What hail actually does here
Spring storms cross Harris County and drop hail on asphalt roofs from Meyerland to Tomball. The stone hits the mat, bruises it, and knocks granules loose. From the street the roof can still look even. Metal vents, gutters, and window screens often show the dents the shingles hide. Wind in the same storm lifts edges and ridge caps, which is a different mark from a bruise.
Northwest neighborhoods such as Cypress, Tomball, and Spring see a lot of these storms. So do the long roofs under pines in Kingwood and the low ranch roofs in Oak Forest. A low slope is easy to misread from the yard. A cut-up roof with dormers has more metal and more places for wind to get a finger under a shingle. We look at the slopes that faced the storm, not only the front.
Age matters, and we will say so. A twenty-year roof that is cracked and bald can fail without a single hailstone. Hail on a younger roof is a different story. Mixing the two into one sentence does not help you, and it does not help the person reading the photos. We describe what is on the roof in front of us.
The afternoon the storm leaves
Walk the outside when it is safe. Look for shingles in the yard, a limb on a slope, a ceiling stain that was not there yesterday, and daylight in the attic. If water is dripping inside, put a bucket down and move what you can save. Do not climb a wet roof. A fall is worse than a stain.
If a window broke or a door will not lock, that is board-up, not a roof conversation. If the decking is open to the sky, that is a tarp. If the roof is closed and you are only worried about bruises, that can wait for daylight and a real inspection. The order is: people safe, openings covered, photos, then the claim.
- Stay off a wet or steep roof.
- Photograph the yard, the ceilings, and any opening before it is covered.
- Call your insurer if you plan to file. Ask how they want notice given.
- Call (713) 909-0034 if water is coming in or the roof is open.
Photos that are actually useful
Wide shots show the room or the whole slope. Close shots show the bruise, the lifted edge, or the stain. Take both. A pile of ceiling photos with no label is hard to follow a week later. Note the date and which room. If you use the insurance photo log on this site, it walks the house room by room.
Photograph hail on soft metal, screens, and the AC fins if you can do it from the ground or a safe ladder. Those dents help show that hail fell at the house. They do not, by themselves, prove every shingle has to come off. The roof still has to be looked at. We photograph the slopes when we are up there, including the ones you cannot see from the driveway.
The claim, in plain order
You call your insurer and open the claim. They send an adjuster, or they ask for photos first. The adjuster works for the insurer. Be there if you can. Walk the roof findings with your pictures. Ask what was counted. Write down what you do not understand and ask again in writing.
We are not public adjusters. We do not negotiate the claim for a fee, and we do not decide what the policy pays. We can meet the adjuster on the house, show what we found, and write a repair estimate for the construction. That estimate is the price of the work. It is not a promise of payment. Your insurer decides coverage, the deductible, and the amount.
Wind and hail on a homeowners policy are often a different subject from water that rose out of a bayou or a creek. If both happened, say both. Do not rename creek water as a roof leak. Meyerland, Kingwood, and Friendswood each have streets where outside water and roof leaks are easy to confuse. We document the path we can see.
Repair, replacement, and the wait
A repair is honest when the damage is limited and the rest of the roof still has life. A replacement is the right sentence when the bruises, the cracks, or the worn mat run across the slopes. We say which one after the inspection. A tarp can sit on an opening while you wait on the adjuster. It is not a finish, and it should not stay for a season if the deck is open.
Decking, flashing, and vents are part of a real replacement, not extras you discover on tear-off day without a conversation. If we can already see soft decking, we say so. Hidden rot shows up when the shingles come off. We stop and show you. Associations in Cypress, Kingwood, and parts of Tomball may care about roof color. We ask before we order.
While you wait on the carrier
Keep receipts for the tarp, the plywood, and any drying. Do not throw damaged shingles away until someone you trust has photographed them, unless they are a hazard in the yard. Avoid a permanent repair that hides the slope before the adjuster has seen it, unless leaving it open will make the house worse. If you have to cover it, photograph it first.
Ceilings that got wet still need to dry. A stain can be small and the insulation above it soaked. That is a water job sitting under a roof job. Call (713) 909-0034 and say whether the ceiling is wet, the roof is open, or you want an inspection of a closed roof. Family-owned in Houston since 1993. The visit is at the house.
Questions
Good to know.
Can I see hail damage from the ground?
Sometimes you see missing tabs or metal that looks dented. Often you see nothing. Bruises in the shingle mat show up on the roof. A roof can also be worn out without any hail. Those are different sentences on a claim.
Should I sign with the first person who knocks?
No. Storms bring door-knockers. Take your own photos, call your insurer if you are filing, and get a written look at the roof before you sign anything. We work for the owner who hires us.
Will a tarp ruin the claim?
Covering an open roof is how you limit more damage. Photograph the opening first, when it is safe. Keep the receipt. Your policy may require you to protect the property. Read it, or ask the insurer. A tarp is not a new roof.
Do you decide what the insurer pays?
No. We are not public adjusters. You file. We can meet the adjuster and explain the repair. The insurer decides coverage and payment.