What to Do if Your Home’s Roof Has Been Damaged By Hail

Colorado Springs Area Real Estate Podcast with Tiffany Lachnidt

Our area’s been hit hard by hail storms recently, so I’ve brought in a professional roofer to offer some expert advice for anyone whose homes have been damaged.

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Our area has experienced some difficult hailstorms and windstorms over the past couple weeks, so today I’ve brought in Chris Higbee of On Top Roofing & Restoration to talk about roof repair and what you need to do if your home’s roof has incurred any serious damage.

If you live in Colorado Springs, you’ve probably gotten a knock on your door from a roofer offering a roof inspection or at least seen one of their business cards left at your doorstep. When your roof gets damaged and you have an insurance claim for, say, $30,000, you probably shouldn’t just hand over a contract like that to one of these roofers. Before you hire a roofer, do your due diligence, research their company’s history, and check the reviews from people who work with them on a regular basis. If you’re going to do business with them, you need to make sure you’re taken care of.

Roof work isn’t as difficult as plumbing or electrical work, but if it isn’t done correctly, it can cause problems for home sellers. Sometimes we work with sellers who’ve just gotten a new roof installed on their home, but the roofer didn’t pull their permits correctly. Or, they pulled the permits correctly but didn’t clear them, in which case we have to chase that paperwork down after the fact. We also see the vents on roofs get missed sometimes, which can cause mold.

“If you have hailstones sitting in your living room, you’re better off calling your insurance company first.

If your home gets damaged by hail, your first step should be to take advantage of the free inspections one of the many local contractors in our area offer. On Top Roofing also offers video inspections to ensure their clients get a clear idea of what they find. How quickly you can get an inspection done on your roof depends on a couple factors, but they can typically send someone out to your property within one or two days.

Chris recently saw extensive damage done to homes in Fountain, with hailstones as big as three inches penetrating all the way through people’s roofs. If you have hailstones sitting in your living room, you’re better off calling your insurance company before you call a roofer. Otherwise, always call a roofer before calling your insurance company so they can give you their opinion on whether you actually need to file a claim. That’s another advantage of working with Chris—he actually works with the adjuster to calculate the amount you need to get covered.

As roofs age, their shingles typically deteriorate and crack, and this is something Chris has seen a lot of lately. He’s also seeing the boots around pipe jacks crack and deteriorate, which can let water in and cause a whole list of problems. In our climate, the age span of a roof is usually between 25 and 50 years, depending on the type of shingles you use.

If you have any more questions for Chris or you’d like them to do an inspection on your roof, you can call their office at [phone] or visit their website at www.ontoproof.com.

As always, if you have any other questions for me or you need other types of roof repair, you can call or email me anytime. I’d be happy to help you.