After a hurricane has passed, it’s natural to inspect for damages. However, it is important to do more than just glance around the easily visible parts of your house’s exterior. One of the most important areas to check is your roof. Here are some methods for checking for hurricane damage in this critical part of your home.
Pay Attention to the Debris Around Your House
It is common for tree limbs, or even entire trees, to come down during a hurricane. In most cases, anything that has gotten into the yard will need to be cut up and hauled away. However, if you see branches right next to your house, it could mean that they crashed into the roof on the way down. Then, you should expect to need to inspect the roof further to see if it was bent, ripped, or even had a hole put through it.
Look Up
A simple upward look from ground level can reveal whether or not there are any branches, bent metal roofing panels, or torn shingles sticking off of the side of the roof. If there are, further inspection is definitely warranted!
Check Inside the Attic
If you have an attic, go up there during the day. The most obvious thing to look for is light coming in where it shouldn’t be, which is a sure sign of one or more holes. Don’t stop there, though – look for water, either actively coming in or staining the attic ceiling. Watermarks may or may not feel wet, so you should be suspicious of all of them unless you know for sure that they’re from prior, already-repaired, problems.
Check for Leaks
Whether or not you have an attic, roof leaks will often present themselves in the living area. Be especially observant near where the walls meet the ceilings because these areas are some of the most prone to leakage. Also, check around any chimneys, and if you have a roof-mounted satellite dish, check right under its mounting location.
If it isn’t raining when you check, you might not see anything even if there is damage. In that case, wait until there’s good rain and check again. The same goes for checking in the attic.
Contact Perry Roofing Contractors
If you suspect that you may have roof damage or a leak after a storm in Gainesville, contact us here at Perry Roofing. We’ll let you know if any repairs are needed, and you won’t have to risk going up on a ladder.