When Hayley and Greg saw warnings about Tropical Cyclone Alfred, they weren’t initially concerned that their home would be impacted.

The couple lives with their two young boys, aged one and four, in their Redland Bay family home, on the coastal outskirts of Brisbane.

Historically, they’ve said the area hasn’t been impacted by wild weather due to the protection from several islands off the coast.

However, that didn’t stop them from taking the warning seriously and making every effort to prepare their home for the storm.

“We were bolting down chicken coops to slabs and tying up trampolines,” Greg said.

“We even got a generator ready in case we lost power, which we did on the night that this incident happened.”

That night during the storm the nearby cell phone tower also went down and the family lost phone reception.

Greg and the boys were fast asleep when Hayley suddenly heard a large crash and felt their home shake.

“I don't think I've ever got out of bed as quickly as I did that night,” she recalled.

She immediately ran to check up on the boys who were still fast asleep.

It was when she approached the living room that Hayley saw their neighbour’s enormous 50-metre gumtree – which had fallen into their family home.

The ceiling in the kitchen had collapsed entirely and strong winds and rain were blowing through the wide opening.

The family first sought shelter in their downstairs area, but quickly moved to the family’s office once they discovered a broken window.

Once in the office, Hayley, Greg and the boys barricaded the stairwell with a mattress to protect themselves from the upstairs debris.

With the best protection they had available, the family hunkered down for the night – with no phone reception, and no means to call the SES, friends or family for support.

“Being in that situation, I don’t think you know how to react,” Greg said about that night.

“As a parent, your primary concern is your kids’ wellbeing, which comes first – the house didn't matter.”

Once the storm was over, the family evacuated their home and moved with their caravan to Greg’s parent’s property.

Greg recalled the emotional impact of having to move the family out of their home.

“It was a big deal because the kids are young and Hayley has made a nice place for them that she thought was safe, which turned out not to be,” he said.

After the initial shock, Hayley discovered a silver lining in that the tree that fell on the property was not, in fact, as dangerous as the one residing at the front of their house.

If that tree had collapsed, she said, it would have made its impact on the family’s bedrooms – where all four members were sleeping at the time.

“We’re covered and they’re all over it”

The couple called Suncorp as soon as they could to lodge their claim.

“The very first thing that Suncorp was concerned with was our wellbeing,” Greg said.

“They've offered us counselling and lots of things that we generally didn't think they would, which was a comfort even for the kids.”

Due to the scale of the weather event, Suncorp also deployed an assessor with expertise in complex property damage to inspect the property.

Greg remembered meeting her for the first time.

“She was very knowledgeable, she knew what we needed to hear and she knew what needed to be done,” he said.

“That was probably the best feeling of hope that we had at the beginning, that these guys are here, we're covered and they're all over it.

“And it's remained that way through the process.”

The damage from the storm was severe, with banister beams, roof wiring and plumbing scattered around the upstairs kitchen and living room.

Downstairs, the high beams were twisted, with broken glass from the window frames covering the floor.

What complicated matters more was the water that had leaked through the roof opening into the home, impacting almost 90 per cent of the interior in the days after the incident.

The couple thought for sure that the house would need to be demolished due to the extensive damage but were pleasantly surprised when they were told it would be repaired.

“We were pretty confident early on that we could rebuild the home the way it was previously,” one of the builders Michael reflected on the job.

“We also wanted to make sure that we could get the young family back in their home comfortably and very efficiently.”

Suncorp building techincal advisor Ben reflected on some of the key factors that go into successfully responding to such a complex claim.

“We also ensure clear communication with everyone, set expectations, and complete regular quality audits so the customer can see that we're keeping track of their repairs,” he said.

The freedom to build a more resilient home

One of the biggest challenges the builders faced on this claim was compliance issues they identified after the home strip-out had been completed.

The standards had changed since the original home’s build in the 90s, and the builders had to consult an engineer to ensure the home met the new code.

This rebuild however, also offered a unique opportunity to install additional and improved resilience features.

As part of its Home Insurance policies, Suncorp offers additional recommended resilience options to help protect against severe weather under its Build it Back Better cover.

These would better protect the home against worsening weather conditions affecting Australia, and where applicable, improved design that better suited the family’s needs.

For Greg and Hayley's home, this meant installing gutter guards to the main roof, rear patio and front carport roof.

Greg also recalled how much freedom Suncorp provided them during the repair process.

During the restoration of their home, Hayley and Greg made the decision to upgrade some features to better suit the needs of their growing family – opting to bear the additional costs which were not covered by Suncorp.

“You get a lot of freedom, as much as you want or as little as you want, which is great,” Greg said.

“Suncorp were happy to let us do that.”

Hayley also appreciated the consistent support and communication throughout their claim.

“Suncorp was constantly in contact with us, walking us through every step of the way and making sure we were happy with it,” she said.

“They followed through on everything they said they were going to do.

“They're still here telling us that even once the claim has been finalised, ‘If there's anything that isn't quite right, just reach out and let us know’; the relationship doesn't end when the claim is finalised.”

The commitment to protect what matters

Now that the repairs are complete, Hayley, Greg and the family have moved back into their home just in time for the holiday season.

They are all very grateful to be back in their own space and picking up the rhythms of life once more.

“Having your home back is one of those things that you don't realise how important it is,” Hayley said.

“It’s not until something happens and you can't be in it anymore and you've lost that sense of space and privacy.

“When the carpets had been installed, our eldest was doing somersaults, rolling around on the carpet – and he's like, I love this.

“To be able to see them in their own space again and enjoying it really makes a difference.”

Greg considered the implications of what would’ve happened if their home had been uninsured when the cyclone hit.

“It would be a bleak situation really,” he said.

“We would’ve had to sell the home for land value and probably take less because there'll be a destroyed home on it.

“It's the most important thing ever to protect all your assets and everything you've ever worked for your whole life.