The entry of a force of nature, hailstorms are a trip of destruction, leaving a path of destruction behind them and for most people, far more damage than most think. However, these storms are usually short-lived, and hurl ice pellets ranging from marbles to golf balls in its severity. While the short term outcome of saving your penny may seem like a passing annoyance, it is actually far more detrimental to your long term financial goals than you realize. Hailstorms can cause serious damage to so many of your property elements from your roof to your car and that damage may not be visible right away but can become big problems down the road.
This post explores the surprising downside to hailstorm damage and why it’s important to respond to it quickly and preserve the value of your home or business.
Table of Contents
The Impact on Roofs: More Than Meets the Eye
The first thing that people often hear is the sound loud thud in response to hail hitting the roof. The noise, however, is just half the tale. Larger than an inch in diameter, hailstones can do considerable damage to roofing materials. For example, large hailstones can puncture or crack asphalt shingles. While the shingles damage might not appear right away, since the shingles have small dents or bruises, the spots can start deteriorating over time and allow water to seep underneath.
This water will eventually cause it to leak, grow mold, and eventually cause further damage to the structure. Delaying repair of hail damage on your roof increases the likelihood of developing these expensive, unseen problems. After a hailstorm, it’s important to have a professional inspect your roof to catch hidden damage early before it escalates.
Window and Glass Damage: Cracked or Shattered Glass
Windows, skylights, and other glass around your home can be damaged to a significant extent by hailstorms. And bigger hail, something the size of golf balls (or larger), can be especially problematic for windows. Even smaller hail can easily crack or chip the glass of your picks and pull it apart.
A minor crack might not seem like big deal to start with but a crack can go worse over the time due to temperature changes, humidity, or daily wear-and-tear. After a hail storm it’s important to walk over all glass surfaces and inspect for any damage and replace all broken or affected glass. Failing to replace damaged glass not only impacts the looks of your home coming in, but it can have worrisome outcomes for drafts, increased energy costs and compromised home security. Professional residential glass repair can be gotten for homeowners in Layton, Utah to assist with these issues as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Automobile Damage: Beyond Dents
Driveways and parking lots leave vehicles open to hailstorms and can result in some pretty hard damage. You might see a few dings or dents to your car’s exterior, but that’s just the beginning of what you’re dealing with. Hailstones are so forceful that they can break the windshield, dent the roof, damage body of the car headlights and mirrors included.
A particularly intense hailstorm hitting your car can do structural damage to your car which can later become a significant problem, for instance rusting of your vehicle or leakages in your car’s frame. However, in some cases, the damage can be such that your car becomes unsafe to drive, if the windshield or windows have been broken.
Siding and Exterior Damage: More Than Just a Cosmetic Issue
Another point of vulnerability in hail storms is the siding of your home or business. Hailstones can hurt vinyl, wood and aluminum siding severely. For example, any vinyl siding could crack or break under the heavier pressure of larger hailstones or the deep bruises and splintering of wood siding. Metal siding can be prone to dents that subvert its component integrity as well.
Siding damage may only appear cosmetic, but neglected can turn into bigger problems. Moisture can get in and over time, rot and mold are there, potentially leading to mildew. One of them is dents which ruin the look of your property making it look unkempt and remove its curb appeal. As with other types of hailstorm damage, it’s important to get your siding assessed by a professional as soon as possible to prevent further issues.
Landscaping: A Garden’s Worst Nightmare
Hail doesn’t only smash whatever stands in its path among buildings and cars; it can tear up your landscaping as well. Hailstones can strip the leaves from plants, trees and shrubs, and can even break them in two. Small trees may be snapped at the trunk while flowers that are fully open might be reduced to a pile of debris. Especially on delicate plants like fruit trees or young bushes this can mean serious damage and there is not always recovery possible.
The good news; some of these plants can recover from hail damage, it just depends on the size of the hailstones and the level of hail damage in the storm. And if you see tremendous damage to your garden, remove any broken branches or dead plants to allow those healthy parts of your garden to live on.
The Long-Term Financial Impact of Hailstorm Damage
While hailstorms may not seem significant at first, damage can be costly second. The costs of repairs may be covered by insurance companies, but only when damage is well documented and claimed. If they don’t report the hailstorm damage or delay repairs, they could see higher out of pocket costs down the road.
Hailstorms can decrease the value of your property, and even if the hailstorm has not caused severe damage to your home, the damage will likely need to be fixed and will cost money. Signs of storm damage may be visible and potential buyers may be deterred if they see them, or some repairs, like roofing or structural, will be expensive enough and won’t be done quickly enough before the property can be sold.
In Conclusion
Hailstorms can be merciless and surprising but with quick action, the impact on your property can be minimized. Routine roof inspections, repairing broken windows and fixing your car are all examples in which addressing hail damage, the sooner the better, will save you in the long run against what can be costly future repairs. If there was a hailstorm you will always want to inspect your property carefully or hire professionals to check the damage. If done right, you can protect your property from the long term effects of a hailstorm.
