Highlands Ranch Hailstorm and the Onslaught of Roofers

Jul 1, 2016 | News, Weather

Highlands Hailstorm and the onslaught of roofers all in one day

 

The roofers have invaded suburbia after the recent hailstorm. “How is the suburban family going to adjust to this temporary inconvenience?”

So you bought a home in a nice family friendly neighborhood in the Highlands Ranch area or maybe you have been living there for years now. You might have wondered why some near you are getting their roof replaced, or you have had your roof replaced for the second time last year. “No your neighbors are not getting a new roof because they didn’t like the color.” Although it is possible, odds are they are not. You might have known, or you learned from me just now, that you live in an area with frequent hailstorms. For your information the storms occur as early as May all the through late September.

The approaching hailstorm

Denver Skyline image

Sunny day in Denver

Could be a beautiful summer day early in the morning on a weekday. Nice and sunny with temps already in the low 60’s with predicted highs in the upper 80’s. You hear about a high chance for severe storms that could produce large hail in the afternoon watching the morning news, or maybe you heard it on the radio.

The hailstorm would not relent

The predicted storm may have little impact at this time on your daily routine so you continue your day just like any other workday. While you go about your normal day others may be preparing for what is likely to come, a hail storm!

Now what’s so special about hail storms? Why does it attract many contractors? Definitely not the hail stones themselves. It is one of the contributors to the multi-billion dollar industry of storm damage restoration. Many of the roofing contractors in Denver like to work in Highlands Ranch and when a storm occurs they will pursue business.

As you pull up to your garage you notice the storm approaching, sky is dark and wind is picking up. You take a few seconds and admire the beautiful creation of the storm clouds. Definitely worthy of a photo! Then it starts, hard wind driven rain pours all around you!

You can hear the large rain drops crashing against your home when all of a sudden it gets even louder! You can’t help but look out the window and see white balls landing everywhere bouncing off the ground. It’s hailing and they appear to be the size of marbles which start to

highlands ranch hail storm image

Highlands Ranch Hailstorm

cover the grass to where it begins to look white.

Highlands ranch hailstorm image

The arrival of a hailstorm

This continues for a few minutes and then you hear a loud thud, then another and another! It looks like ping pong balls are falling from the sky! Some hit your windows and you wonder how the glass didn’t break from such hard impacts. Large hail falls for about 10 to 15 minutes followed by some more heavy rain. The streets are now flooded with rivers of hail along with some of your neighbor’s dumpsters coasting along.

When the storm has calmed it is followed by light rain. You can’t help the urge to go outside to check the size of some of the hail. You pick some up and they are up to 1.75” in diameter!

Knock, Knock!

Who’s There?

The first wave of contractors starts to hit. They have been driving around, watching the storm while they receive data of large hail reports that are streaming in through various apps and news media. You notice a lot of trucks driving around your community; some have a company decal, while others don’t. Let’s go over some of the things to look for and what to avoid in Highlands Ranch after a significant hailstorm.

First, when a company knocks on your door it does not mean that they are a bad company just chasing storms. Many of the roofers Denver has seen and known for years are going stop by your home because they are fed up with losing business to out of town storm chasers.Storm chasers follow storms around the country so they will not always be here. You want to make sure that someone will be around to provide service if any problems pop up.You get your first knock on your door! Who can it be? You are still in shock from the storm, which only took place an hour ago; but you are curious, so you go to the door.Upon opening the door there stands a person with a business name on their shirt that has roofing in the company name. What do you do or say? The local media has always been posting scam alerts and how you should not open your door to roofers.Here is the truth on this matter. Before opening the door you can make a quick assessment on whether you should or not by the appearance of the individual and what they are driving. A well-dressed person in a company vehicle is more than likely a local company trying to save you from the out of towners or scammers.

What to do with the roofer at your door

roofer knocking on door image

Can you trust this guy at your door?

 

If in doubt you can politely ask them to leave their card or information at your door and look at later.Now this person at your door starts talking to you offering to do a free inspection on your property. What do you say now? You don’t really know what hail damage looks like so this sounds really good to you.Before you give the ok be sure to ask if they are insured and a local company. If they are they should be able to provide that information to you.It had just stopped raining so you don’t want anyone on your roof unless you have an immediate issue such as a leak. If you do you will want to quickly look them up to see if they are someone that you would even want to do business with.

With technology today we have access to just about anything with our phones. The best way to check is by doing a quick search on the Better Business Bureau to see what rating their company has and how many complaints they have, if any. Let’s say you didn’t notice any leaks and you would rather not have anyone get on your roof until it is safer. That’s a good decision but you can still have them inspect everything at ground level. By looking at some of the damage on ground level it should give a good idea on what to expect on your roof.

Free roof inspection

If you can, do a walk through with them so they can point out some things that you may have overlooked. During the inspection you notice dents to your downspouts and gutters. Some windows may have some cracks and your screens will have holes through them or be completely shredded. Paint may be chipped off siding, trim and decking. Your outdoor furniture may be damaged as well. Chances are very high your roof is damaged and require replacement. Again, you may want to make sure they have worker’s compensation insurance that is valid in the state of Colorado before allowing them on your roof.

 

Ask for a free roof inspection and property damage inspection, if you’re interested

 

Send them away and if you’d like research their roofing company online

You now know the extent of damages but don’t want to commit to any company just yet. It’s really important to do your homework and look into any company before making any decisions. You can set an appointment for the following day for them to come back out. This will give you time to make sure what they say is correct about their company. You may find they have horrible reviews and need to tell them you are not interested. Or maybe they have great reviews and everything they said is true and you are curious to hear more.