You’re not a roofer—you’re a homeowner who wants to take care of your most expensive possession. Without a qualified roofing inspector getting on your roof, it’s hard to tell exactly how much—if any—damage your roof has. However, there are some things to look for that can give you a clue to potential damage on the roof.
Shingle Damage
The most obvious is missing shingles. You can usually spot missing shingles from the ground. Sometimes the shingles can end up in your yard, bushes or driveway. You can also usually tell from the ground if your shingles are buckling or warping. These are sure signs that you need a roof inspection.
Damage to Other Surfaces
You won’t usually be able to see hail damage to your roof from the ground. However, there are some telltale signs around the house that can give you clue to possible damage. Check your gutters and downspouts for hail dings. If you see dents in the gutters or on the downspouts, there’s a high likelihood that there’s hail damage on the roof, as well. Most damage on downspouts will need to be above 5’ from the ground to rule out other causes of damage such as children playing or dogs hitting the downspout.
Other surfaces around your home could have hail dents, as well. If you have skylights, check those for damage. Check your garage door, window screens, window frames, siding, shutters, painted surfaces, AC unit, grill, mailbox and electric box. Dents and dings to these surfaces can be a good indicator that your roof may have sustained damage, as well.
Dents in Roofing Elements
Sometimes you can see damage to skylights, flashing, vents, pipe jacks, chimneys and any other metals on your roof from the ground. If the storm was strong enough to damage these elements on your roof, your roof probably is damaged, too.
Shingle Granules
Shingle granules help protect your roof from UV rays from the sun, as well as keeping your roof waterproof and fire resistant. Loss of granules signals it’s time for a roof replacement. If you have shingle granules in your gutters or around the perimeter of your home, there’s a high likelihood that you’ve suffered some shingle damage. Check the areas around where the downspouts flow out.
It's important to remember that shingle granules loosen and fall off on their own over time, so loss of shingle granules is also a natural process, too. If you are losing lots of granules, it’s not necessarily a sign of damage, but just that your roof is aged and possibly needs replacement.
Now What?
As a homeowner, it's important to take care of your roof and have it inspected regularly. After major storms in your area, be on the lookout for these telltale signs of storm damage, and give Evoke Roofing a call to come out and inspect your roof and other structures for storm damage. As always, our inspections are complimentary.
