Your home near Raleigh and the Triangle may experience some severe storms and temperature changes throughout the year. When you and your family are safe and cozy inside, your roof is taking a beating while protecting you from the outdoor elements. High-quality roof shingles can withstand normal local weather conditions, but after a severe storm, you may want to check your roof for issues.
Missing or broken roof components could leak water into your home and cause mold and mildew growth on your insulation, walls and ceiling. You’ll need to be aware of the different types of storm damage for roofs to discover how to inspect and repair your property.
How Do Storms Damage Your Roof?
When it’s safe to go outside, check your roof for broken components or fallen debris after a storm. If you can see any damage from the ground, schedule a roof inspection with a professional roofing company to get a more thorough assessment. Instead of climbing a ladder and checking the roof yourself, trust a representative with experience to safely examine it. Some companies even offer drone inspections to get a firsthand look at what happened to the top of your house.
Consider some of the following ways specific types of storms can harm your property.
How Heat Can Damage Your Roof
The summer is dangerous for your roof because an extreme heatwave can wear down the top of your roof. Ultraviolet rays from the sun can weaken and crack your roof’s shingles. As the temperature increases throughout the summer, the material under your shingles can expand and shrink, leaving your roof vulnerable to water damage.
Your attic’s ventilation helps control the heat around your roof. If your property doesn’t have adequate airflow, your roof may show the following signs of damage.
- Broken or missing flashing: The flashing prevents water from pooling near sensitive parts of your roof, such as the joints and chimney. Metal flashing can withstand extreme heat, but plastic flashing can melt and leave your home vulnerable to water damage. A professional can check your roof’s flashing for missing or cracked pieces.
- Mold and mildew: The summer often features hot, humid air, which encourages mold and mildew growth. If you’ve had some humid days and you don’t have adequate ventilation throughout your house, check inside for dark spots on your walls and in the attic.
- Wood rot: Most roof framing contains plywood, which can stretch and break in extreme heat. Since all your other roof components sit on top of this protective layer, it needs to stay in excellent condition. However, the humid summer heat can warp the wood framing and allow mold to grow. You’d need to call a professional to fix your roof and prevent severe damage to the roof’s foundation.
- Damaged shingles: Over time, extreme heat could shrink your roof’s shingles. If the nails holding your shingles pop up, they could blister the shingles and ruin their appearance. Besides the outside environment, heat within your home can also blister your roof’s shingles if your attic doesn’t have enough ventilation.
How Rain Can Damage Your Roof
Moist, heavy rain can significantly damage your home if you’re not prepared. Your local area may experience rainstorms at any time of the year, so you need to be on alert to keep your property safe from water damage. Rainwater drips into the tiny cracks in your roof shingles and components, trapping the moisture inside.
Your roof’s flashing should control the water flow around the joints and chimney, but if it gets damaged, moisture could pool in your roof’s valleys. A professional will inspect your roof for the following issues.
- Leaks: Water can leak into your house through the fractures in your roof. During an inspection, the specialist will check the shingles, flashing and underlayment for cracks or imperfections that could let water inside.
- Mold and rot: Heavy, consistent rainfall doesn’t give your roof a chance to dry, leaving your wooden components vulnerable to rot. Mold and mildew can develop if you don’t dry and repair your roof within a few days.
- Moisture damage: If your roof has any flat areas, standing water can pool and weigh down on your property. Standing water around your roof could grow mold and develop wet spots on your ceiling.
- Clogged gutters: Your gutters control the flow of water away from your home, but leaves, twigs and other detritus could clog them. Heavy rainfall weighs down on your clogged gutters and could pull them away from your property.
- Attic issues: When water leaks into your home, the attic is the first place to experience moisture damage. Check your insulation, walls and ceiling for dark spots or mold.
How Wind Can Damage Your Roof
Whether your neighborhood experiences a hurricane or a windy night, heavy winds can severely harm your property. The strong gusts could rip the worn-out shingles off your roof and leave your home vulnerable to fractures and leaks. Fallen debris could also land on top of your house.
Here are some of the signs that your roof has suffered damage from a recent windstorm.
- Fallen debris: Heavy winds often carry leaves and tree branches onto your roof. Check for anything that may have impacted the roof during the storm. If you find a tree branch or other heavy object on your property, it most likely damaged your roof.
- Damaged or missing shingles: If your roof shingles have gotten loose over the years, strong winds could rip them off and leave the foundation exposed. During a professional inspection, the specialist can check your roof’s shingles for cracks or gaps. If you have any damaged or missing shingles, you can easily replace them before you have to invest in a whole new roof.
- Roof curling: The roof’s edges are the weakest parts of the structure, so they tend to curl when strong winds blow them out of place. Check the sides of your roof from the ground for frayed pieces, and get them replaced to prevent potential leaks and water damage.
- Damaged soffit or fascia: The soffit helps prevent water and snow from collecting on your roof, and the fascia gives the structure a finished look. If these components suffer from wear and tear due to heavy winds, they could create gaps that allow water and pests into your home.
- Worn-off granules: The granules on your asphalt shingles protect your roof from UV damage from the sun. Over time, these little black pieces could lose their adhesion to your shingles, and heavy winds could rip them off. You’ll need to replace your shingles if they’re missing this protective layer.
