Hail and storm questions
How do I know if my roof has hail damage? Bruising to the shingle mat is often invisible from the ground and shows up as soft spots or granule loss on closer inspection. A pair of binoculars from the yard is a reasonable first check, but a close inspection after any significant hail event is the only way to know for sure.
Does every hailstorm need an inspection? Not every storm causes damage worth acting on, but a storm large enough to dent a car hood or strip leaves off trees is generally worth a roof check, since hail that size is capable of bruising a shingle's mat even without visible surface cracking.
Permit and process questions
Do all the suburbs around Richardson require a permit? Richardson, Plano, Garland and Allen all require a permit for a full re-roof, and each has its own inspection schedule and paperwork. The permit is filed and the inspection scheduled as part of every job, so there is nothing left for the homeowner to file.
How long does a typical replacement take? A single-story home is usually a one-day tear-off and re-roof. A larger two-story house, or one with more than one layer of old shingle to remove, can run into a second day.
Material and lifespan questions
Is a Class 4 impact-rated shingle worth the extra cost? For a lot of North Texas homeowners, yes, both for the resistance to hail damage and for a potential insurance premium discount many carriers offer for a documented Class 4 roof. The extra cost is weighed against those two factors during the initial estimate.
How often should ventilation be checked? Ventilation is worth reviewing at every re-roof and after any attic insulation upgrade, since undersized or blocked vents shorten shingle life by running the attic hotter than it should be through the summer months.
Repair versus replace
When does it make more sense to replace than repair? A rough guide: if a repair would cost more than a fifth of a full replacement and the roof has less than five years of life left, replacement is the better use of the money. That calculation is written into the inspection note so it is not just a sales conversation.