After you have assured everyone’s safety, it’s time to start accessing the damage. To the untrained eye, spotting storm damage on your roof can be tricky. One of the biggest reasons for this is because roofing shingles camouflage damage, especially if you’re diagnosing it from the ground. If you look at hail damage, it’s not one big obvious dent, it’s many tiny dents or holes that are hard to see. The only proper way of diagnosing hail damage is having a trained eye, physically on the roof.
Here are few signs to look for that don’t require you to become a Storm Damage Expert:
Tiny Dents on Metal Object: Look for tiny dents on flat, soft metal items around the house. This includes vents, air conditioners, gutters, aluminum fascia. If you have any tiny dents on these items, there’s a good chance those same tiny dents are all over your roof. See photos for examples.
Missing or Loose Fascia: If you have any missing or loose fascia, there is a good chance you could have wind damage to your shingles. Wind damage can be hard to see because the shingles will lay back down making it appear as if they’re still in good condition. If the wind was strong enough to remove or loosen the fascia, it’s strong enough to damage the shingles. You should also look for damage to the soffit and/or gutters.
Tree Limbs or Large Branches: I will spare you the obvious advice that if you have a large tree laying on your house, you probably have storm damage. I’m talking about seeing three or more larger branches or limbs, either on the roof or in the yard next to the house. If they’re on the roof, it could mean impact damage and/or wind damage. If they are scattered around the yard, it could mean wind damage. The wind that tore those trees apart is the same wind that tried to rip your shingles up.
Shingles in the Yard: I suspect you know how to look for this. My advice? Do not ignore it! When I showed my neighbor one of his shingles landed in my yard, he said, “It’s only one shingle. No big deal.” One missing shingle is a big deal.
Water Spots in Attic: Big leaks often start as small ones. Looking for water spots in the attic on a regular basis is a good idea. Look along the joists and on the sheathing. Even a small amount of water spots can lead to a major problem if not fixed immediately.
If you have any of the symptoms listed here, good news! We are Storm Damage Experts, and we do free roof inspections. Contact us today and we’ll get one of our storm damage experts dispatched to your house right away.
