Hail Damage to roof

[stomachmonkey]

Was in NY/NJ for a bunch of days. Just got back today.

Monday night we had a monster storm come thru. My DD's which sit outside look like golfballs.

Lots of damage in my development though my area seems not to have suffered the worst.

The roofers have descended on the area like vultures.

The neighbors I've had a chance to speak with have had multiple inspections/quotes and are all hearing the same thing, we need new roofs.

Now I'm not a roofer but from the ground mine looks fine to me.

Is hail damage something that you need experience to detect?

What do you look for?

If my homeowners covers it do I really care?

Thoughts?

[legion]

You might not see it from the ground, but it should be obvious if you are on the roof. You should see things like holes in shingles, missing parts of shingles, or whole missing shingles. If you have anything more than very minor damage, it's pretty much pay your deductible and get a new roof. It's generally not worth it for insurers to dick around with payment while more damage (more losses) occur due to leaks.

[IROC]

They just delivered our new shingles yesterday. We had massive hail damage from a storm in April. In our case, damage to the roof (5 years old) was obvious. Not only were the shingles visibly damaged, but I had to sweep large amounts of "gravel" that came off of the shingles that was all over my driveway, deck, etc. The edges of my shingles where they hang over the eaves (and into the gutters essentially) were bent and broken, chunks missing, etc.

[Eric 951]

Take a look for yourself, don't trust the contractors' opinion. Lots of scammers follow the storms for hail, tornados, etc.

[wdfifteen]

Your roof may be fine for now. Hail can knock the sand coating off the shingles and damage the structure, shortening their life, but not causing leaks. Your roof may not leak, but if it was designed to last 20 years, it may only have the strength of a 10 or 15 year roof after the hail.
It's common around here to get storm damage estimates right after the storm, which are always high because roofers have more work than they can get done. (One told me he is 5 weeks out on estimates and months out on the actual work) Take the money the insurance company gives you based on these estimates and wait a year or two - wait until roofers are begging for work. Then get it done for less than half. This assumes that you have inspected the roof and there aren't any actual holes and it will last two years.
For example, last fall I got an estimate of $250 a square to do my roof. A couple of weeks ago my friend got two estimates for her hail damaged roof of $1000 and $950 a square. This fall or next fall she'll probably get it done for $250 or so.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Your roof may be fine for now. Hail can knock the sand coating off the shingles and damage the structure, shortening their life, but not causing leaks. Your roof may not leak, but if it was designed to last 20 years, it may only have the strength of a 10 or 15 year roof after the hail.
It's common around here to get storm damage estimates right after the storm, which are always high because roofers have more work than they can get done. (One told me he is 5 weeks out on estimates and months out on the actual work) Take the money the insurance company gives you based on these estimates and wait a year or two - wait until roofers are begging for work. Then get it done for less than half. This assumes that you have inspected the roof and there aren't any actual holes and it will last two years.
For example, last fall I got an estimate of $250 a square to do my roof. A couple of weeks ago my friend got two estimates for her hail damaged roof of $1000 and $950 a square. This fall or next fall she'll probably get it done for $250 or so.

Good point. Will have to chew on that. Still a lot of construction going on in my area and these events are common so not sure how much it will slow down but something to think about for sure.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by IROC

...but I had to sweep large amounts of "gravel" that came off of the shingles that was all over my driveway, ...

Noticed gravel on the driveway today.

And that is after another storm came in two nights after the hail so wonder how much washed away.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

My roof got hit by hail 2 summers ago. Roofers wanted to replace it, but the insurance company's adjuster said it didn't warrant replacement. This year is really showing the damage and will need to be replaced this year or next. It's going to be an interesting conversation with the insurance company.

Considering the damage that my Mazda took I don't doubt the roof suffered.

Calling my agent today to get things rolling.

[Joeaksa]

Make sure you check the A/C units for damage. Then the chimney and vents on the roof.

Scott - if you don't get it replaced, you may get dinged when you sell the house. Make absolutely sure the contractor strips off the old roof (no overlay) and their contract includes a thorough clean up. I would go so far as to make them lay tarps around the perimeter of the house to catch nails/staples/debris. Some of these guys are really shaky, so call on long time established roofers in your area.

[Carrerax]

We had hail and a tornado 2 weeks ago. The hail was honestly the size of baseballs. Anyway, it totaled my X5, 330i, Roof, siding, outside lights, garage door, AC unit, gutters, front door, mailbox, hot tub cover etc. My roof was/is 3 years old. I have been on the roof and I dont have holes but you can feel the dents and we also have the gravel in the gutters etc.

Luckily we dont have any leaks but I can tell you that the shingles are no where as good as they were. On mine you can see and feel where the hail has broken the substraight on the shingles. I am going to try and hold off on replacing the roof until it slows down here. Like Stomach Monkey said, we have contractors everywhere and many people have put signs on the door telling people to stay away. That said, it has been a pain dealing with the ins company regarding the house but the cars were a piece of cake.

