Your roof’s function is to protect your home and its contents from the elements. Sometimes this protection comes at a price: the roof may suffer damage that will limit its ability to protect your home now or in the future.
The sooner you detect this damage, the sooner you can repair it and ensure your roof is able to protect your home from future damage. Here are some techniques you can use to find roof damage.
Look at Your Ceiling
You can start looking for roof damage without even leaving your house. Start by walking from room to room and looking at the ceilings for
water damage. Signs of water damage on your ceiling include:
· Discoloration
· Sagging or bulging
· Bubbling paint
· Detached or falling coating
· Cracking
· Mold growth
Water damage in the ceiling is almost always a sign of roof damage.
Sometimes, water damage doesn’t manifest on the ceilings of your highest floor. Water can flow along the house structure and inside walls before becoming visible. Check the ceilings of lower floors and look for water damage to the walls as well.
Inspect the Attic
A lack of water damage to your ceiling doesn’t mean you don’t have roof damage, it just means that roof damage hasn’t caused visible water damage yet. Your next step is to go into your attic and look for signs of water.
Make sure you have adequate light, including a beam that you can use to shine at different angles to catch the reflectiveness of wet surfaces. Also, look for signs of mold or mildew. This might be dark brown, black, or white growth on the wood framing. In addition, look for wood that is crumbling, cracking or powdering. Check insulation for wetness and damage, such as compression or displacement by water.
If you do detect signs of water, try to track it back to its source. Rainwater will always flow downward, so trace its path upward until you find a likely culprit for the leak.
Check the Downspouts
If your attic seems secure from water, it’s time to check for signs of damage that might not yet be causing a leak but could in the future. One place to start is by looking at what’s washed out of your downspouts.
You should expect to see a lot of granules from asphalt shingles, especially if they’re new, but you should be concerned if you see other types of debris, such as pieces of asphalt backing, parts of wooden shakes, ceramic tile pieces, or screws, nails and other hardware.
Look at the Roof from a Distance
Before giving your roof a close inspection, take a moment to look at it from a distance. Sometimes problems can be visible from a far-away vantage point.
Make sure the lines of the roof are all straight. Any sagging or curving of the roof is a cause for concern. For example, a large branch might have fallen on the roof, causing damage. Even if the branch eventually fell off, the damage remains. Left unrepaired, this damage could lead to additional problems, including a collapsed roof.
Look for missing shingles, shakes or tiles. Check for dark spots. Look to see if the paint is blistering or peeling. If you see roof problems, you should call for a professional inspection.
Get on the Roof
If you’re comfortable getting on the roof, you should do it at least twice a year, taking appropriate precautions to avoid falling or injury. If you’re not comfortable getting on the roof, you should use binoculars to inspect the roof at least twice a year, and every year get a professional inspector to look at it up close.
When you are up on the roof or looking with binoculars, check for damaged shingles. Hail damage, for example, is highly visible as an indentation into the shingle, typically with a significant loss of roofing granules. Granules protect the shingles from sunlight, and once they’re gone the shingles can begin to degrade rapidly.
Also, look at the roof vents and vent boots to make sure they are still stable and properly sealed all around. Look at flashing — the metal pieces that protect the areas where horizontal and vertical surfaces meet on the roof. The flashing should be secure and provide complete coverage for the entire surface where water might flow. If you have places where the roof meets a wall, make sure the flashing is high enough and you don’t have signs of water damage over the flashing as well.
HRS Restoration Can Help
If your roof has suffered damage in a storm,
HRS Restoration can help. As the leading restoration company in the Denver area for more than 50 years, we have helped many homeowners get their roofs back into peak condition after major and minor
storm damage.
We offer 24/7 emergency response services, so you can call us any time, day or night, to deal with your storm damaged roof. Our restoration experts will arrive on the scene and immediately get to work. Unlike some specialists, we can handle every aspect of roof damage restoration. HRS has a dedicated
roofing division that can make all necessary repairs to your roof, and our restoration team will perform water damage restoration services if water penetrated the house and damaged its structure or contents.
HRS works with insurance every day, and we can coordinate your claim for a speedy and convenient process. We understand their requirements for filing a successful claim. We will thoroughly document the damage and all the repairs to meet your insurer’s strict standards. Your claim won’t be denied or delayed because of inadequate documentation.
HRS Restoration is a subsidiary of
Haselden Construction, a family-owned Colorado company serving the Denver area for over 50 years. Our connection to Haselden means we’re able to keep all services in-house so that you experience shorter turnaround times and receive more competitive pricing. You’ll experience a smoother restoration process that delivers the high quality work Haselden has become known for.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. HRS Restoration serves homeowners in Denver and the surrounding areas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spotting Roof Damage After a Storm
How do you know if a storm damaged your roof?
Start by inspecting your ceilings for discoloration, sagging, bubbling paint or mold growth, all of which can indicate water has penetrated the roof. From outside, look for missing shingles, dark spots or sagging rooflines. If you're comfortable doing so, inspect the roof up close for hail indentations, damaged flashing and deteriorated vent seals. Signs of damage aren't always immediately visible, so a thorough inspection after any significant storm is worth doing even if nothing is obviously wrong.
Can you have roof damage without any ceiling water stains?
Yes. Water that enters through a damaged roof doesn't always travel straight down to the ceiling below. It can flow along the wooden structural components inside your roof and walls, through insulation and into lower areas of your home before becoming visible. Inspecting your attic after a storm is the most reliable way to detect water intrusion before it causes visible damage to your ceilings or walls.
What should you look for when inspecting your attic for roof damage?
Look for wet insulation, dark or discolored wood framing, mold or mildew growth, and wood that is crumbling or cracking. Use a flashlight at different angles to catch the reflectiveness of wet surfaces, which can be easy to miss in low light. If you find signs of water, trace the path upward to identify where it's entering the roof.
What does hail damage look like on a roof?
Hail damage typically appears as circular indentations in shingles, usually accompanied by a noticeable loss of granules around the impact point. Because granules protect shingles from UV degradation, hail damage accelerates shingle deterioration even when the damage doesn't immediately cause a leak. If you notice dark spots or bare patches on your shingles after a hailstorm, schedule a professional inspection.
How often should you inspect your roof for damage?
A roof inspection should be performed at least twice a year, as well as after any significant storm. If you're comfortable getting on the roof safely, a close-up inspection allows you to check shingles, flashing and vent seals directly. If not, binoculars can provide a reasonable view from the ground, and an annual professional inspection ensures problem areas that aren't visible from a distance get identified before they develop into serious damage.
