How Much Hail Damage Do You Need for a Roof Replacement?
Do you live in an area with intense storms? When a storm happens, your roof is the first line of defense against water entering your home.
Having an efficient roof is essential to keeping hail and storm damage minimum. But when your roof is already showing signs of wear and tear, it might not be up to the challenge a storm poses.
If your roof has already suffered significant hail damage, a replacement is the only surefire way to ensure your roof continues to protect your home. But how do you know if you have enough hail damage to justify a roof replacement?
Rescue My Roof has dealt with the nasty Wisconsin weather for a decade. Blizzards, Rainstorms – we’ve seen it all. So, we know a thing or two about hail damage.
Today, we will tell you how much hail damage a roof can endure before a replacement is necessary. Additionally, we’ll give you a roadmap to planning a roof replacement. Ultimately, you’ll be able to protect your home against extreme weather for a lifetime.
What Does Hail Damage Look Like?
Hail damage can be either tough to notice or very easy. When the damage is severe enough (1 inch in diameter or more), spotting it on your roof will be easier.
We like to compare hail damage to the dimples on a golf ball. Typically, your roof is flat. When hail damage occurs, it will make the texture of your roof comparable to the dimples of a golf ball.
But just because your roof doesn’t have those large dimples or dents doesn’t mean you don’t have hail damage. You may notice dents/splatter marks on your roof vents, gutters, flashings, and other penetrations.
If your roof has the above mentioned damage, you may have to file a homeowner’s insurance claim.
Call your homeowner’s insurance first. While a roofing contractor can help you navigate the insurance process, the work cannot begin until the insurance adjuster approves the hail damage claim.
To learn more about what homeowner’s insurance will and won’t cover, read “Will Insurance Cover My Roof Repairs or Replacement?”
How Much Hail Damage Do You Need to Replace Your Roof?
When considering replacing your roof due to hail damage, it’s not necessarily about how much damage there is. While the amount does matter, it’s more about the size of the hail.
A lot of little hail impacts your roof and shortens its lifespan over time, especially if your area gets hail storms often. However, hail must be around 1” in diameter or bigger to damage your roof and warrant an insurance claim.
When hail is this size, it causes dents that compromise the integrity of your shingles. If this happens, you certainly have a viable claim for hail damage.
When an insurance adjuster is looking for a quantifiable amount of hail marks, they will test a 10’ x 10’ square span for hail marks. Typically, if they find 7-10 hail impact marks in the test area, they will recommend a complete roof replacement.
How to Look for Hail Damage
Not everyone has a ladder or feels comfortable climbing onto their roof. However, this problem shouldn’t prevent you from examining your roof after a big storm.
If you want to file an insurance claim without the hazard of climbing on your roof, here are some of the things you can see from the safety of the ground:
- Downspouts
- Dents or other damage to your garage door
- Holes in your window screens
- Dents in any painted wood or shutters
- Dents to your mailbox or other soft metals
- Dents in your car
If there’s damage in any of these spots, there’s a good chance there’s also damage to your roof.
Again, you’ll want to call your homeowner’s insurance first. When they send an adjuster out, the adjuster will get a better and closer look at your roof.
Filing An Insurance Claim
Have you recently experienced a severe storm and noticed your garage door, mailbox, or shingles have tiny dents? It might be time to repair your roof to avoid further damage.
The next step is to start the claims process.
Call your homeowner’s insurance company to determine if the damage meets your policy criteria, and the insurance company will send an adjuster out.
The insurance adjuster will evaluate your roof. If they find significant damage, they will approve roof repairs or a replacement, and then you can contact a local roofing company.
Learn more about homeowner’s insurance with “Is Your Roof Damage Covered by Insurance” and “3 Tips to Get A Roof Damage Insurance Claim Approved.”
Are you ready to file an insurance claim in southeastern Wisconsin? Rescue My Roof has got you covered. Contact us today to get a free estimate.