[john70t]

As for damage to the girlfriends DD: I recently tried my hand at paintless dent removal. The following is the result of a hurried 15-20 minute effort:

Obviously the fix would not pass concours muster, but it was a good start.

Then...afterwards...cough...um...I did an internet search and found the dry ice/hairdryer-and-duster technique: Remove Car Dents Quickly and Cheaply | Wise Bread.

Have yet to try this proceedure. I think that a hot day would be best for keeping flexibility in the paint, and applying the dry ice on the backside of the metal would effect a better result.
(Disclaimer: I have no experience with the above proceedure or characteristics of the forementioned materials.)

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Make sure you check the A/C units for damage. Then the chimney and vents on the roof.

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Scott - if you don't get it replaced, you may get dinged when you sell the house. Make absolutely sure the contractor strips off the old roof (no overlay) and their contract includes a thorough clean up. I would go so far as to make them lay tarps around the perimeter of the house to catch nails/staples/debris. Some of these guys are really shaky, so call on long time established roofers in your area.

One of my neighbors has a client who is a roofer and he did an initial walk around, did not climb on the roof as we were still out of town. He says he sees damage. Have not met him yet.

Had a vulture stop by yesterday noon just after I got back. Seems to be from larg outfit, very professional, not pushy at all, left a big packet of information including copies of all their certificates, insurance/liability cards, references etc....

Only thing he pushed was that they are primarily a roofing company but also do a lot GC work so they generally find other things that typical roofers overlook, fence, A/C, facade damage etc...

Said he'd only do an inspection in the presence of our adjuster so any "negotiations" are taken care of on the spot.

I'll let him quote it along with a couple of others.

What a pain in the ass.

[Heel n Toe]

What you want is a solid, local roofing contractor who has the GAF Master Elite Factory Certification. These contractors will not be much more expensive than others in the area, and will be making sure all your flashing, etc. is done to the highest level of quality.

They don't screw around with cutting corners anywhere because once they earn that Factory Elite certification, they don't want to lose it.

Here's the website of the contractor that did our reroof a few years ago... nothing flashy as far as sites go, but informational. He came highly recommended and was top notch. Explained everything and answered all my questions.
Burgin Roofing

GAF website... lots of info there and you can punch in your zipcode and find certified contractors in your area: GAF Materials Corporation | Roofing

No, I don't own stock in GAF, I was just very impressed by this guy.

[Heel n Toe]

Oh yeah... how about a shingle that will stay on in winds up to 130 MPH?

GAF Roofing

The GAF Certified installer has to use a specified number of nails in each shingle... I forget how many that is. Seems like it is six.

[M.D. Holloway]

StoMo - woke up at 2:30 AM that day to the sound of hail. Ripped up my Magnolias, pool was a mess. The roof prolly needs to be replaced according to 'roofing standards'.

I thought for sure our windows were gonna shatter. It was bad.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Had a vulture stop by yesterday noon just after I got back. Seems to be from larg outfit, very professional, not pushy at all, left a big packet of information including copies of all their certificates, insurance/liability cards, references etc....

The only vulture we've ever had was this HUGE, pushy woman in long, pointy cowboy boots who stopped my while I was mowing the lawn to inform me that our roof and A/C unit had hail damage.

Funny how neither of our DDs had hail damage. Maybe it was because we never got any hail. Even funnier was how she insisted we still had hail damage after I told her this.

When I tired of the conversation I started the lawn tractor up again and blasted her with dust and grass clippings. Most satisfying.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

StoMo - woke up at 2:30 AM that day to the sound of hail. Ripped up my Magnolias, pool was a mess. The roof prolly needs to be replaced according to 'roofing standards'.

I thought for sure our windows were gonna shatter. It was bad.

There are stretches of Lantana Trail, mainly by the Club House, where the houses are completely boarded up. Every window busted out and a couple where the wind shear tore off the brick/stone facades.

Some of the damage is weird, my house seems ok but two houses over the fences are just gone. The 4x4 support posts were not pulled out of the ground, they were snapped like twigs and the kids wood playset is just a pile of debris while the house in between us, their playset is untouched.

Makes me think there may have been some small twisters along with everything else.

[wdfifteen]

My friend got her check from the insurance company Friday. It was made out jointly to her and her mortage company. The mortgage company is insisting that she get the roof replaced within two years. They are keeping the money until she does. I'm not sure who keeps the overage or pays the shortage if the final bill does not equal the insurance pay-out.
I assume the mortgage company considers itself co-owner of the house and they don't think the owner/occupant is as concerned about it's condition and future value of it as they are. She's ticked off that she's poured tens of thousands into this fixer-upper making it worth far more that it was when they gave her the mortgage. What ticks her off more, and I understand completely, is that the insurance company and the mortgage company agreed on the amount of the damage claim and never consulted her about it. She simply got the check and a notice saying sign the check and send it to the mortgage company so they can co-sign it and keep it.
I've had mortgages for over 40 years and had half a dozen claims, but I've never encountered anything like this.