Spotting Storm Damage on Attica Country Homes Before It Spreads

Attica has no village center to speak of. It is a township of country homes on large lots, older farmhouses and newer houses built on parcels split off from farm ground, all strung along rural roads between Lapeer and Imlay City with I-69 cutting through. That spread-out layout has a downside: a missing shingle on the back slope can go unnoticed until a ceiling stain appears.

How can I check my roof for storm damage without climbing on it?

Walk the whole house from the ground, starting with the side that faced the wind. Look for shingles in the grass, dark patches where tabs are missing, dented gutters or downspouts, and granules collecting at the bottom of downspouts. Binoculars help on a tall roof. Then check the attic for damp insulation or daylight.

A lap around the house after each hard storm takes a few minutes and can spare you a much larger repair later. Things worth noting as you go:

• Pieces of shingle, ridge cap or flashing in the yard or caught in shrubs
• Dings on metal vents, window trim or the mailbox, a sign hail was big enough to bruise shingles
• Curled or raised shingle edges that look different from the rest of the slope
• Branches resting on the roof, or gutters hanging away from the fascia
• Water spots on ceilings, especially in closets and upstairs corners nobody uses much

Take dated photos of anything you find. If the list is longer than you hoped, our storm damage repair service begins with a free inspection on the roof itself.

Why does damage go unnoticed on country lots?

Mostly because nobody sees the roof up close. When a house sits well back on a long drive, you see the front slope at an angle and almost never the back. Hail bruises and lifted tabs are hard to spot even from a ladder, so small openings can let water in for weeks.

Neighbors are often far apart, too, so you may not hear that the house down the road lost shingles in the same storm. Open fields between homes give wind room to build speed, and a newer house on a split-off parcel may have no trees around it at all for shelter. Slow leaks soak insulation and decking long before they drip through drywall, which is why a roof leak inspection looks at the attic as well as the shingles. When an unnoticed leak has rotted decking across a whole slope, the fix may be roof replacement rather than another repair.

What happens if hail was part of the storm?

Hail damage is the easiest kind to miss from the ground. Shingles can lose granules or get bruised without any visible hole, and the weak spots may not leak until months later. If you saw hail at your place, or found dents on vents and gutters, it is worth having the roof checked up close.

Our hail damage repair inspections mark and photograph hits on each slope. If you decide to file a claim, you get those photos and a written estimate to share with your insurer. You file and manage the claim yourself; if you want us there when the adjuster comes, we can meet them on site. See how we help with insurance claims for the details.

If you find an opening

Do not wait on the next forecast. We can cover an exposed area with emergency roof tarping so the house stays dry while the repair is scheduled. Please leave the climbing to us; a wet roof on a two-story farmhouse is no place for a ladder.

Attica sits between several communities we cover, including Lapeer, Imlay City and Dryden, where the same country-lot roof problems turn up.

Not sure what you saw from the yard? Send us your photos or ask for a look. Email Us or Free Estimate.