Storm Damage Roof Repair Dallas: Hail, Wind and Next Steps

If hail or wind hit your roof, stay off it, take dated photos from the ground, and ask a roofer to inspect. The inspection tells you whether the roof needs a repair or a replacement. Your insurer, not a roofer, decides what your policy covers.

Dallas Roof Works is a referral service, not the roofer. We send your request to one independent roofer, who contacts you within 24 to 48 hours.

Request a roofer or call (737) 530-8330

What to do first after hail or wind

Make sure everyone is safe. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.
Stay off the roof. A roof hit by a storm can be slick, loose or weak, and the fall is worse than the damage.
Keep clear of a ceiling that sags or bulges, and of water near a light fixture or outlet.
If water is coming in, set a bucket under it, move furniture and electronics away, and write down when it started.
Take photos (more on that below).

A temporary cover on the roof is work for a roofer. Don't climb up to tarp it yourself. Tell the roofer who calls you if water is coming in now.

How to document the damage from the ground

Walk around the house and look up. Take wide shots of each side of the house, then closer shots of anything that looks off. Put the date on each photo, or keep them in a phone album named for the storm date.

Look for:

Shingles that are missing, lifted, creased or curled.
Dented gutters, downspouts, vents or flashing.
Pieces of shingle or granules, the gritty bits, in the gutters or on the ground.
Hail marks on cars, fences, patio furniture or the lawn.
Water stains on ceilings or walls inside.

Keep these too:

The date of the storm.
Receipts for temporary fixes.
A copy of your declarations page, the front page of your policy.
Your claim number, if you file one.
Any written findings from a roofer.

You don't have to find the damage yourself. Photos give the roofer and your insurer something to look at.

Hail damage and wind damage on a roof

Hail and wind can leave a roof looking fine from the street. Damage may show up as a leak weeks later, or only when someone looks up close. So dated photos from the day matter, and a roofer's look is worth having even if nothing drips.

The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth says large hail, damaging winds, flooding and tornadoes occur nearly every year in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, though a specific spot is unlikely to see all of them in one year. It also says severe weather peaks in spring. The biggest hailstone on record for that office's forecast area measured 5.25 inches across, in an April 2016 storm.

Your own street may have seen nothing, or a lot. A roofer looks at your roof, not the forecast.

What an inspection decides: repair or replace?

A roofer decides this after looking at the roof up close. They look at:

How much of the roof is damaged, and where.
Whether the damaged area can be repaired and the rest is sound.
How old the roof is and how many repairs it has had.
Whether the decking, the wood under the shingles, is wet or soft.

Ask the roofer to show you photos of what they found, and to put the findings in writing. A fair answer comes with photos and a reason. Be wary of anyone who says you need a new roof before they have looked.

Insurance: what to keep, and who decides

Whether your policy covers storm damage is a question for your insurer. Ask your insurer in writing, and ask your agent or insurer about your deductible, the amount you pay first. Many Texas policies set the wind and hail deductible as a percentage of the home's insured value, so check your declarations page.

A roofer can tell you what they see on the roof and put it in a written report. A roofer can't handle your claim. Texas Insurance Code 4102.163 bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on a roof the contractor is working on or could work on.

Texas law also says you pay your deductible. Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02 makes it an offense for a seller to waive it or help you avoid it, unless your insurer agrees. A "free roof" pitch, or an offer to absorb your deductible, is a red flag.

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) home insurance guide warns against permanent repairs before your insurer has seen the damage. For the full detail, see our guide on whether insurance covers roof replacement in Texas.

What storm damage roof repair costs

The roofer prices the job after inspecting the roof and gives you the price in writing. We don't post prices, because the roof decides the price. What moves it: how much of the roof is damaged, how steep it is, what lies under the shingles, and whether the decking needs replacing.

How to request a roofer

Send the address and what you see. Add photos if you have them.
We check coverage for your address. We take requests in Dallas and the surrounding area, and we confirm the address first.
Our independent partner contacts you within 24 to 48 hours. They carry insurance. They inspect the roof, then give you the scope, price, schedule and terms in writing.

The roofer does the work and owns those terms. Read them before you say yes. You can also read our referral disclosure.

Texas has no statewide roofing license, so ask any roofer for a current certificate of insurance and the scope and price in writing. Our guide to choosing a roofer in Dallas has the full list. After a hail storm, door knockers show up in many neighborhoods. Take their name and number, and compare before you sign anything.

Questions Dallas homeowners ask

How do I know if my roof has hail damage?
From the ground, look for missing or creased shingles, dented gutters and vents, and shingle grit in the gutters. Some damage can't be seen from the ground, so a roofer's inspection is the way to know.

Can I climb up to check?
No. Take photos from the ground and let a roofer go up.

Can hail damage be repaired instead of replacing the roof?
Sometimes. The roofer has to check the damaged area and the condition of the roof around it before recommending a scope.

Can a roofer waive my deductible?
No. Texas law says you pay it, and a seller who helps you avoid it commits an offense unless your insurer agrees.

How fast will someone come out?
Our partner contacts you within 24 to 48 hours. The roofer then sets the inspection time and gives it to you in writing.

Can you tell me the cost from my address?
No. A price starts with an inspection, and the roofer gives it to you in writing.

Next step

Send the address and what you see, with photos if you have them.