Anatomy of a Single-Pane Window

Before starting this project, it is important to understand how a single-pane window pane is fastened into the wood frame. If you have ever worked with glass photo frames that have bendable metal stays in the back, the construction of a single-pane window will be familiar. Instead of metal stays, the single-pane window uses metal triangles called glazing points. These tiny metal triangles are essentially the nails that hold the glass to the wood frame.

These points are then covered up with a bead of glazing compound that hardens into a solid molded wedge that seals the glass and hides the glazing points. When painted to match the window, this system is virtually invisible.

Note: Some types of Windows will be held in place with a wood or vinyl bead molding held in place by small nails. If this is the case, the molding can pried loose and reused or replaced with new. A small bead of caulking can be used around the edges of the new glass before nailing on the bead. Slightly set the nails in the molding with a hammer and use a nail set to finish driving them in so as not to impact and break the new glass with the hammer head. A power brad nailer would work well if one is available.

Replacing a broken pane of glass is a process of removing this hardened glazing and the glazing points, removing the shards of glass, then installing a new pane of glass and new glazing points and glazing.

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Leather work gloves
• Eye protection
• Putty knife
• Wood chisel or razor scraper
• Paintbrush
• Tape measure
• Pencil (optional)
• Metal straightedge (optional)
• Glass cutter (optional)
• Rubber mallet

Materials

• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Linseed oil or clear wood sealer
• Replacement glass cut to size
• Glazing points
• Glazing compound
• Exterior-grade paint

Instructions

Remove the Broken Glass and Clean the Frame

Using a putty knife, pry up the hardened glazing compound from around the glass. It should come off in large chunks, as it is usually quite dry and brittle. Where bits of compound are stuck to the wood, scrape them away. Use a putty knife, pliers, or a thin flat-head screwdriver to pry out the old glazing points. These tiny fasteners pin the glass into the frame’s recess, with sharp points that are embedded into the wood. Wearing eye protection and with thick gloves, remove all of the broken glass. Using a chisel or razor scraper, scrape down the L-shaped channel around the frame where you removed the glazing compound and glazing points. Be careful not to gouge the wood. Sand the wood smooth with fine-grit sandpaper, then seal any bare wood with linseed oil or clear wood sealer applied with a paintbrush. Let the sealer dry completely.

Measure the Frame and Buy the Glass

Measure the width and height of the window opening, measuring to the outside edges of the L-channels. Subtract 1/8-inch from each measurement to use as the glass size. Slightly undersizing the pane makes it easier to install and provides room for seasonal expansion and contraction. Take these measurements to the hardware store or home center and have a piece of glass cut to this size.

Alternate Method: Cut Your Own Glass

Alternatively, you can cut a piece of glass yourself if you happen to have a large sheet of stock glass. Place the glass on a clean, flat work surface. Make marks for the cutting line with a permanent marker. Place a metal straightedge on the mark and score the cutting line onto the glass using a glass cutter. A glass cutter has a small metal wheel for scoring the glass. Run the cutter along the straightedge while pressing the wheel down firmly. Make only one pass with the cutter. Be sure to wear safety glasses and gloves for the next step. Slide the glass along your work surface so that the scribed line on the glass is aligned with the edge of the surface. Holding the main portion of the glass with one hand, use the other hand to push down sharply on the waste portion of the glass to snap it along the scored line. Be careful when handling the cut glass, as the edges will be quite sharp.

Mount the Glass

Roll out glazing compound into long, very thin ropes, about 1/8-inch in diameter. Push the ropes into the L-channels around the perimeter of the window frame where the glass will rest. Gently press down around the perimeter of the glass with the tip of a putty knife, slightly compressing the glazing compound and bedding the glass. Press two glazing points into the bottom of the frame against the glass, forcing them into the wood with the tip of the putty knife. If you need extra force, gently tap the handle of the putty knife with a rubber mallet to drive in the points. Install additional glazier’s points, two per side, for a total of eight glazing points per window pane. On the backside of the window, use a putty knife to scrape off any glazing compound that seeped out.

Glaze the Window

Roll more glazing compound between your hands, forming ropes about 1/2-inch thick. Apply these ropes of compound to the L-shaped space where the glass meets the window frame, over the glazing points. Use your finger to press the compound against the glass and wood. Using a putty knife held at a 45-degree angle, run the blade of the knife along the bead of glazing compound, forming a flat, angled wedge along the joint between the glass and the window frame. If you notice gaps in the compound, apply a little more and smooth the joint with another pass of the putty knife. When you’ve achieved a perfect wedge-shaped seal with the glazing compound, carefully remove any small pieces of compound on the glass, using the tip of the putty knife. Be careful not to touch the finished bead of glazing compound. Glazing a window can be tricky, but it can be mastered with a little practice. The goal is glass that is sealed in place with a perfect wedge of compound around all four sides. The compound will stay soft for a fairly long time, so if you mess up the job, just scrape out the glazing compound out and start over.

Tip

Glazing compound is much easier to mold with if it is slightly warm. On a cool day, you can slightly warm the can of glazing compound over a heater before beginning. Working the compound with your hands will also warm it up and make it easier to work with.

