Storm damage is one of the most common cause roofing problems. Check out some tips to assess and repair roof storm damage, including: spotting roof damage, calling your insurance agent and replacing materials.
Below are 3 tips to assess and repair roof storm damage:
Spotting Roof Damage
Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hailstorms and hurricanes can tear shingles from your roof and give your roof a beating with tree branches. Follow these steps to check for storm damage to your roof:
– Inspect your attic for leaks or water damage. Also, if any water stains appear on your ceiling or walls, you likely need repairs or a roof replacement.
– Look for signs of storm damage from the ground. Check for missing shingles or missing pieces of metal fascia, including any metal pieces displaced from around your chimney. Also, assess the condition of exhaust pipes, valleys, outer edges or angles where the roof meets the walls.
– Obviously, you’ll notice if a tree fell on your roof. If so, stay out of your home until a professional can determine whether any structural damage occurred. Consider hiring a general contractor or roofer with a general contractor’s license if your home suffered structural damage, as you’ll need more than roof repairs. Source: Angieslist
Calling your Insurance Agent
So what do you do if you think you may have hail damage to your roof and want to file an insurance claim? You should 1st check your home insurance policy and make sure you are covered. As long as you are, put in a call to your insurance agent. They will get a claim started on your behalf and ask an insurance adjuster to visit your home and look at the roof.
Often times the insurance adjuster is going to want to get together with the roofing contractor to make sure they are on the same page. The roofing contractor you are hiring should have no problem meeting the adjuster with you. The adjuster will take pictures of any damage and then explain what the next steps will be. Some adjusters may give you a settlement quote right on the spot while others may take up to a few weeks. The adjuster and roofing contractor are more than likely going to compare notes to see if the total roof measurements are about the same. Source: Hg.org
Replacing Materials
For example, where part of a roof has been damaged, replacement new tiles may initially look out of place compared with the existing weathered ones. Dissatisfied with the match of new and old tiles, the consumer may complain that the insurer has not replaced the entire roof. In these cases, we look for evidence that the insurer has provided a reasonable match to the existing building structure when arranging repairs. We are unlikely to uphold a complaint just because the building materials the insurer has used look slightly different to existing materials which have weathered. We take into account that external structures can weather quickly – which means that differences can soon disappear. We also consider whether there are any features that help to disguise the mismatch or draw attention to it – for example, posts, a sharp corner, or vegetation. If we decide that the insurer has used materials that do not provide a reasonable match, we may tell it to find a better match or to pay compensation to the consumer. Source: Financial-ombudsman
Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing and Drains Ltd. Ltd.
168 W 71st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5X 4S7
Email: kerrisdalerd@gmail.com
Office: 604-360-2114
