A Roof Checklist for After a Storm in Columbus

Step one: the soft metal and the gutters

Look from the ground at the vent caps, the flashing, the gutters and the downspouts for dents, bends and disconnected sections.

Soft metal shows storm impact clearly and quickly. A dented vent cap or a bent section of gutter on the storm side of the house is a sign the wind reached the roof edge, and the covering above should be checked. Look for dents that are round and bright, and for runs that have pulled from the fascia or sagged.

Photograph each dent and each bent run with a note of its position, from the ground, with the date visible.

Step two: the covering on each slope

Check each slope, storm side first, with the sheltered side as the comparison. Look for lifted tabs, creased shingles and bare patches.

The slopes that faced the storm usually show the most damage. Compare each one with the sheltered side. Lifted tabs, creases and bare patches on the storm side, with a sound sheltered side, point to storm damage. The same marks on both sides point to age or sun.

Do not climb the roof to check the covering. Look from the ground with binoculars, and let the roofer do the close inspection.

• Storm side first, sheltered side as the comparison
• Lifted tabs, creases and bare patches
• Binoculars from the ground, not a climb

Step three: the joints

The joints are where wind and debris most often open a roof. Check the ridge, the valleys, the chimney and the vent collars from the ground and the attic.

A ridge vent that has lifted, a valley where the metal has bent or a chimney where the counterflashing has pulled away are the joints a storm most often opens. From the ground you can see some of them, and from the attic you can see the staining they leave.

Note every joint that looks wrong, and photograph it. The roofer tests each joint with water on the visit.

• The ridge and the vent line
• Valleys and the metal in them
• Chimney and vent joints

Step four: the attic

Check the attic under each damaged slope for daylight, wet insulation, staining and wet decking. A roof can be damaged below the covering before any leak shows.

The attic is where a roof's damage shows first. Daylight through the decking is a sign of an open area. Wet insulation and dark staining on the sheathing show water has got through. Soft wood under a screwdriver shows the decking has been damaged.

Take a torch and look carefully. If there is water in the attic, do not stand under a sagging area, and call a roofer at once.

• Daylight through the decking
• Wet insulation and dark staining
• Soft wood under a probe

Step five: what to photograph and keep

Photographs from the ground with the date visible, a note of the storm and the wind, and a copy of anything sent to an insurer.

Photograph the house from each side, then the damaged items close up with a scale, and then the attic if it can be reached safely. Write a short note of the storm date, the wind you saw and the first sign of damage. Keep the note with the photographs.

The record is what an insurer and a roofer will ask for. Keep the original files with their dates.

• Each side of the house from the ground
• Close shots of damaged items with a scale
• A note of the storm date, the wind and the first sign

When should a roofer be called?

Call a roofer for any open area, any sag in the decking, any water in the attic, any visible damage to the covering or any uncertainty about what you have seen.

A roofer should be called for an open area, a sag in the decking, water in the attic, a bent or torn covering, or a damaged chimney. Call too if you are not sure what you have seen. A short visit can tell whether the damage is surface or structural, and the earlier the answer, the simpler the repair.

The line is answered, and a roofer is sent as soon as one is free. The arrival time is confirmed on the call.

• Any open area of covering or decking
• Any sag, soft wood or water in the attic
• Any doubt about what you have seen

Why does the order of the checks matter?

Because each check narrows the next. Soft metal and gutters point to the storm side; the covering confirms the slopes; the joints and the attic show how far the damage reached.

A checklist works best in order. The soft metal and the gutters show which side of the house the storm reached. The covering on that side is then checked against the sheltered side. The joints and the attic come last, because they show how far the damage travelled below the covering.

Following the same order each time makes the notes comparable. A change from one storm to the next is then easy to see, and the roofer can read the record quickly.

• Soft metal and gutters first
• The covering on each slope next
• The joints and the attic last

What about the yard and the neighbours?

Debris in the yard and damage on neighbouring roofs are useful evidence of the storm's path, and they are worth photographing before anything is cleared.

The yard is part of the record. Shingle fragments, metal, branches stripped of leaves and sheets of sheathing show where the storm moved material. Photograph the yard before it is cleared, and note the direction the debris lay in relation to the house.

Neighbouring roofs with the same damage on the same side of the street are a sign the storm reached the area. Note them, but do not assume the same damage on your roof without an inspection.

• Photograph the yard before clearing
• Note the direction debris lay
• Treat neighbouring damage as a sign, not a finding

What should be done in the first hour?

Keep people clear of the damage, cover an open area only if it is safe, photograph from the ground and write the storm time and wind down.

The first hour after a storm is for safety and the record. Keep people and pets away from any hanging material and from the damaged edge. If an opening can be covered safely from the ground or from inside, cover it. Photograph the house and yard from each side before anything is moved, and write the time and wind down while they are fresh.

Then call a roofer, and say what is open, what is wet and what you have photographed.

• Keep people and pets clear
• Cover an opening only if it is safe
• Photograph and write the time and wind before moving anything

What to do with the checklist afterwards

File it with the photographs, send a copy to the roofer when you book, and add a line each time the roof is checked again.

A completed checklist is the start of the roof file, not the end of the check. Keep the sheet with the photographs and the date, and give a copy to the roofer when the visit is booked, so the first inspection starts from your notes rather than from nothing.

Each later check, whether after another storm or at the end of a repair, should be added to the same sheet with its own date. Over time the sheet shows how the roof has changed, which is the most useful history a homeowner can hold.

• File the checklist with the photographs
• Give a copy to the roofer at booking
• Add each later check with its own date