Identifying Hail Damage on Your Roof

American Dream Home Improvement
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American Dream Home Improvement offers top-quality Owens Corning products to clients across Illinois and throughout the Midwest. The expert contractors at American Dream Home Improvement install and repair roofing, siding, and gutters, and are quick to respond when storm damage hits. Harmful to more than just plants and vehicles, hail damage can wreak havoc on your roof.

If your home has asphalt shingles, look for damage that seems random. Hail falls in many sizes and gets whipped around by the wind. The damage it causes rarely looks uniform. Black spots and exposed roof felt may also indicate hail damage. When hail hits, it destroys the granules on asphalt shingles. This leaves dark spots, which can often be soft like bruised fruit. Similarly, be on the lookout for shiny spots.

Many factors can cause wooden shingles to split over time, but hail damage looks fairly distinctive. Look out for brown or orange tinted splits. Hail-damaged shingles may have sharp corners or edges, or may be split in the middle without being damaged around the edges.

Three Things Shingles Can Indicate about a Roof

Roofing Shingles
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American Dream Home Improvement sells and installs roofing, siding, and gutters in the Chicago metropolitan area. American Dream Home Improvement helps homeowners evaluate, repair, and replace their roofs, and even offers free estimates.

The state of a home’s shingles can tell you a lot about the roof. The following common problems can help you decide if your roof needs repairing.

Shingles that curl, cup, or buckle signify a problem. Usually, when shingles start to curl, it means they have reached the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced. This is especially common on parts of the roof that are exposed to the most sunlight. While it will never cause the problem by itself, an improperly vented attic can exacerbate this roofing problem.

When shingles lose their granules down the gutter, they are near the end of their life and will require replacement soon. The gritty granules protect the shingles. When they wash away over time, the shingles are more exposed to damage from the elements and will become less effective.

Shingles that come off entirely can signal several different problems. Animals sometimes climb around on roofs and damage shingles. Trimming tree limbs to limit rooftop access can address this problem. Shingles can also come loose in extreme wind when the sealant on their underside has become brittle. In any case, missing shingles must be replaced since the roof relies on their overlapping pattern to keep moisture at bay.