Lifted, creased and missing shingles after nor'easters and gusts, with the seal and underlayment checked before anything is replaced.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Wind damage to shingles usually starts with a broken adhesive seal, not a missing piece. A gust lifts the tab, the seal lets go, and the shingle creases at the nail line or blows off. A technician checks each shingle for seal, crease and exposed underlayment, reseals what can be saved and replaces what cannot.
Wind rarely takes a shingle off in one piece. Each asphalt shingle is held down by a sealant strip along the tab and by nails driven through the overlap. A gust pulls against that bond, and the bond is weakest where the shingle has spent a cold winter flexing. Once the seal lets go, the loose tab lifts and drops with each gust, creases at the nail line and eventually cracks or blows away.
A technician sorts wind-damaged shingles into three groups. Shingles that are still attached but unsealed can often be lifted, cleaned and fastened back down. Creased or cracked shingles usually have to be replaced, because a crease does not come out.
Phones are answered around the clock, so a storm-damaged roof can be reported at any hour. Reach the line at (833) 751-2102. Nobody can say when a technician will arrive, because the work follows the weather and the crews available that day.
Do not climb onto a roof to check or cover wind damage, especially in winter, when snow and ice make the surface unstable. Do not use a ladder on an icy surface or stand on loose shingles to reach a gap. Note the damage from the ground with photographs, catch interior water in containers, and call a technician to make the roof safe. Keep the photographs for the insurer, since they record the roof before anyone touched it.
The technician walks the roof where it can be walked safely and works the other slopes from the ground. Each slope is mapped for lifted, creased and missing shingles, with the ridge, rakes and corners checked separately, because wind concentrates its damage there.
A lifted tab is tested gently by hand. A tab that lifts without tearing and lies back down can be resealed. A tab that tears, creases or has lost its nail is not a candidate, because sealant cannot restore the material. This step separates a repair from a replacement on the same slope.
Where shingles are missing, the underlayment beneath is inspected for tears, brittleness and staining. Nails are checked for backing out. A nail that has backed out is the usual reason a neighbouring shingle lifted, so it is reset or replaced rather than covered.
Shingles that can be saved are cleaned, fastened through the nailing zone and bonded with fresh sealant where the strip has failed. Creased or missing shingles are replaced with matching material, laid so the joints do not line up with the courses below. Work is held off while fresh sealant is still curing in cold weather.
The repaired slope is checked for flat tabs and flush courses. Photographs are taken of the damage and the repairs. The homeowner receives a written description of what was repaired and what was left for later, so the record is complete if a claim or a future repair needs it.
Shingles are nailed through the overlap and bonded to the course below with a sealant strip along the tab. Wind pulling up on the tab works against that bond, and the bond is weakest where the shingle has been flexing through cold weather.
The sealant on an asphalt shingle is a thermally activated adhesive that bonds when the roof is warm enough for the strip to soften. A roof installed in mild weather and then caught by a long freeze may have strips that never fully bonded, and those tabs are the ones a nor'easter finds first.
Once one tab lifts, the wind has a foothold. The loose tab flutters and creases along the nail line, and each crease weakens the material further.
The technician checks whether each shingle still seals, whether it is creased or torn, and whether the underlayment and nails beneath are sound. The decking and the flashing at edges and penetrations are checked for the same damage.
Wind damage concentrates at the ridge, the rake edges, the corners and anywhere the roof projects above its surroundings. Those are the places to look first, and they are also where gaps are most visible from the ground.
The condition of the nails matters as much as the shingle. Nails that have backed out let neighbouring shingles lift, and nails driven too high in the nailing zone do little to hold the course.
A shingle that lifts without tearing, creasing or losing its nail can usually be resealed. A shingle that is creased, cracked, torn or missing has to be replaced, because sealant cannot restore the material.
Resealing is a fair repair when the shingle is still flexible and the adhesive has simply let go. The test is whether the tab lies flat and stays flat once the wind passes.
A crease is a break in the mat that a sealant cannot close. A shingle with a visible fold keeps lifting along that line, so the repair is only as good as the piece that replaces it.
The price depends on how many shingles are affected, how steep the slope is, whether the roof can be walked safely, and whether the damage reaches the underlayment, decking or flashing. The price is confirmed on site and explained and approved before any work starts.
Access is often the largest factor. A house with a steep front slope and a sheltered rear is a different job from a multi-floor building with a low-slope section and porches to work around.
