Can we let you in on a little secret? We are sharing the places we look when assessing your home for wind and hail damage. We have learned through our Haag Certification what to look for so we are able to walk your property with the insurance adjuster and discuss the damage. Here is a brief overview of the things that typically stand out:
- Window screens: Hail would leave an impact mark or even penetrate the screen coming down at an angle.
- Soft metals/flashing: Hail would make indents that could indicate if there was a hail event; however, some of these marks may have come from initial installation, so the key to understanding, if it’s truly hail impact, is seeing these marks widespread over the entire field.
- Wind damage on tabs: Wind damage can be observed in two ways: When the edge of a tab is lifted/bent from repeated wind lift, or when there is substantial granule loss from the shadow line where a tab bends from the wind being blown underneath.
- Hail impact on a shingle: Decent-sized hail will sometimes leave a crack/penetration through the fiberglass mat of a shingle tab where it was hit directly.
- Gutters: Hail will sometimes leave an outward dent in gutters on the side of the house where hail would be caught inside the gutter falling off the roof. On the side where hail was impacting, there would be inward dents on the gutters from where they were struck from the outside.
- Widespread damage: Localized damage is most likely not hail damage, and insurance companies suspect “damage” is only seen in areas like valleys. Damage should be seen in several places across the entire roof field.
What isn’t hail damage: hairline cracking, granule loss, isolated missing tabs, nail pops, and shingle curling.
We hope these tips help in picking out the right roofing contractor for your storm damage! We are always here to offer a free hail inspection so please reach out with any questions. To learn more about our hail team, click here. And for more resources like this one, check out our Storm Center.
