April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring winds, hailstorms, tornadoes, thunderstorms and more. Here in Central PA, that high wind and pelting rain can cause excessive damage to your roof and other exterior home surfaces.
Inspecting Your Roof After a Storm
When the storm is finally over and you go outside to check for damage and debris, it can be intimidating trying to assess the issues on your roof, siding, decks and more.
To start, take a walk around your home or business and look at:
- Roof: make note of debris such as tree branches, missing shingles and more. You may even get a better view from an upstairs window.
- Gutters: look for damaged, missing, broken or bent gutters as well as debris that may clog their ability to drain properly.
- Windows: check for cracked or broken glass, torn or missing screens and loose or missing weather-stripping.
- Attic and Ceilings: observe issues from the inside of the structure if possible, looking for leaking spots, water damage and even small holes or drafts.
What Causes Roof Storm Damage
Wind: High winds can tear or take shingles off the roof completely, which exposes the underlayment, roof deck and waterproofing to the elements. Wind gusts can also lift and curl shingles, breaking the seal that was created by the overlapping installation and allowing rain in.
Hail: Although typically just a quick storm, hailstorms can cause dents or pockets in your shingles as well as loosen the granules on your shingles. Those granules are intended to protect your roof against the damage sun and rain can cause, so if they’re missing, that’s a problem. Plus, hail damage just doesn’t look great on an otherwise beautiful home.
Standing Water: When your roof doesn’t drain correctly, you can experience problems from the pooling water. If your gutters are clogged, they can back water up under your shingles and causing moisture to seep into the underlayment or roof deck.
Debris: Small branches, large tree limbs and other debris that has landed on your roof after a windstorm can cause a variety of issues from dents where water can pool to cracks and damage to your shingles and worst of all holes from the impact. All of which, of course, should be repaired as soon as possible.
Always Check With Your Insurance Provider
After a storm, especially if you find damage, reach out to your homeowner’s insurance provider immediately. They can help you properly file a claim based on their procedures and requirements. We are happy to coordinate and work with your insurance company, even meeting with them at your home for inspection, to be sure we’re all on the same page and get the job done exactly as needed. We work with industry leading software, Xactimate, for estimating storm damage jobs to alleviate your stress with estimates you can trust.
To get a proper assessment of the damage done to your home by recent storms, you’ll want to contact a trusted, dependable roofing contractor like Marroquin Exteriors. We offer free inspections and know what to look for and how to do it safely. We can provide the options you’ll need to decide if a roof repair or a full roof replacement is needed. Our specialized crews can do most roofs in just one day, so you’ll be able to put all the damage behind you and enjoy your home again.
Reach out for a free estimate today.