Contractor woes - help!!!

I am adding a vote for getting a structural engineer. In my experience, contractors may not be able to judge how extensive damage is until the work is underway.

Was the insurance adjuster hired by the insurance company? I am not trusting the insurance company to tell me what the actual costs will be of repairs. I would hire the engineer, make a list of what should be done, (following corralbrook’s recommendation) and submit bills to the insurance company after work was done. I am very concerned what you imagine to be a very generous estimate for repairs may not cover all your repair costs once you get going.

Sorry to be negative. I have had a building knocked off kilter by wind repaired. It was major.

My assumption was that since my insurance company was not the one footing the bill, they’d have no reason to be stingy in their estimate. Error noted.

Not a problem, though, and I appreciate the advice - finding a good structural engineer should be far less of a PITA than finding a good contractor!

FWIW, I did have the town engineer confirm the structural integrity of the house before allowing my son to move back in. (His room is immediately adjacent to where the impact occurred.) So I had the right idea . . . I just didn’t take it far enough.