What Are Some Signs of Hail Damage to Look for at Home?

When people hear the word "hail," it often brings up thoughts of damage, destruction and repair costs. A hailstorm can cause damage to homes, cars, businesses, commercial buildings and more. Sometimes the damage may be minor, and in other cases a serious hailstorm can destroy the roof of a home or other building.

When a Texas hailstorm damages your home, you will most likely be concerned with your roof and your siding, as hail can shorten the life of roof shingles and your home's siding. It is wise to spot the hail damage to your home before calling the insurance company. The insurance company will send out an adjuster who will inspect your home. If you know what damage your home sustained in the hailstorm, you will be much better prepared to challenge the adjustor on his findings.

Inspect Your Home After a Hailstorm

Shingles and roofs are typically where most of the damage occurs during a hailstorm, and it is important to inspect the outside of your home after the storm. Siding is generally resilient; however, in a serious hailstorm your siding may be damaged. Since there are different types of siding, the damage may be shown in different ways.

• Vinyl Siding: On vinyl siding, hail will typically not leave dents; however, it may crack the siding in a severe hailstorm. Look for the cracks - you should be able to see cracks closer to the bottom of your home if your vinyl siding was damaged. 
• Metal and Wood Siding: Both the wood and metal types of sidings will develop dents depending upon the size of the hailstones and the seriousness of the hailstorm. The type of dents will also depend on the angle of impact. Look for circular dents and oval dents in the siding. On wood siding, the hail may also crack the paint surface. 
• Roofs: Look for dents on the roof in order to determine if your roof may have been damaged in the hailstorm. Look at the edge of the shingle flaps to see if there are any cracks. Also, look to see if your roof lost many granules. If you have dents, cracks or missing granules, then you most likely have hail damage and need to pursue a hail damage insurance claim.