The number of coverings already on the roof also matters. Shingles laid over an older layer do not always lie flat once the top layer is lifted, so the technician decides whether the damage is confined to the top layer or runs through the roof.
Whether a claim pays depends on the policy, the insurer and the cause of the damage, not on the roofer. The record of what happened, when, and what was done about it is what an adjuster will ask for.
Storm damage is handled through homeowner's insurance, and the policy language decides what is covered, what is excluded and how a claim is adjusted. A roofing company cannot say whether a particular claim will pay, and this page does not either.
The state's Division of Insurance takes complaints about insurers in Massachusetts. A homeowner who believes a claim was handled unfairly can take it there, and the guide on storm damage claims on this site explains what to keep.
Used when the shingle is intact but the sealant bond has let go along one or more tabs. The technician cleans the old sealant, applies fresh adhesive where the strip is dry and presses the tab down with the nailing repaired. A tab that has already creased will not lie flat again, so it is replaced rather than resealed.
Used when wind has folded, cracked or torn the shingle itself. The damaged piece is removed without disturbing its neighbours wherever possible. Color and profile can differ from the originals on an older roof, so a sample of the existing covering is brought in to match it as closely as the supply allows, and the technician says so before starting.
Used when a run of shingles has gone from one area, often a corner or a rake edge. The underlayment and the deck edge come first, because the wind has exposed the layer that keeps water out. Damaged underlayment is replaced, the decking is checked for soft spots and the courses are rebuilt from the bottom up. Where the area is large, whether the slope should be replaced is raised with the homeowner.
Springfield's storm history is why wind damage is not treated as minor here. On 1 June 2011 a tornado rated EF3 by the National Centers for Environmental Information, with estimated winds of 160 mph, crossed the Connecticut River into the city.
The more frequent driver is the nor'easter. The October 2011 Halloween nor'easter showed how a storm arriving with wet snow and wind does far more harm when trees still hold their leaves.
The older housing stock has its own version of the problem. Many pre-1940 houses have been recovered at least once, so wind lifts the top covering while the layer below is already weathered.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what wind damage shingle repair should cost.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Targeted repair of shingles, flashing and decking on older valley roofs where replacement is not yet due.
Making a Springfield roof dry after wind or tornado damage, documenting it, and the permit steps that follow.
Leak tracing and repair at eaves, valleys, chimney flashing and wall joints on Springfield's older roofs.
How asphalt shingles weather in the Pioneer Valley, what sits under them at the eaves and how a technician decides between repair and replacement.
A tornado NOAA rated EF3 touched down in Westfield on 1 June 2011 and tracked through the valley, including the south side of downtown Springfield.
A roof storm claim turns on whether the damage was sudden and not caused by lack of maintenance, and the policy and the insurer decide the outcome.
No. Shingles are designed to hold against ordinary wind, and most storms leave a roof unchanged. Damage tends to show up when a strong gust arrives on a surface already stressed by cold, thaw and a sealant strip that never fully bonded. A roof that has not been checked after a storm is worth a look, even when nothing was obvious at the time.
Not by climbing onto it. A roof with loose shingles is unstable, and a fall from a ladder causes more harm than the water does in most cases. Cover the interior with plastic and catch the drips. A technician can make the roof safe from the correct position, and the tarping decision is part of that visit.
A crease is a fold that stays when the shingle is lifted and laid back down, and the granules often crack or fall along it. Dirt, leaves and moss sit on the surface and brush away. A shingle that will not lie flat, or that shows a pale line along the tab, is usually creased and needs replacing.
The roof can be checked at any time, and the answer depends on what the inspection finds. A missing shingle or a gap in the underlayment is a reason to act sooner, because water can reach the deck through it. A single lifted tab on an otherwise sound slope may be resealed at a convenient time, and the technician says which category the roof falls into.
Take wide photographs of each side of the house, then close-ups of any lifted, creased or missing shingles, the ridge and the rake edges. Photograph the gutters and the ground under the eaves for granules and debris, and any staining on ceilings. Keep the photographs with a note of when the storm happened.
It can. Remaining life is judged on the roof itself, looking at granule loss, curling, nail condition and the decking, rather than on a set number of years. An older roof may tear when a lifted shingle is worked, which changes whether a repair or a larger job makes more sense. The technician explains that judgment before any work starts.