It is imperative for you to check your roof after a hailstorm. After all, the devastating natural occurrence can greatly affect the roof shingles, in turn, considerably decreasing their life span. When the roof is damaged after a hail, you could potentially face unwanted water leaks that can ruin the interior of your home including wall paint, ceilings, and floors. If you live in a hail-prone area, there are several things you can do to provide more protection to your home.
You should opt to install roofing materials that are best suited to combat hailstorms, ensure that the guttering and roof are installed and maintained properly, make sure that debris is frequently removed from the gutters and downpipes.
Identify the damage
Can you see water stains on your ceiling? What about the roof vents, gutters, and downspouts—do they have dents? If you are uncomfortable with identifying the true damage of the hailstorm on your roofs, you shouldn’t hesitate to bring in a professional. After all, there isn’t a dearth of contractors who offer free inspections and estimates. If you want to know more about inspecting your roof you should check out our guide on How to spot signs of damaged roof.
Insurance
You should immediately notify your homeowner´s insurance provider to let them know that you are making a hail damage roof claim. However, before doing so, it is important to be fully aware of the contents of the policy contract so that you have a general idea of what is to come. If you fail to contact your insurance company immediately, the time lapse could propel the insurance company to deny your claim. Of course, the insurance provider will be sending an adjuster to identify the level of damage caused to the roof. When choosing a roofing contractor, you must hire one who doesn’t back out from communicating with your insurer. They will have to work together if you intend to get desired results.
Finding the right roofing contractor
We always encourage our readers to try to do everything by themselves and we even have a tutorial on How to fix a leaky roof but if your roof is heavily damaged it’s best to call the professional. Before hiring a roofing contractor, you should ensure that the contractor holds a state license with prior experience in repairing roofs etc. You should also see if the contractor is endorsed by the roof material´s manufacturer. When searching for the right roofing contractor, it is important for you to overlook the ¨we do everything¨ types of contractors and instead focus on hiring specialized contractors that only work with specific roofing materials. And, you shouldn’t hire national companies because they hire subcontractors to work for them; the subcontractors are paid on the basis of sq. feet of roofing installed. Hence, these sub-contractors are motivated towards completing their tasks as soon as possible, giving very little importance to the quality of installation. When choosing contractors it’s always best to work with reliable companies, like Stay Dry Roofing, which will do the job properly and even give you guarantee on the finished roof.
Online reviews/referrals/credential
Reading through unbiased reviews and responses from customers on your shortlisted contractors will give you a proper indication of how a particular roofing contractor works. You can also ask your friends and relatives for their unbiased reviews on the services they received from a particular contractor. Your contractor must also possess a Certificate of Liability Insurance. If your contractor has insurance, you will not be liable to pay for the mistakes made by the contractor during the repair or installation of the roofs.
It is very important that you inspect your roof as soon as possible after the hailstorm. Also we advise you to check up and maintain your roof regularly regardless of hailstorm. Check out our guide on How to preserve and maintain your roof and keep your roof in top condition.