How Snow Can Damage Your Roof
In the winter, snow and ice can worsen any existing issues you have with your roof. A light dusting won’t collapse the top of your house, but snow and ice become a problem when they melt into water and create leaks in your home.
Since a blanket of snow might be covering the damage, you might not even notice something’s wrong until it’s too late. After a snowstorm, clear off your roof as soon as possible to assess any cracks or gaps. A professional roofing company can check your property for the following signs of storm damage.
- Ice dams: Ice dams are ridges that form at the roof’s edge. When snow and ice melt, the water pools onto your roof, travels under the shingles and freezes again. Even though icicles look harmless, this combination of water and ice can damage your shingles and underlayment. Consider replacing your attic’s insulation to provide a regulated temperature for your roof to prevent or treat ice dams.
- Damaged flashing and shingles: Melted snow and ice can leak into your worn-out flashing, causing it to crack and loosen. The extra weight from the snow can also put pressure on your worn-out shingles and further damage them. Call a professional to replace your broken or missing shingles and cracked flashing.
- Collapsed gutters: Heavy snow collects in your gutters and wears down on them. If your area has a severe snowstorm, these parts might rip off your house and damage your roofing. A roofing specialist can inspect your roof and replace any broken pieces.
- Attic condensation: When your roof has ice dams or other signs of winter damage, you may notice excess condensation in your attic ceiling. Moisture buildup can rot your roof’s wooden framing and cause mold to develop. To avoid or repair this issue, make sure your attic has a ventilation system to control airflow and humidity.
How Hail Can Damage Your Roof
Hail falls as ice pellets that ping against your roof and harm any exposed components. Though hailstorms are rarer than other types of weather conditions, large pieces of ice can dent your roof and leave gaps on your property. After a hailstorm, call a professional roofing company to assess the damage.
Here’s how to tell if your roof has hail damage.
- Damaged shingles: Large pieces of hail are thick enough to dent or rip off your roof’s shingles. A hailstorm could also tear the granules off your asphalt shingles. After a hailstorm, check your broken shingles for distinct round dents on their edges. You may notice indentations where the granules are missing.
- Torn underlayment: The impact from hail can hit against your roof’s underlayment if some shingles are missing or broken. The synthetic mat underneath your asphalt shingles can rip from the weight of a piece of hail. If you noticed exposed underlayment, a professional can replace your shingles and protect this component from potential damage.
- Water leaks: As hail tears your roof’s shingles and underlayment, it leaves the inside of your home vulnerable to rain and water leaks. If the ice turns to rain or melts while collecting on your roof, you may notice leaks on your ceiling and walls. Repair the fractures that have developed on the top of your house to prevent water from harming your interior living space.
- Damage around the house: Hail can create dents in your whole property. Even if you can’t climb onto your roof to assess it, you might be able to see holes or dents in your siding, windows, garage door and cars.
About Our Storm Damage Repair
To combat damage from Raleigh and the Triangle’s common storms, you should have a plan in place for how to repair or replace your roof. At Scro’s Roofing Company, we work with your insurance company to provide storm damage repair services. Your homeowner’s insurance should cover roof storm damage, so you can get financial assistance for installing a brand-new roof.
When you call us after a storm, here’s what you can expect.
- Complimentary roof inspection: As soon as you notice any roof damage from your most recent storm, our team will conduct a 10-point inspection of your roof and the other components of your property. During our inspection, we’ll take notes to provide proof of the parts of your home that need repairs or replacement.
- File a claim with your insurance: If we discover any broken shingles or roofing components, we’ll suggest that you file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company. When you file with them, you’ll meet with an insurance adjuster to inspect your roof again. Our team member who inspected your roof will attend the meeting with you to confirm the existing damage.
- Receive your check for a roof replacement: Once the insurance adjuster approves your claim and agrees to pay for the roof replacement, they’ll give you an estimate of what they’re willing to pay. They’ll also provide a first check for replacing your roof.
- Discuss your roof replacement options with us: Our team representative will review the estimate and go over the possible options for replacing your roof, presenting you with a contract. Once you sign the contract and give us the first check, we can order the materials and start working on your roof.
- Schedule roof replacement: We’ll set up a time to install your brand-new roof before receiving the second check. You’ll owe us the rest of the money once we’ve completed the project.
- Install your new roof: Once we’ve received the new roofing materials, we’ll install your new roof in one to four days, based on your property’s size. Your Scro’s roofing representative will be on-site during the whole process to address any concerns or questions you may have.
- Get reimbursed with a second check: After we’ve completed your new roof, we’ll send your insurance company an invoice of the final balance we charged. If you had to pay us out of pocket before getting the second check, you could submit your paid-in-full receipt to your insurance company to get reimbursed. Your insurance company will refund you via check within a week.
Contact Us to Recover From the Worst Weather for Roofs
Our team at Scro’s Roofing provides peace of mind during every type of storm you could face in your community. We offer roofing repair and replacement services to help your property recover from heat, rain, wind, snow and hail damage. If you’d like to find out more information about our storm damage services in Raleigh and the Triangle, you can reach out to us online.
