The sound of rain hitting the roof can be quite soothing. But what happens when the soft plops turn into loud thuds all of a sudden?
Hailstorms are not a rarity and it can wreak havoc on your roof. Hail and housing roofs don’t go well together even if the hailstorm lasts just a few minutes.
As hail, some the size of golf balls come crashing down on your roof, it could leave dents on the shingles. It slams against the roof, knocking down granules from the various part of your roof, and compacts the layers of fiberglass and asphalt giving rise to small cracks. While visually, your roof might look just fine and it may not seem like a huge problem, you could end up with dozens of roof problems within a short span of time.
All these roof damages will only worsen with time, wearing the roof down further and you will finally have to deal with a leaky roof which might cost you a fortune to repair. So your best option is to prevent a problem before it happens. Roofs are, after all, your first line of security against Mother Nature.
If you’ve been hit with a severe hailstorm, depending on the intensity and size of the hail, your roof could be thoroughly damaged leaving your home vulnerable to leaks. If the problem is not addressed immediately, water could leak through the tiny cracks in your roof and end up causing water damage, mold, and other structural issues. And if these go undetected for a long time it could also result in the roof collapsing. It is crucial to get your roof checked by a professional right after a hailstorm to evaluate if there was any damage.
A majority of homeowners fail to do so and resort to other quick fixes like putting a patch on it or getting an inexperienced person to try and fix it. Even if you do a DIY fix it’s a good idea to get a roof inspection done by a professional as there are multiple things an untrained eye can miss. And you surely wouldn’t want it to end up jeopardizing your home.
A professional roofing agent might easily be able to spot obvious issues like:
- Misplaced roof granules
- Shiny asphalt
- Dents on shingles
- Cracked, damaged, or missing shingles
- Small holes in the roof
- Bent gutters
And things like a potentially saturated absorbent or damaged layer under a soft roof.
Metals roofs are more likely to sustain dents and cracks may appear on skylights or sunroofs due to hail. You may not always be able to cover them up in order to protect it before the storm hits. In case of damaged sunroofs, the best option would be to replace it with an acrylic or polycarbonate material. These substances are much more resilient than glass and can thereby double the durability of the skylight or sunroof.
Some homeowners decide to put off making the repairs in the belief that they will have plenty of time to fix it in the future. This, however, might prove to be troublesome, especially when it comes to homeowner’s insurance.
It is most likely that the insurance company has a statute of limitations for roof repairs. Delaying roof repairs might cost you your insurance claims and you might end up having to pay out of your pocket for damage that could have been covered by insurance.
Once you get a professional to look over your roof and the damages it incurred due to hail, they will be able to recommend the right plan of action. Professional roofers can help you decide whether repairing a roof or replacing it is a better option.
For instance, if a significant part of your roof is damaged, replacement might be the more effective solution. If you have an older roof, replacing it may cost you less in the future. If the damage is not that severe, roof repairing such as replacing shingles, gutters, or other damaged roofing parts.
A hail storm is always a cause for distress for a homeowner because it can inflict some severe damage. Even seemingly minor damage can turn out to be expensive when it comes to roofing and cause harm to the complete structure in the long run. So the earlier you can detect issues on your roof, the better it is for your home and your wallet. Get it touch with a trusted roofing company to assess the damage as soon as you’ve been hit by a hailstorm. Contact us to schedule your FREE roof inspection today.