Big Florida Roof Contractors 
Jan 15, 2025 
Why Regular Roof Inspections Can Save You Thousands in Repairs
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Inspect your roof for hail damage by searching for bruised or dented shingles. Look out for cracked tiles and granules that can start accumulating in your gutters. Other signs of hail impacts include circular marks or underlayment on asphalt shingles. Damage to metal items such as vents or flashing tends to be more prominent.
Routine storm inspections are vital to catching damage early on, from leaks to structural issues, and protecting your home from future harm.
Read these tips from Big Florida Roof Contractors to find out what to look for and why it’s crucial.
On a roof, hail damage appears as bruises, fractures, or punctures on each shingle. These defects flaw the shingles, affecting their reliability and protective quality. Impact for wood shingles can create splits directly down the center, an obvious sign of damage.
Surface granules gapped, missing, or worn leave shingles susceptible to additional elemental exposure and damage. Cratered spatter marks on decks or painted surfaces outside your home almost always mark the areas that hailstones have impacted.
By themselves, these marks rarely constitute claimable damage. Hail size matters too—impacts from golf-ball-sized hail (2¾ inches) differ from softball-sized hail (4 inches), causing varying levels of damage.
Failing to address these problems upfront shortens the life of the roof, particularly if the shingles are already 10-15 years old.
Checking your roof for hail damage is super important to keep your place safe from the weather. Just be careful and take your time when you’re up there. With a bit of practice, you can usually see if there’s a problem before it gets bad, and you’ll know when it’s time to get a pro to take a look.
Before you begin, make sure you have the proper tools on hand. A good ladder, sturdy gloves, a flashlight, and binoculars will do for most inspections.
For proper documentation, a notebook or smartphone with a camera can aid in detailed documentation. With these items ready, you will have a much easier and safer time inspecting your roof.
Inspect your property from the ground first. Examine areas that can show soft impacts; look for dents in gutters, downspouts, or other soft metals such as your mailbox.
Damage to painted wood, window screens, or even vehicles parked in hail’s path can help corroborate hail impact. These signs are more easily detected and will spare your state inspectors an avoidable jaunt onto the roof.
If you need to get a closer look, be sure the ladder’s on firm ground. Shoes that grip and a safety harness can lower the risk. If you’re not sure about getting on your roof, it’s best to call a professional.
On the roof itself, look for cracked, bruised, or missing shingles. It appears on asphalt shingles like round dents or mushy areas. If shingles get damaged, they don’t block water as well, and that could cause leaks.
Check shingles for granule loss, which looks like bare patches. Check your gutters for granules that have built up, as an excessive amount of buildup can signify chronic damage.
Check the condition of the metal flashing, vent pipe, and chimney caps. Hail can create dents or loosen these fixtures, which can be a point of water entry or even cause it.
Be sure to take pictures of all visible damage, including close-ups of damaged shingles and metal fixtures. These documentation records are critical when filing any insurance claim. Keep in mind that insurance adjusters can miss damage, so comprehensive documentation will help your claims process.
Identifying hail damage on your roof is not as clear-cut as one might assume. DIY inspections might sound like a wise cost-cutting measure. However, they often miss the hidden problems that can become big-ticket items down the road.
In truth, less than one in ten homeowners can properly spot hail damage on their own. A professional does this kind of work every day, and they know precisely what to look for. This includes bruised shingles that are barely noticeable or flashing that’s been compromised.
For taller houses, safety becomes a bigger deal since using ladders can be riskier. The National Roofing Contractors Association says it’s good to get your roof checked out twice a year, ideally when the weather is nice, so you can find any damage from the changing seasons.
In the end, you get an expert inspection and reliable, long-term solutions you can trust.
Hail damage can be a sneaky adversary to your roof. This can lead to bigger leaks and damage later on. Knowing what to look for, like dents in shingles or cracked tiles, can help you take action early and avoid big problems in the future.
Taking care of your roof is the best way to protect your house. So, if you think hail has damaged your roof, don’t wait; do something now. Contact Big Florida Roof Contractors, an experienced, trusted roofing professional, to maintain the condition of your roof and protect your home from damaging hail.
