Had an interesting call the other day. A car crashed into my house and did some damage. Luckily nobody was hurt, crashed into my 17 month old daughter's room, 4 feet from the crib.

Everything is closed up now and I am waiting for a copy of the police report (this morning) and the insurance adjuster's report and list of damages/cost. From what I can see (and also what the Twp building inspector reviewed) is that the foundation which is a poured foundation is fine, no cracks or signs of damage. I did notice the bottom 2x4 sill is pushed in past the top one by 1/4" or so for about 6'-8'. New studs have been installed inside with some new insulation for now. All the siding on the outside around the area needs to be replaced.

Since I have never had to file a claim regarding my home, how does it work? Is it similar to car insurance where they assess the damage, come up with an estimate and provide you a check and you choose the contractor to use for the repair? From what I see, there is nothing I cannot (or have not) done before in my years of DIYing. My main concern is the structural integrity of the wall, so I would like someone with experience in that take a look. Of course this is a horrible time of year to get something done ASAP, which is why I am leaning more towards doing the repairs myself next week during my vacation.

I am obtaining the police report this morning, fully the driver's fault as my insurance will go after his insurance for the damages (hopefully that will go smoothly).

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. As I mentioned, I have never been thru a home insurance claim and am just thankful my family was not home when it happened.