After Last Week's Storms: What DFW Homeowners Should Do Now

Last week's storms dumped hail across Collin and Rockwall counties. Quarter-size down south, golf balls in Wylie, Sachse, and the east side of Rockwall. If you were under it, the next 72 hours matter more than most people realize.

What to do today

Walk your property before the door-knockers show up. Contractors will be in your neighborhood within a day or two. Before you talk to any of them, do your own lap around the house. Look at the gutters. Check window screens. Look at the fence boards. Check the splash pads under your downspouts for a pile of loose granules. Take photos and let your phone timestamp them.

Stay off the roof. That's what we're for. You don't know where the soft spots are, and your policy pays for a professional inspection anyway. No reason to risk a fall.

Look at your vehicles. Hail that dented your car probably hurt your roof too. Auto comprehensive claims are separate from your homeowner's policy and don't bump your home insurance rates. So if the car has dents, file that claim too. It's also solid evidence the storm was real if an adjuster later tries to say the damage looks old.

What hail that size actually does

Quarter-size hail (about an inch) usually causes cosmetic damage. The granules come loose and expose the mat underneath. That speeds up UV wear and shaves years off the roof's life, but it doesn't leak the next day.

Golf ball-size (1.75 inches) is different. It fractures the mat itself. A single layer of standard shingles can't take repeated hits at that size without damage that warrants replacement.

Most of it isn't visible from the ground. A good inspector does a soft metal test — a gentle scrape along the mat — to tell granule loss from an actual fracture. It's a small thing but it's the difference between a denial and an approval.

Don't file before you know the full scope

The biggest mistake we see after storms like this is homeowners filing the claim before anybody's looked at the whole property. Hail that size hits more than your roof:

• Gutters (dents, splits, pulled seams)
• Window screens and frames
• AC condenser fins
• Wood fence boards (checking and splitting)
• Siding (impact marks on vinyl and fiber cement)

All of it belongs on one claim. If you file and the scope only lists the roof, adding the rest later is possible but it's slower and more of a fight. Document everything first, then file.

Who you pick matters

Your street is about to be crawling with contractors. Some are local and insured. Plenty aren't.

Ask for a current certificate of liability insurance and workers' comp before you sign anything. Ask for a physical address here in DFW. Ask how long they've been working the metro.

A contractor who's doing it right will spend an hour to an hour and a half on your property before they ever ask you to sign.