Your roof has enemies: Wind and Hail

Remember that old margarine commercial in which Mother Nature was tricked into believing she was eating butter? It ended with, "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature." That statement could not hold more truth than when it comes to the roof of your home or business. There is no greater force to be reckoned with and when Mother Nature unleashes a major storm, your roof will be the hardest hit. Whether it be wind or hail, Mother Nature will find the weak spots in your roof and potentially cause significant damage. Taking steps prior to a storm and regular maintenance could be the difference between minor repairs and a total roof replacement. When you hear the wind howling through the trees outside and whipping around your house, your first thought isn't about how that wind might be affecting your roof. Usually, you're just thankful you aren't out in that wind. But what you should be thinking is that you need to call NMC Exteriors & Remodeling for a routine roof inspection. Damage to your roof starts small with a single wind storm, even though that damage may not even be noticeable. With subsequent storms, a small, lifted shingle can turn into a creased shingle. When the next storm comes, that same shingle has not torn around the head of the nail holding it in place. Eventually, partial or full tabs of shingles are torn off. When the wind blows across and over the roof of your home or business, it creates a suction and pushing movement. The roofing material gets pulled up in the suction phase and then gets moved in the pushing phase. After time, this pulling and pushing can loosen roofing material, leading to creased, cracked and flipped shingles. This can expose the underlayment and expose your roof to the elements, creating the opportunity for leaks, sheathing damage and more, so missing and damaged shingles need to be replaced and re-sealed. From time to time, all the pulling and pushing of shingle tabs can loosen nails and they back out of the roof sheathing. When this happens, the nails need to be hammered back down and those areas need to be re-sealed as well. In an extensive wind event, the possibilities of roof damage are not limited to losing material from your roof. You also need to be aware of damage caused by flying debris. Tree branches falling and damaging the roof are the biggest culprits. Anything making impact on your roof creates probably damage and problems in the future. Hail is another one of Mother Nature's masterpieces and is, by far, your roofs worst enemy. Damage from hail is initially easier to identify than wind damage and oftentimes you can see signs of damage just by looking at your roof and its components from the ground. Metal pipes and stacks, gutters and vent caps will be dented and 'dinged" from the impact of hailstones, and once they are damaged they no longer function properly and should be replaced. Signs of hail damage on a shingle roof can be harder to notice. NMC Exteriors & Remodeling can inspect your roof to detect the severity of hail damage. If it's substantial, we can even help you file an insurance claim and will work with your agent to have repairs completed or a new roof installed, if that's necessary. Whatever elements Mother Nature unleashes on your roof, you need to be sure to pay attention to it. Spotting and taking care of small problems early on will save you money and possible damage in the future. NMC Exteriors & Remodeling has been helping homeowners and business owners with their roofing projects for nearly 20 years. Let our experience and knowledge work for you ... and experience the NMC Difference. Call us today at 763-260-8537 to schedule a free, no-obligation inspection and assessment of your roof and gutters.