Storm and Hail Damage, Documented Before It's Repaired

After a hailstorm or a windstorm off the canyons, two clocks start ticking: one on any water getting into your house, and one on your ability to prove what the storm did. We handle both in the right order. If the roof is open, we get it dried in. Then we document — slope by slope, with photos — before anything gets disturbed. What the roof looked like right after the storm is the evidence a claim stands on.

The tricky thing about hail is that a hit roof often doesn't leak right away. Hail bruises shingles, knocks granules loose, and fractures the mat underneath, and the leaks arrive months or years later as those wounds weather open. Wind damage is more visible — creased tabs, missing shingles, lifted ridge caps — but easy to undercount from the ground. An inspection tells you what actually happened up there, and whether it's worth involving your insurer at all.

What Wind and Hail Leave Behind

• Hail bruises and granule loss — A hail strike crushes granules into the mat and leaves a soft, dark bruise. Each one is a spot where UV can now reach the asphalt and age it fast.
• Creased and lifted shingles — Wind bends a tab back far enough to crease it, and the seal is broken for good. Creased shingles let wind-driven rain underneath even after they lie flat again.
• Missing shingles and ridge caps — Ridge caps and field shingles that let go expose nail lines and underlayment. This is the damage that leaks in the very next storm, so it gets covered first.
• Dented vents and flashing — Hail dents in soft metal — vents, valley metal, flashing — are the clearest fingerprint a storm leaves. Adjusters read them, so we photograph every one.
• Punctures from debris — Branches and wind-thrown debris can punch through shingles and even decking. Small punctures hide under the debris that caused them, which is why we clear and check.
• Leaks that started with the storm — A stain that appeared right after a storm points to sudden damage rather than wear — an important distinction for your claim, and one worth documenting immediately.

First Dry-In, Then Documentation, Then a Decision

1. Stop active water — If the storm opened the roof, tarping and emergency dry-in come before paperwork. Keeping water out limits the damage — and insurers typically expect you to prevent further loss. Keep the receipts.
2. Document the whole roof — We photograph damage slope by slope — bruises, creases, dented metals, missing shingles — and note the storm date. The record gets built before repairs disturb anything.
3. An honest read on the claim — Not every storm justifies a claim. If the damage is minor, or is really just wear, we'll say so. If it's legitimate storm damage, you'll have the documentation to file with confidence.
4. Adjuster meeting and repairs — If you file, we can be on the roof when the adjuster is, pointing at the same evidence. Once scope is settled, repairs or replacement proceed like any other job — done properly, once.

What it costs

Storm work spans everything from replacing a handful of wind-thrown shingles to a full replacement, so cost turns on extent. The questions that set it: how many slopes took damage, and can a repair blend with the existing shingles, or has hail compromised whole fields? Did water get past the surface into decking that now needs replacing? How steep is the roof and how workable is the access? If insurance is involved, your out-of-pocket cost depends on your policy's deductible and terms — that's between you and your insurer, but a clear, documented scope keeps everyone working from the same numbers.

Questions people ask