How to Tell If Your Home’s Roof is Damage After a Hail Storm

How to Tell If Your Home's Roof is Damage After a Hail Storm

Hail storms are a natural occurrence and can damage your property. Getting an expert to assess the damage when you’ve had a hail storm is essential. If you suspect that there might be problems with your roof after viewing the damage, or if you want some professional roofing advice on how best to deal with the situation, read on for tips on how to tell if your home’s roof is damaged after a hail storm.

Check the Appearance of the Roof

Contrary to what you might expect, it’s best to avoid conducting a detailed inspection when hailstones strike your property. You’ll probably be preoccupied with damage to other areas of your home, or perhaps even injured or in shock. It’s best to leave at least 48 hours before inspecting your roof, as damage may take time.

Inspect Your Gutters

Gutters are the best place to look for hailstones. If they are full of hail stones, this is one of the first signs that your roof is damaged. It’s also a good idea to inspect other roof areas exposed to the elements, such as chimneys, gutters, and eaves (roof overhangs). Check around windows and doors, too, as these may have taken a direct hit from hail stones.

Check for Leaks Inside the Property

This is the best way to know if your roof is damaged. If you discover that water from above has leaked through and caused damage to your ceiling, furniture, or other areas of your home, this is a telltale sign that a hail storm has caused damage to your roof and probably elsewhere on your property too.

Inspect Your Chimneys

This is another measure you should take to ensure your roof is in good nick before making a decision. The inside of your chimney may be damaged, like the roof, and this can usually be spotted by looking at the interior and seeing if there’s any damage on the exterior.

Inspect Your Walls

If you think the damage to a wall is caused because hail stones that have fallen on the exterior of your home, this should be the last step you take before deciding whether or not the roof is damaged. However, if cracks or holes in the wall extend outside and have caused damage to other areas of your property, this may not yet indicate that your roof has also been damaged.

Inspect the Paintwork

A fresh paint finish on your roof is a good sign that the top is still in good condition. If any hailstones embedded in your dry-slate or standing-seam metal rooftop have caused the paint finish to be damaged, this will be one of the first signs that your roof may indeed have sustained damage from a hail storm.

Look for Displacement in Shingles

If the shingles have shifted due to the force of a hail stone, this may not yet indicate that your roof is damaged. This can happen on a windy day, for example. However, as mentioned above, signs of damage are more likely to appear after at least 48 hours from the impact.

Inspect Window Frames

If there are cracks in the window frames, this may indicate that your roof has been damaged by a hail storm or has taken a direct hit from hailstones. It’s best to check for any signs of damage to the frame (such as fractures) and also for any signs of movement within the window. For more information, please visit danesroofing.com.

Written by