Wind and hail often go hand in hand, but the coverage, in terms of describing both, is quite different in the eyes of your insurance company. If you are a homeowner or own a commercial property, it’s important to understand hailstorm damages, how to deal with them, and what is covered in your insurance policy.

 If your home is in a hailstorm with any amount of sizable hail then it is important to have it professionally inspected by someone who knows roofing systems and is specifically experienced with hail damage. From a distance your roof may appear to be totally fine, but without having it thoroughly inspected by someone with hailstorm damage and it’s affects on roofing systems you can’t be sure.

Wind and hail are strong forces of nature and can happen when you least expect it – leading to property damages that you’ll need insurance compensation to help repair. With a little preparation and knowledge of how insurance claims work, you can speedily move along with your property repairs and avoid dealing with several weeks of a damaged and leaking roofing system, or other undesirable circumstances.

So, if a hailstorm causes damage to your property and you want to take action, here are some helpful tips:

After the damage occurs, immediately call us and schedule your no obligation roof inspection with one of our certified consultants. This is especially important if a large area of where you live was affected, such as your whole city and surrounding cities. We work on a first come first serve basis so please contact us as soon as possible if you think you may have damage.

Don’t readily accept the first offer your insurance company gives you, as it likely won’t fully cover all the work and repairs needed, or properly compensate improvements you’ve made to your home. If you find that the amount your insurance adjuster gives you is not what coincides with the repairs that need to be done to your house, we will serve as your advocate with your insurance company and make sure you are compensated properly.

Hail damage potential varies depending on several factors, including roof type, roofing material quality, installation methods, shingle layers, roof slope, wind speeds, etc.

However, there are some guidelines. If your roof contains one layer of common asphalt shingles, it usually takes a 1″ or above diameter hail stone to cause damage to your roof.

Roofs with multiple shingle layers may be damaged by smaller hail stones, due to a softer support surface directly under the top shingle layer.

When referring to hail sizes, here are a few common objects to compare to hail stone diamater:

• Pea  = 1/4-inch
• Marble = 1/2-inch
• Dime or penny = 3/4-inch
• Nickel = 7/8-inch
• Quarter = 1 inch
• Golf Ball = 1½  inches
• Tennis Ball = 2½ inches
• Baseball = 2¾ inches
• Tea cup = 3 inches
• Softball = 4 inches