Wind Damage Repair
Unlike Hail Damage, it is often quite easy to spot wind damage on a roof if you know what you are looking for.
Common Signs of Wind Damage
- Missing or loose pieces of roofing material. Most commonly, this will show up along the ridges or very near the ridge.
- If you have an asphalt roof, you’ll most likely notice some missing pieces, or pieces of asphalt shingle that are crooked or hanging loosely.
- If you have a cedar roof, you might notice some of the shakes/shingles come loose, are missing, or appear to have been pulled up and aren’t sitting flush on the roof any longer.
- Missing chimney flue caps, loose or missing vents, B-vent caps missing, broken windows, damage on house exterior from flying debris.
- Check the internet and/or local weather for wind storm reported events.
What should I do if I suspect that my house has been damaged by wind?
(1) Call Kuhl and have them inspect your roof/property to see if you have any damage caused by wind. If you do, then we’ll discuss the possibilities for repair and whether or not it makes sense to get your insurance company involved.
(2) It is always a good idea to keep a detailed record when something happens to your home. Date, time, weather info, damage incurred, etc. This is helpful to you, potential contractors, and perhaps for insurance claims.
How badly can your roof be damaged by wind?
It depends on a couple key things.
(1) Wind speed, direction and duration.
If the wind is strong enough, coming from the right direction, and is continuously beating at your house and roof, it can cause some serious wind damage to your roof.
(2) Age of roof and type of roof.
If your roof is old, brittle, and weathered by years of exposure, it is less likely to be able to withstand constant, high wind speeds.
(3) Quality of installation of roofing material.
If your roof was not properly installed, wind damage can occur much more easily. One of the biggest mistakes roofers can make – over driving fasteners through the roofing material. If the roofing material (shingle, shake, tile, etc) is not held on the roof properly, wind damage is more likely to occur.
(4) The size, age, health and close proximity of your neighbors’ trees.
Enough said.
How do you repair wind damage?
More often than not, wind damage can be pretty easy to repair. In our experience, most wind damage is the result of over driven fasteners. Thus, wind rips individual pieces of roofing material off the roof. These pieces (if you can match them) can be individually replaced. It is not hard to install a new chimney flue cap either.
Not all wind damage is easy to repair. When you are dealing with wind damage from a tornado, it is obviously different. This type of wind damage can cause big problems (water damage, roof damage, chimney damage, window damage, siding damage, etc) and can greatly complicate the repair process.
Wind Damage Inspections
Think you might have wind damage? Give us a call. We’d be glad to come out and inspect your roof/home for you. Click below to schedule an inspection or to discuss this with one of our representatives.
