How to Spot Roof Damage After a Storm
A practical checklist for checking your roof, gutters and loft for storm damage before small problems turn into costly leaks.
Strong wind and heavy rain can be hard on a roof, even one that is in decent shape. After a rough spell of weather, it is worth taking twenty minutes to check your home for warning signs before small problems turn into bigger, more expensive ones. Here is what to look for and when it is time to call in a professional.
Start With a Look From the Ground
You do not need to get on a ladder to begin your inspection. Walk around the outside of your house and look up at the roofline from a safe distance. Use binoculars if you have them, since they make it much easier to spot small problems from far away. Look for tiles or slates that are cracked, sitting at an odd angle, or missing altogether. A gap in an otherwise even roofline is usually easy to spot once you know what you are looking for. Check the ridge line along the top of the roof too, as ridge tiles can work loose in strong gusts.
Check for Missing or Damaged Tiles and Slates
High wind is one of the most common causes of dislodged roofing material. Even a single missing tile can let water into the roof space, and it rarely stays a single tile for long once wind and rain keep working at the gap underneath. Look out for tiles lying in the garden, on the driveway, or caught in hedges nearby. If you find broken pieces on the ground, there is almost certainly a matching gap somewhere on the roof above. Older roofs with worn or brittle tiles tend to suffer the most, so if your roof has been up there a good while, it is worth being extra thorough.
Look for Signs of Trouble Inside the House
Roof damage does not always show up outside first. Go into your loft or top floor rooms and check ceilings and walls for damp patches, discolouration, or a musty smell. A small brown stain on a ceiling is often the first sign of a slow leak that has been building for a while, and it can travel quite a distance from where the water actually gets in. Catching it early can save you from a much bigger repair bill later, including damaged insulation, plasterboard, or wiring. It is worth checking your loft with a torch even if nothing looks wrong from below.
Check Gutters, Downpipes and Flashing
Storms do not just damage the roof itself. Gutters can be pulled loose from their brackets, downpipes can crack, and flashing around chimneys and roof edges can lift or tear away completely. Blocked or damaged guttering stops rainwater draining away properly, which can lead to water running down exterior walls or pooling near your foundations. A quick check after bad weather can catch these problems before the next downpour makes them worse, so walk the perimeter of the house and look for water marks on the brickwork below the gutter line.
Know When to Call a Professional
Climbing onto a wet or damaged roof is not worth the risk, no matter how tempting it is to try and fix the problem yourself. Roofs can be more fragile than they look after storm damage, and a slipped tile or weakened section can give way under your weight without warning. If you spot damage, or even just suspect it, it is safer and quicker to have a trained roofer take a proper look and tell you exactly what needs doing.
If your roof has taken a hit and you are worried about water getting in, Precise Roofing & Guttering offers an emergency roof repair service across Morden and the surrounding SW19, SW20 and SM areas. We are a family run, well-established local team with a strong five-star reputation on Google, and we are often able to give you a same-day quote so you know where you stand quickly. Call us on +44 330 133 4111 or get in touch for a free quote, and we will help get your roof back to a safe, watertight state before the next storm rolls in.