How We Handle Storm Damage Repair, Step by Step
Storm damage repair starts with a rapid damage inspection before anything gets torn off. We photograph the damage, tarp the open areas, and write a line-item scope you can hand straight to your insurer.
- Tarping happens the same day, which keeps rain out of the decking while your claim moves through review.
- A rooftop inspection checks the ridge, the valley, and every penetration for hail bruising or wind uplift.
- Pulling storm debris out of the gutter and downspout lets water drain off the roof again instead of backing up under the eave.
- Photos and measurements get logged so the scope matches the Xactimate line items your adjuster already reads.
- We meet the adjuster on site, walk the damage together, and file a supplemental claim for anything the first pass missed.
- After approval, we tear off the damaged field course, replace any rotted sheathing, and refit replacement shingles.
Materials We Use on Damaged Roofs
Matching the existing covering matters, because a mismatched patch reads as a repair to any future buyer. We stock or source materials that blend with what is already overhead.
- Ice-and-water shield goes along the eave and the valley, where an ice dam or wind-driven rain can push water under the shingle field.
- Synthetic underlayment replaces worn roofing felt and tar paper, and it shrugs off sun exposure while the roof sits open.
- Architectural shingle, three-tab shingle, and standard asphalt shingle cover most of the residential roofs we patch.
- Wood shake and cedar shake get hand-split replacements so a repaired rake and eave keep their original line.
- Slate, clay tile, and concrete tile work means walking the roof instead of dragging a roofing square across it.
- Metal panel, standing-seam panel, and corrugated panel sections get re-secured wherever fasteners backed out in the wind.
- TPO, EPDM, and PVC membrane patches are either heat-welded or self-adhered, depending on the flat roof system.
- Built-up roof and modified bitumen surfaces take a repair coat over reinforcing fabric, then a finish coating of asphalt.
What the Inspection Actually Looks For
A storm rarely damages only what you can see from the driveway. We inspect the whole assembled roof system, because one failed component pushes load onto the next.
- Granule loss and a bruised shingle tell us whether hail broke the mat or just knocked the surface loose.
- Flashing at the chimney, step flashing at sidewalls, and counter-flashing at a parapet are where most leaks begin.
- A failed drip edge, apron flashing, or pipe boot shows up as staining on the soffit and fascia below.
- Pipe flashing and vent boot collars crack under UV, which lets water seep into the attic insulation.
- Rotted decking, soft sheathing, and stained plywood or OSB mean the leak has been running a while.
- A sagging roofline can point to a damaged truss, rafter, joist, or ridge beam rather than a surface problem.
- Ponding water on a low-slope roof, or a blocked scupper or coping drain, speeds up membrane decay.
- Missing snow guard brackets and loose anchors let snow slide and tear the gutter off the overhang.
Local Conditions That Change the Work
Roofing here swings between two extremes, and any repair has to survive both. Hot, dry summers followed by heavy winter rains from Pacific storms stress every seal on the roof.
- Summer heat bakes caulk and sealant until they flake, and then the first fall rain finds every crack.
- Fog and morning dew keep the roof wet long enough for rot to start under a lifted shingle.
- Wildfire risk means we clear dry debris out of the valley, gutter, and rooftop instead of pushing it aside.
- Atmospheric river storms drive water sideways into the eave, where only ice-and-water shield stops it.
Details, Tools, and Safety on Every Job
The details decide whether a repair holds. We check each one before the truck leaves, because a fastener that isn't seated can undo a full day of work.
- A pitched mansard or gambrel roof needs different footing than a low-slope deck, so scaffold and anchors go up first.
- A dormer, skylight, or canopy carries its own flashing detail, and each one gets inspected separately after a storm.
- Anyone working a steep verge or overhang wears a safety harness clipped to an anchor, never a belt full of loose nails.
- A ladder, pry bar, roofing shovel, nail gun, air compressor, and roofing square ride on every truck we send out.
- Torch work on modified bitumen, plus mastic and roof cement at the chimney, gets hand-sealed before we pack up.
- A vapor barrier and soffit vent keep ventilation moving so moisture from a leak doesn't settle in as mold.
- Waterproofing details finish the job: caulk, sealant, adhesive, coating, and the right screw or ring-shank nail.
- Purlin, batten, and counterbatten framing under a metal roof traps water when a fastener backs out, so the substrate gets checked too.
- An attic fan or powered vent only helps if the soffit intake is clear, which is why we look inside as well as up.
- A written roof estimate separates emergency work from permanent work, so you can approve the stages you want.
Timelines, Permits, and What Drives Cost
Emergency tarping usually happens the same day you call. Permanent repairs move at the speed of your insurance claim, not at the speed of the crew.
Building code requires a permit for sheathing replacement and full roof replacement, and we pull it before a dumpster lands in your driveway.
Most storm patches finish in a day. A full replacement runs several days, depending on pitch, access, and how much decking has to come out.
- Pitch and height slow the crew, and a steep hip or gable on a two-story home means extra scaffold and harness time.
- Decking condition is the biggest swing, since rot stays hidden under the shingle until the pry bar comes out.
- Access matters too, because a narrow driveway that can't take a dumpster or a compressor adds labor hours.
- Material choice sets the floor, and matching slate or a standing-seam panel costs more than a standard shingle patch.
Ask us for a free estimate and we'll tell you which of those factors applies to your roof before you commit to anything.
