Hail verdicts turn on one distinction: functional versus cosmetic. On shingles, functional hail fractures or bruises the mat under the granules, felt as a soft, crushed spot, and it shortens the roof's life whether or not it leaks today. On metal, dents that do not breach seams, fasteners, or coating are usually cosmetic, however dramatic they look from the ladder.
This guide is College Station's home page in spirit: high winds and large hail from recent storms are the market's named driver. Functional hail on shingles fractures the mat under the granules and shortens the roof's life whether or not it leaks today; adjusters count it in test squares. File the inspection within days of a named storm, with dates, because bruised mats weather faster after the hit and late files argue about age instead of weather.
Adjusters evaluate hail in test squares: a marked 10 by 10 foot area per slope, hits counted and photographed, with soft metal damage (vents, flashing, gutters) as supporting evidence. A roofer's inspection that follows the same method produces a record your insurer can actually use.
Timing matters twice: policies set windows for reporting storm damage, and bruised mats weather faster after the hit. An inspection within days of a named storm, with dated photos, is the difference between a documented claim and an argument about an old roof.
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