Water coming through the ceiling? The emergency line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year — we tarp and make safe first, and estimate in daylight. Call 000-000-0000
Storm damage is where roofing goes wrong for people, because it arrives with urgency, an insurance company and a lot of strangers in the street. The single most valuable thing you can do in the days after a storm is get the roof documented properly — dated photographs, measurements and a written scope — because that record is what a claim is built on, and it cannot be recreated a month later.
We inspect free after any named storm, and we tell you plainly what we find, including 'nothing'. We are not interested in encouraging a claim that is not there; a denied claim on your record helps nobody, least of all a firm that intends to be working on this street in ten years.
What storm damage actually looks like
Most of it is invisible from the pavement, which is exactly why an inspection is worth having even when the roof looks fine.
Wind-lifted shingles
The seal strip breaks but the shingle drops back into place. It looks perfect from the ground and it is no longer attached. The next moderate wind takes it.
Creased shingles
A shingle folded back by wind and laid flat again carries a crease across it. That crease is a fracture line and it will leak within a season or two.
Hail bruising
Round impacts that knock the granules off and expose the mat. Not a hole today; the beginning of one. Best seen with low raking light, which is why time of day matters on an inspection.
Missing ridge caps
Ridge and hip caps take the most wind of anything on the roof and are usually the first thing to go.
Flashing and drip edge damage
Lifted or bent metal at edges, walls and chimneys — very common in high wind and very easy to overlook.
Impact damage
Branches, aerials, scaffolding, and whatever the wind picked up from somewhere else. Frequently punctures the deck rather than just the covering.
Granule accumulation
A sudden heap of granules at the bottom of a downspout after a hailstorm is real evidence of surface loss across the whole roof.
Membrane and coping damage
On flat roofs, lifted membrane edges, failed termination bars and displaced coping stones.
How we document it
The report is written to be read by an adjuster, and we will attend their inspection with you at no charge.
Dated, located photographs
Wide shots establishing the elevation, then close shots of each finding, with something for scale.
Test squares on hail claims
A marked 10×10 area per elevation with impacts counted — the standard way this is assessed, and far more persuasive than a general description.
Measurements and a scope
Roof area by elevation, what is damaged, and what repairing it properly involves.
Interior damage recorded too
Ceilings, walls and contents. It belongs in the same claim and it is routinely left out.
Weather data for the date
Recorded wind speeds and hail reports for your location on the day of loss.
We attend the adjuster's visit
At no charge, so the damage we found is the damage that gets looked at. This one thing changes more outcomes than anything else on this list.
Storm-chasers, and how to avoid them
After every significant storm, crews arrive from out of state, sign people up, work fast and leave. Some are fine. Many are not. This is how to tell.
Nobody reputable knocks on your door after a storm
Especially not offering to 'handle the whole claim' or waive your deductible. Waiving a deductible is insurance fraud and it puts you, not them, in the wrong.
Ask where the office is
Ours is on Northern Boulevard and has been in Woodside since 1994. Ask for an address you can drive to, and drive past it.
Never sign anything on the doorstep
Particularly anything described as 'just an authorisation to inspect'. Those documents are frequently contracts contingent on a claim being approved.
Check the licence and the insurance yourself
A licensed home improvement contractor with general liability and workers' compensation. Ask for the certificates and verify them; anybody legitimate expects to be asked.
Be wary of a price far below everyone else
On a roof, that difference is almost always the flashing, the ventilation or the tear-off — the parts you will not be able to see once the job is finished.
Ask who warrants the work in five years
A workmanship warranty from a company that will not be in New York next spring is not a warranty.
Please stay off the roof. Not in rain, not in wind, not at night, and not to fit a tarp — far more people are hurt each year on wet roofs than by the leaks they were trying to stop. Never touch a ceiling light, fan or outlet that water has reached; switch that circuit off at the panel from dry ground, and if you cannot do that safely, leave it and call an electrician. If a ceiling is bulging or sagging, keep everybody out from under it. General guidance on this page is not a substitute for somebody looking at your own roof.
Questions
Storm & Wind Damage — the questions we are asked most
My roof looks fine after the storm. Is an inspection worth it?
Usually, yes, because the most common wind damage is invisible from the ground: a shingle whose seal strip has broken drops back into place looking perfect and is no longer attached to anything. It is free after a named storm, it takes half an hour, and if we find nothing we will tell you that and put it in writing.
Will you help with my insurance claim?
We document the damage properly, provide a written scope with measurements and dated photographs, and attend your adjuster's inspection at no charge. What we do not do is advise you on your policy or negotiate your settlement — that is your adjuster's and your broker's role, and any roofer who offers to run your claim for you is doing something they should not be.
Should I claim, or just pay for the repair?
That depends on your deductible against the cost, and on your own claims history — genuinely a conversation for your broker rather than your roofer. What we can tell you is the honest repair cost, so you have a real number to weigh against your deductible.
A company knocked on my door offering a free roof. Is that legitimate?
Treat it with real caution. Nobody can give you a free roof, and an offer to waive or absorb your deductible is insurance fraud that exposes you as well as them. Ask for a local address you can drive to, verify the licence and insurance yourself, and never sign anything on your doorstep.
How long do I have to file a storm claim?
Most policies require prompt notice and many set a firm window — often a year, sometimes less — from the date of loss. Do not wait for the damage to get worse to prove a point. Report it, get it documented, and let the adjuster decide.
What does hail damage actually look like?
Round bruises where granules have been knocked away, exposing the dark mat underneath, often with a soft feel when pressed. It is easiest to see in low raking light, which is why we like to inspect for hail early or late in the day. A sudden pile of granules at the foot of a downspout is corroborating evidence.
Do you charge for the post-storm inspection?
Not after a named storm. It is a genuinely free inspection with a written report, and it is free whether or not you have damage and whether or not you use us for the repair.
Related
Often needed alongside this
Leaks & Repairs
Roof Leak Repair
Finding where the water actually gets in — proven with a hose test, not guessed at — and then fixing that, once.
Read more
Leaks & Repairs
24/7 Emergency Roofing
Tarped and made safe around the clock — we stop the water first and estimate in daylight, when the roof can actually be assessed.
Read more
Leaks & Repairs
Flashing & Chimney Repair
The junctions where roofs actually leak — chimneys, walls, valleys and skylight kerbs — renewed rather than sealed over.
Read moreFree survey, written quote, fixed price
Get a roof quote, or call the 24-hour line
Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you honestly whether it needs somebody tonight or whether it will keep until the morning. Surveys and written quotes are free, and leak diagnostics are $145, credited in full against any repair you approve.