Texas certainly has its fair share of weather extremes, and anyone living in Austin knows this better than most. As quick as that hailstorm lets up you step outside and kick baseball-sized chunks of ice out of your path. You step back a ways and glance up at your roof. It doesn’t look too bad, considering it sounded like a marching band was up there during the storm. There’s nothing resembling a hole, so it’s safe, right?
Hail damage to your roof
Unfortunately, a hail damaged roof is much more subtle than that and can often lead to the need for a roof replacement. But why replace something that doesn’t look much different than it did before the storm? Well, it could actually help your installer or your insurance avoid a much bigger claim in the future.
Without a pair of binoculars (or a firsthand, close up look), the damage looks minor. But what happens when hail pelts down on your roof is that the granules on top of the asphalt have been removed. Now they don’t protect the asphalt from solar UV rays, wind, and of course, rain.
Worse, you now have bruises on many shingles. Let’s look more closely by removing one shingle with a hit and seeing the reverse side.
Clearly this no longer provides a waterproof, rain-deflecting surface to keep water out of your attic. Water will easily migrate through the shingle, move to the nearest nail head, and penetrate further into your house and its structure.
Over the course of as few months, a $2000 repair can evolve into an expensive problem requiring insulation replacement, interior ceilings, and wall repairs! It can even progress to a nasty mold problem.
Don’t Delay
Left unattended, what started as a little divot quickly begins to deteriorate into a pit. Our Texas sunlight beats on it for a while and soon you have an expensive repair that probably has significant interior complications for the attic.
In just a few months, the initial image can evolve into this. And all of this is further complicated by the fact that most Home Insurance policies have time limitations for a claim.
A brand new roof can take an awful lot of abuse, which is why installers and manufacturers offer such long warranties. However, the older your roof is, the more brittle the shingles become, and the more likely it is that they will sustain damage.
We’ve Got You Covered!
After a nasty storm, if you even suspect hail damage to your roof, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We would be delighted to come out and inspect your roof for a complete assessment of the damage, discuss your options and how we can help. Tell us your situation using our online Contact Form, or simply call us at:
Austin: (512) 339-1810
San Antonio: (210) 570-8494
Masada Roofing, Inc. is accredited by both the Better Business Bureau and NARPM® for your reassurance. We are your professional choice for any roof repair or replacement job you may need.