Roofers Have Things Nailed Down

Is It Best To Replace A Roof With Hail Damage, Or Can You Repair It?

15 March 2022

Nora Mcdonalid

Hailstorms are frustrating because they can leave so much damage in one spot but not in another, and yet you have to check everything on your property for signs of damage. Hail can leave a lot of damage that makes your roof look terrible and that opens up the possibility of leaks. So as annoying as it is to have to call yet again for another inspection, you should still have someone look at the roof. The one saving grace is that, if there is damage, you may be able to patch or reroof, rather than replace it if you find the damage early enough.

Minor vs. Major Damage

You should be able to repair the roof if the damage is minor and the lower layers of the roofing material are dry and not leaking. If there are wide swaths of damage, reroofing may be necessary. This is a type of repair and not a replacement of the entire roof. In reroofing, a roof repair company adds a new roof covering (or outer few layers of material) over the damaged roof covering. If only a small area is damaged, patching might be an option, especially if the damage is minor. If, say, a couple of shingles were taken out, patching could work.

If Leaks Have Started

What if leaks have already started, and you've got pots and pans lining your living room couch to catch the water? Then you may have to look into roof replacement depending on where the leak is coming from. If there are many damaged areas letting a lot of water in, that's a replacement. But if there is one spot letting water in, it is possible that a patch might be enough if the spot has a chance to thoroughly dry out. But even then, don't be surprised if the repair has to be larger. Once leaks start and water damage is present, repairs get more complicated.

Reroofing vs. Patching

Why can't roof repair companies just patch damage instead of adding an entirely new cover to the whole roof? Much of it is economics. It will simply take too long and cost too much to patch every single spot of damage. Plus, walking on the roof, as the repair people would have to do to reach all the damage, in itself is a risk factor for more roof damage. It is much easier in cases of widespread damage to reroof instead of patching every spot.

Call in a repair company for roof hail damage services and have them inspect the roof as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that everyone in your neighborhood will be doing the same thing, so it may take the roofers a few days to get to you if you don't call right away.

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