Expecting the Unexpected: Wind Damage to Roof
Howling. Blustery. Turbulent. When Mother Nature kicks up her heels and blows, wind damage to roofs is sure to follow.
Your home doesn’t need to sit directly in the path of a tornado or hurricane to experience strong winds. Oftentimes freak seasonal storms bring dangerous winds for just a few minutes that can peel shingles off roofs.
Just ask Gary Baker. He was outside simply sitting on his property when a sudden storm came up.
“I saw this black cloud come up over the hills,” says Baker, owner of Grinders Switch Farm in Tennessee. “The first gust was ferocious. At least 90 mph. That storm took down several hundred trees on our property. It tore the metal roof off our guest house. In addition, it simply pulled the high-end asphalt shingles right off our main home.”
When the storm passed, wind damage to the roof was apparent. Shingles were scattered everywhere.
“Suddenly we were in the market for new roofing,” says Baker. “Mother Nature really threw us a curveball.”
Claiming Wind Damage Roof Insurance
During the next few months, Baker did what any homeowner would do in that situation. He got with his insurance agent. He learned that claiming wind damage roof insurance required patience. In other words, he wasn’t the only homeowner impacted by the storm, and he had to wait his turn.
For Baker and others in similar situations of working with insurance adjusters, it helps to stay calm. Take lots of pictures of the damage, and wait your turn for claiming wind damage roof insurance benefits.
“Homeowners need to have some patience with adjusters,” says Trent Lovewell, whose company has installed more than 500 composite roofs from DaVinci Roofscapes. As a leader at John Higgins Weatherguard, Inc., located in Omaha, Nebraska, he has witnessed repeated storm problems requiring insurance claims.
“That patience can go a long way in helping gain a fair resolution for a claim,” says Lovewell. “You need to really understand how few adjusters there are across the country, and how they can get backlogged during different seasons with weather-related issues.”
To help homeowners, Lovewell created a listing of 10 Tips for Working With Insurance Adjusters.
Plan for the Unexpected
If you’re playing the waiting game for your insurance adjuster, you’ll have plenty of time to consider what material to use on your replacement roof. Chances are, if you use the same roofing tiles again, Mother Nature may have another round of “wind play” with your roof.
It’s a good idea to use this time to investigate roofing tiles that can withstand truly strong winds, along with impact and fire. DaVinci Roofscapes composite slate and shake tiles are made and tested to withstand winds up to 110 mph. That’s Category 4 hurricane force winds … and sometimes more.
When Hurricane Irma made landfall on the small island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands in 2017, it blew in with Category 5 conditions. While most of the island received extensive damage, not the home of Peter Karpiak. Thanks to his foresight in building and design, the house, including portions with composite roofing from DaVinci Roofscapes, successfully withstood the storm.
“Our home was directly in the eye of the hurricane with winds reported in excess of 250 mph, and the eye wall contained tornadoes,” reports Karpiak. “The fan-shaped section of composite roofing over our outdoor living area and the tower roof are all shake from DaVinci. These roofing tiles were not damaged by the hurricane. That’s a huge statement. This storm was so severe that it stripped the leaves and bark off trees.”
Learn more about the features and benefits of DaVinci composite roofing.