Storm Damage Roof Inspection in Houston
After hail, straight-line wind or a tropical system, we document damage the way an adjuster needs to see it. Test squares marked and measured, every finding date stamped, and an honest answer if there is nothing claimable. Free, with priority scheduling.
What Is Included in a Storm Damage Roof Inspection?
Every storm inspection documents the same set of items, on residential and commercial property alike, at no cost. It is part of our free roof inspection service across Houston.
- Test squares marked and impact counts recorded
- Hail bruising confirmed by hand, slope by slope
- Wind creasing, lifted tabs and broken seal strips
- Missing, torn or displaced roof covering
- Flashing displacement at valleys, chimneys and walls
- Collateral damage on vents, gutters, screens and AC fins
- Date and location stamped photographs
- Impact direction checked against the storm track
- Pre-existing wear separated from storm damage
- Report formatted for claim submission
What Counts as Storm Damage?
Each kind of storm leaves a different signature, and each is assessed differently by an adjuster.
| Storm type | What it does to a roof | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Hail | Round bruises, granule loss and soft spots where the mat has fractured | Shortens shingle life by years and is claimable, but almost never visible from the ground |
| Straight-line wind | Creased tabs, lifted edges, broken seal strips and missing shingles | A creased shingle looks intact from below but will not reseal, so water gets underneath |
| Tropical storms and hurricanes | Widespread lifting, torn covering, displaced flashing and debris impact | Combined wind and driven rain, often with claim deadlines tied to the named event |
| Wind driven debris | Punctures, gouges and scraped surfacing | Point damage that opens the system even when the surrounding roof is sound |
| Post-storm ponding | Standing water on low-slope sections days after the rain stopped | Indicates drainage was damaged or blocked during the event |
How Storm Damage Shows Up on Different Roofs
The same storm leaves different evidence depending on what is on the roof, which is why the inspection method changes with the material.
| Roof material | How storm damage shows up | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingle | Bruising, granule loss, creased tabs along exposed elevations | Test squares per slope, seal strip bond, ridge and hip cap |
| Three-tab shingle | Cracked tabs, whole tabs missing, exposed fastener heads | Impact counts, tab integrity, underlying felt condition |
| Clay or concrete tile | Cracked and slipped tile, broken hip and ridge mortar | Drone survey rather than foot traffic, plus underlayment age |
| Standing seam metal | Dents, finish fracture, seam separation and clip movement | Panel deflection, seam integrity, sealant at penetrations |
| Exposed fastener metal | Dented panels, washers backing out, fastener heads pulled | Fastener line by line, panel laps, rust bleed at fixings |
| Wood shake | Split shakes, displaced courses, impact fractures | Course by course review, decking condition beneath |
| TPO, PVC and modified bitumen | Punctures, seam separation, membrane bruising | Seam welds, terminations, drains, curbs and ponding |
| Gutters and soft metals | Dents, dislodged sections, torn screens, bent AC fins | Collateral evidence corroborating storm severity |
What We Find Most Often After a Storm
Bruising you cannot see from the ground
Hail fractures the fiberglass mat beneath the granule surface and leaves a soft circular spot. It will not leak this year. It will take five or ten years off the roof, and by then the claim window has closed.
Creased tabs that will not reseal
Wind lifts a shingle and folds it without displacing it. From the driveway the roof looks untouched. The seal strip is broken, and the next driven rain runs underneath the course.
Ridge and hip cap lifted
Cap shingles sit on the most exposed line of the roof and take wind first. Lifted or missing cap is often the earliest visible sign of a wind event.
Flashing displaced at transitions
Valley, chimney and sidewall metal shifts under wind load and driven rain. Once it moves, water is channelled into the structure rather than off it.
Collateral damage on soft metals
Gutters, downspouts, window screens and AC condenser fins dent at lower impact energy than shingle. They are the most reliable ground-level evidence that a storm was severe.
Repairs from crews that left
After major Houston storms, out-of-state crews sign contracts and move on. We regularly find mismatched shingle, missing starter course and sealant used where flashing belonged.
When Should You Book a Storm Damage Inspection?
Book one as soon as it is safe after the storm, and before you file or sign anything. Documentation gathered before submission is what sets the scope of a claim, and most policies require prompt reporting.
Any one of the following is reason enough to call:
- Hail fell in your area, even pea sized hail with high wind behind it
- A named storm or tropical system passed through
- Several homes on your street are being re-roofed
- You can see debris, granules or pieces of shingle in the yard
- Gutters, screens or AC fins are dented
- A contractor knocked on your door offering a free roof
- You already filed and the carrier estimate came back lower than expected
How a Storm Damage Inspection Works
Four steps from phone call to evidence package, with an adjuster meeting if you decide to file.
Call us before you file
Before you submit anything and before you sign with anyone. Storm calls move to the front of the queue.
Same weekFull damage survey
We mark test squares, count impacts per slope, and photograph every finding with date and location stamps.
60 to 120 minutesEvidence package
You receive documentation formatted for claim submission, with storm damage separated from ordinary wear.
Same dayAdjuster meeting
If you file, your inspector walks the roof with the adjuster and identifies each documented item. No charge.
When scheduledStorm damage? Call before you file
Documentation before submission is what separates an approved claim from a denied one. Storm calls get priority scheduling.
(713) 489-8064Where We Provide Storm Damage Inspections
Free across Houston and the Greater Houston area, covering Harris County plus Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Waller, Liberty and Chambers.
Storm Damage Inspection Questions
Nothing. Storm damage inspections are free across Houston and the Greater Houston area, on residential and commercial property alike. There is no trip charge, no report fee and no deposit, and booking one does not obligate you to hire us for any repair work.
As soon as it is safe. Most policies require prompt reporting, and some carriers apply specific deadlines to named storm claims. Waiting also makes it harder to attribute damage to a particular event, which is exactly the argument a carrier will make later.
We tell you, and we say so in writing. Filing a claim on damage that is not claimable can count against you for nothing gained. We would rather give you an honest no than help you file a claim that fails.
No, and under Texas law we cannot. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 4102 prohibits a roofing contractor from acting as a public insurance adjuster on a property where it provides roofing services. We document the damage and you submit it. Any contractor offering to handle your claim is telling you something that should concern you.
It is a marked area, usually ten feet by ten feet, in which we count storm impacts. It converts a subjective impression into a density figure per slope. Adjusters work from measured impact counts, so documentation without them carries far less weight.
Both occur, and which dominates depends on where you are. Inland and west Houston see more hail, while areas closer to the coast take more wind from named storms. We document whichever is present, and the two often appear together after a single event.
Get a second opinion first. After major Houston storms, crews arrive from out of state, sign as many contracts as they can, and leave before any workmanship warranty means anything. We do not door knock, and if someone claims to be from us at your door, they are not.
Yes, and independent documentation is often most valuable at exactly that point, particularly if the carrier estimate came back lower than expected or missed items. We can review the scope against what we find on the roof.
Usually 60 to 120 minutes, longer than a routine inspection because test squares have to be marked and counted on every slope and collateral damage has to be documented around the property.
Yes. We survey low-slope and flat systems on warehouses, retail centers, offices and industrial buildings, documenting membrane bruising, seam separation, punctures and drainage damage in a format suitable for a commercial claim.
Book Your Free Storm Damage Inspection
One phone call, one certified inspector, one documented evidence package, and no cost to you. Anywhere in the Greater Houston area.