Some people work as roofers for a summer or two. Others become lifelong devotees to the profession. Those who commit to roofing as a long-time profession really take the time to learn the details. Not only do they learn how to put roofs in place, but they also learn quite a lot about various roofing materials. This equips them to make good recommendations to homeowners who are looking for the right roof. We will also make some recommendations and tell you a bit more about roofers on this blog. While we are not roofers ourselves, we know a lot about the profession and are always happy to share.
Hail damage and damage from severe winds are among the most common reasons for homeowners to choose a roof replacement over a repair. Unfortunately, replacing a home's roof is often fairly expensive and occasionally disruptive. Replacing your roof might seem like a big step, so it's natural to wonder whether roofing repair might be enough to solve the problem.
While repairs are sufficient to deal with some issues, hail damage rarely falls into this category. In most cases, substantial hail damage will require you to replace your entire roof. This article will go over three reasons why this is the case so you can see that temporary fixes rarely are good enough to solve the problem.
1. Widespread Impacts
Hail damage tends to be uniform and widespread. Even severe wind damage can often be more localized since it may only affect a handful of loosened shingles. However, hail rarely damages one part of your roof over another. When a roofer inspects your roof for hail impacts, you'll typically see chalk circles around many impact points across the entire roofing surface.
As a result, it's seldom cost-effective to repair this damage. Even if your roofer only replaces the affected shingles, there are likely to be so many with damage that the total cost will begin to approach the cost of replacing your roof. While repairs might seem cheaper at first glance, they're rarely cost-effective over the long run.
2. Structural Shingle Damage
At first glance, hail damage might not seem particularly severe. While many hail impacts can make your roof look unsightly, do you need to worry about a few dark spots? Unfortunately, the answer is definitely yes. Those dark spots are areas where hail has knocked away roofing granules and, in many cases, damaged the underlying structure of the shingle.
A weakened shingle may be more susceptible to heavy winds and other weather events, making it more likely for these shingles to fail in the future. In some cases, the underlying damage might already be severe enough to cause leaks. With this damage spread across most of the roof, attempting to repair or patch individual problems is rarely a good plan.
3. Insurance Coverage
Many homeowner policies will cover roof damage from hail storms, but your insurance company may be reluctant to pay on your claim if you choose only to perform spot repairs. Insurance companies usually expect replacement estimates from local contractors, so you may be reducing your potential settlement amount or jeopardizing your claim by providing estimates for repairs only.
If you know your roof has hail damage, your first and more critical step should be to have a qualified and experienced roofer perform a full inspection. While you can use this inspection to make a more informed decision, you should usually expect your roof to recommend a replacement instead of a potentially less effective set of repairs.
For more information about residential roof replacement, contact a local company.