Let the Glazing Cure, Then Paint

Let the glazing compound dry and harden, following the manufacturer’s recommended drying time. This can be as much as 5 to 7 days. Once it is dry and fully hard, paint the glazing and any exposed wood with exterior-grade paint. Professionals like to overlap the paint onto the glass by the barest of margins—perhaps 1/16 of an inch—to ensure the best possible weather seal. After the paint has fully dried, clean the glass.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Window Damage? Here’s What Homeowners Insurance Will Cover

Over the years, your Windows can take a beating, whether it’s from storms, wind, or physical forces. When extensive window damage occurs, paying for repairs on your own dime can be incredibly costly, especially without adequate homeowners insurance coverage. The policy you hold will determine what damages are insured and help calculate your potential out-of- window repair costs.

What Caused Your Window Damage?

The first question your homeowners insurance company will ask when a window gets broken is what caused the damage? Window damage can occur in several ways ranging from intense storms to simple accidents. Although window damage is relatively common, it’s not always covered by homeowners insurance.

You’ll need to determine the type of homeowners insurance coverage you have to uncover the final cost of repairs after window damage. There are two primary homeowners insurance policies (or a mixture of the two) that can include or exclude window damage insurance cover:

• Open-perils: As the name implies, open-peril policies typically insure against any covered loss, except those expressly excluded. Open-peril is the most comprehensive coverage homeowners can acquire, so it is usually more costly.
• Named-perils: Named-peril policies only cover risks explicitly outlined within the contract. In this case, you might have to pay out of for certain damages to your Windows.

For the most part, window damage due to storms and other weathering events are insured under most open-peril and named-peril policies. However, don’t count on your insurance covering replacements of old, failing window systems. Ensure you read your insurance policy carefully before signing off on any agreements so that you know you’re insured in case of accidents, theft, or unforeseen disasters. Work with an experienced window repair company to receive valuable insurance claims assistance when damage occurs.

With that said, let’s dive further into the few circumstances where window damage might not be covered by a typical homeowners insurance possible:

If Something Breaks Your Window:

Standard homeowners insurance policies most commonly cover unforeseen circumstances such as storms and weathering events. The “thing” that breaks your window is the “peril” that we mentioned above. Some weather-related perils your homeowners policy probably insures will include:

Not all weather conditions are covered under named-peril policies, so it’s crucial to read through the contract to know exactly what’s insured. If you live in an area where heavy storms, like hurricanes or monsoons, are common, you might want to consider an open-peril policy. In doing so, you guarantee coverage if, God forbid, your home and Windows are severely damaged during one of these storms.

If Someone Breaks Your Window:

Things get a little tricky when an actual person causes physical damage to your window. If the damage is due to an event such as theft, there is a high likelihood that your insurance company will cover the repairs.

However, if a neighbor or guest on your property breaks the window, this is where things get a little muddled. Depending on the homeowners insurance of the window-cracking culprit, you might wind up having to pay for the repairs out-of-, depending on their coverage and deductibles.

If You Accidentally Break Your Window:

Accidents are bound to happen, and most homeowners know that Murphy’s Law is almost always in effect when it comes to maintaining their property. If you ever find yourself accidentally damaging window panes within your home, those issues may not be insured under named-peril policies.

If you accidentally fall into a window or your child breaks the glass with an unruly ball, the biggest likelihood is that you will be utilizing your own savings to take care of repairs. That is unless you have an expensive, open-peril policy in your name.

It’s important to note that regardless of your policy type, most homeowners insurance companies will not cover regular wear and tear or common window failures, like failing seals or old age issues.

If You Break Your Neighbor’s Window:

Hopefully, this issue never happens, but if it does, there is a slight chance that your homeowners policy will cover damage to another neighbor’s home. Damage to the property next to you can occur in several ways, but typically it’s due to a loose ball or falling tree limb. Contact your insurance agent to determine what’s covered when an accident happens with your neighbor’s Windows or home.

Dealing With Deductibles

After an issue occurs and you determine that your homeowners insurance policy covers the type of damage you’re experiencing, it’s time to file a homeowners insurance claim. A homeowners insurance deductible denotes the amount of out-of- money you’ll have to supply before insurance companies pay on a claim.

The easiest way to understand your deductible is by looking at an example: Imagine your deductible is 1000, but the cost of window repairs is only 650. In this case, your insurance would not cover any damages, so it makes more sense to settle the issues with your savings and skip on filing a claim.

If the estimated repair cost exceeds your deductible, it’s necessary to file a claim so you can get back the money you deserve. With extensive window damage, don’t hesitate to contact both your insurance company and trusted window repair company to fix the problem right away before it grows out of control and costs you more money in the end. The insurance claims process can be time-consuming and stressful, so if you can avoid it, that’s the best option.

If you’re still confused about how your deductible works or whether you’ll be insured in case of window damage, there are plenty of resources out there to help. National insurance companies like Allstate offer valuable online tools and resources to teach new or inexperienced homeowners how to interact with their insurance companies. You can view more information from Allstate about insurance and window damage here.

Conclusion

Window damage can occur in several ways, and dealing with deductibles and homeowners insurance companies that keep dragging their feet can cause quite the headache. Before you begin to file a claim for your window damage, take a closer look at your homeowners insurance policy to ensure that the damage incurred will be covered.

Don’t waste time and money on pointless insurance claims when improvement costs are actually less than what you owe on your deductible. When damage occurs, the best thing to do is call a trusted window contractor to assess the damage and estimate the cost of repairs.

The right window repair company can assist you in filing insurance claims when necessary or by simply repairing your Windows at an affordable rate. When you need window damage repair services, contact Advantage Construction for expert repairs and individualized assistance with insurance claims.