What a hailstorm leaves on a roof
Hail damage is often invisible from the ground. On asphalt shingle it shows as bruises, soft spots and bare patches where granules were knocked off, and a damaged mat can start to leak long after the storm has passed. On metal it shows as dents, and on a seam it can show as a split or a lifted edge.
Flat roofs take it differently. A single-ply or built-up membrane can be punctured or cracked by a stone, and the vents, skylights and flashing around them are the first places water finds the opening. A roof-level view, like the one in the photo above, is the only reliable way to see all of it at once.
Minnesota gets enough storms that a roof of any age may have been hit more than once. A look after each storm is cheaper than finding out from a ceiling stain.
A free look at shingle, metal and membrane alike
Austad inspects residential roofs for hail damage at no charge, and commercial roof inspections are free as well. Call or email and the answer comes the same business day. The estimate that follows is free too.
The inspection covers the whole roof system rather than the one spot you noticed: shingles, metal panels and seams, membrane sections, flashing, vents and skylights. If there is nothing wrong, you hear that. If something is, you hear what it is and what each option involves, from a repair to a restoration to a replacement.
Finding the real cause matters as much as finding the damage. Ken White wrote in a Google review that Austad “Found the cause of an issue others could not,” and the First Congressional Church in Anoka said much the same in its letter about a roof other firms had failed to fix.
A roof that rode out the storm
Julie Taylor had Austad replace the roof on her house when she bought it in 2012. Her review says: “Fourteen years later we’ve had no problems with it. It even withstood a hail storm that caused a lot of our neighbors to replace their roofs.”
Choosing materials with hail in mind is part of the answer. Class 4 hail-resistant shingles are one option on a steep slope house, and metal roofing is sold on its hail resistance and long lifespan. Which one fits depends on the house, the pitch and what you want it to look like.
After the inspection, Austad also handles maintenance and repairs, so a small problem found early stays a small repair. The roof evaluation for a church or a commercial building is free too, and the same shop on Ryan Lane in Little Canada answers for the work.
