Hail can cause some serious damage to your roof, and the only way to know for sure whether your roof needs repairs or replacement is to inspect it. That’s why, after a hail storm, one of the first things you should do is to inspect your roof — or get it professionally inspected — for signs of damage. In Part 1 of this blog series, we touched on a few safety tips for inspecting your roof, as well as how to spot the signs of hail damage from the ground. In this blog, we’ll be touching on what affects the severity of the damage, as well as what you should do if you suspect that your roof has been damaged by hail.

What affects the severity of hail damage?

The amount of hail damage your roof sustains can be affected by many things, some of which, have to do with the storm itself, including:

• Wind – The direction the wind is blowing in the hail storm, as well as the speed of the wind, can have a huge impact on the amount of damage you’re looking at. The wind conditions affect the location of the hail damage to your roof, as well as the severity of that damage.
• Hail size – Some hailstorms bring large, softball-sized hailstones, whereas other storms can bring teeny tiny stones the size of a pea. Larger, more dense hailstones obviously cause more damage than smaller ones.

Why do two roofs that have been subject to the same exact storm suffer from different degrees of damage? Here are a couple of building-related factors that can impact the severity of hail damage:

• Roofing material – Different roofing materials absorb the impact of hail differently. For example, if you have asphalt shingles, hail can cause dents and dings, but if you have wood shakes, hail can cause cracks.
• Barriers – Some homes are surrounded by natural barriers that help to protect the roofs from hail, such as trees, landscaping or even adjacent homes.
• Roof quality and age – One final thing that can affect the severity of hail damage is the quality and age of your existing roof. Roofs that are older or that aren’t in great shape are more prone to severe damage than newer roofs and roofs that have been better cared for.

What should you do if you think you have hail damage on your roof?

The first thing you’ll need to do if you suspect that your roof has been damaged after a hail storm is to contact a roofing contractor you can trust, like the contractors at Adept Construction. Chances are, your insurance company is going to want the expert opinion of a professional before they will pay for the repair, so this is a step you’ll likely need to complete regardless. Additionally, you’ll need a reputable company to complete the repair anyway in order for your insurance company to cover it, so finding the right roofer now will save you time and energy down the line.

Do you think your roof in Naperville might have hail damage? We can help! Contact us today for your free consultation.