What you get, and what it is for
A factual record of the roof on a named date. Close photographs of each finding, the location of each one on a roof plan, a plain description of what it is, and our view on whether it is new, old or unclear. Where the building has an earlier inspection on file, the report sets the two side by side, which is the most convincing way to show that something has changed.
The value of that record is that it does not change afterwards. Memory does, roofs do, and debris gets cleared. A dated photograph log made in the days after a storm is the same document a year later, when the questions are harder and the answers are worth more.
What we do not do
We do not decide whether an event is covered, we do not deal with insurers or adjusters on your behalf, and we do not advise you on a claim. Those are matters for your insurer, your broker and your own advisers. What we produce is a description of the roof and of what we saw, written so that whoever needs it can read it without us in the room.
We do not describe a finding as storm damage because it would be convenient. Where the evidence is genuinely ambiguous, and on an older roof it often is, the report says so and explains why. An overstated finding does not survive scrutiny and it takes the credible findings down with it.
We also do not open the assembly on the first visit. If wet insulation is suspected, a moisture survey is a separate piece of work, quoted on its own and scheduled when the conditions suit it.
When people call
Usually within a few days of the weather, after a tenant has reported a drip, after debris has turned up in a parking lot, or after a neighboring building has been told it has damage. Occasionally much later, when a leak that started quietly has finally reached a ceiling and someone is trying to work out when it began.
The earlier call gives you a record. The later one gives you a repair and an argument about its cause. If a storm went through and the building matters to you, the walk is worth doing before there is a reason for it.
Common questions
How soon after a storm should the roof be looked at?
As soon as it is safe to be on it. Evidence fades, and some of the most useful evidence fades fastest.
- Debris gets cleared and displaced metal gets bent back by well meaning staff
- Fresh impact marks are distinct when new and harder to read as the surface weathers
- Water moving through the assembly spreads sideways within weeks
- Nobody should walk a damaged roof in a wind that has not finished
If water is coming into the building now, stop the water first and document afterwards. Emergency work does not spoil the record as long as the condition is photographed before it is covered over. Take pictures from a safe place, note the time and keep them.
How do you tell storm damage from ordinary wear?
By what the damage looks like, where it sits and whether the surrounding roof tells the same story. Storm damage tends to be sudden, directional and concentrated.
- Wind damage starts at edges and corners and leaves laps peeled rather than split
- Impact damage is discrete and fresh, often matched by dents on nearby metal
- Wear is gradual and general: eroded surfacing, shrunken sealant, fasteners backing out
- A roof at the end of its life usually has both
We write each finding as new, old or unclear and say which evidence points which way, because a record that overstates one finding weakens every other line in it. What decides a claim is a matter for your insurer and their adjuster. We document the roof.
What does hail do to a commercial roof?
It depends on the roof, which is why the inspection is worth more than a general answer.
- Gravel surfaced built up roofs: surfacing displaced, layers fractured, little to see from a distance
- Single ply membrane: bruising over the insulation, sometimes visible only in raking light
- Modified bitumen: granules knocked off, exposing the material underneath to the sun
- Metal: dents, and soft accessories often carry the clearest evidence of a hit
Most hail damage does not leak on the day. It shortens the life of the assembly and the leak arrives later, so a roof that has been through a serious storm is worth documenting while nothing is dripping. Book the walk now.
What should I do before the inspector arrives?
Protect the building and keep the evidence. If water is coming in, contain it and get a temporary repair done where one is needed, because stopping the water always comes first.
- Photograph anything you cover or fix before it is covered or fixed
- Do not clear debris, straighten metal, repaint a stain or coat over impact marks
- Collect earlier reports, roof paperwork and warranty documents
- Write down what any tenant reported and when
Tell us about access before we arrive. A storm often changes how a roof can be reached safely, and it is better to plan for a lift than to discover the need for one on site.
What if the roof looks fine from the ground?
Most of them do. A commercial roof is flat or nearly flat and sits behind a parapet, so from the ground you see the wall and almost nothing else.
- Wind damage at the far edge and impact marks across the field are invisible
- So are lifted laps, displaced drain covers and flashing peeled back from a curb
- The assembly holds water for a while before it shows on a ceiling
- By the time it shows, the insulation around it is already wet
The roof looking fine from below is not evidence, it is the absence of evidence. The cheap version of the answer is a walk and a photograph log. The expensive version is finding out much later, when the record of the storm has gone.