"Hail-resistant" roofs and subsequent home inspections

[R Clark]

This question is probably right down Snipe Hunter's alley.  I didn't want to highjack the other thread about rates for roofing.

I needed a roofer for some repairs last year.  Found a good roofer; he came out and did a good job making patch repairs and inspecting the rest of the roof and fixing a few minor things.  I'll use him again.

While he was there, I asked him about various roofing materials.  The house is now about 14 years old, and the builder used builder-grade materials on the roof (I didn't have the house built).  I know that I'm at least halfway through the life of this roof, and wanted the roofer's take on upgraded materials.  I've heard about hail-resistant compositions, but don't know much about them.

The roofer told me that he has installed some of the hail resistant roofing material, and he thinks it will do what it says.  But he also said that a strong hail storm will still leave marks, even though the damage will usually be just cosmetic.  That could cause an issue in a subsequent sale if a home inspector writes up the roof as hail damaged.  The roofer said he knows of instances where the home inspector refused to amend an assessment that a new roof was needed, even though the damage was just cosmetic to hail-resistant materials.

Does anybody have any real insight to hail resistant roofing and how they're viewed later after another hail event?

[Snipe Hunter]

I haven't "knowingly" seen hail resistant shingles.

Something that's happening now is that the insurance companies aren't inspecting repaired roofs after claims. They're making the home owner pay home inspectors for the inspections.

We had a real bad wind storm about 2 months ago and I did several roof inspections. I've done maybe 5 inspections on hail damage repair in two years.

What I have seen to be common: Cheaper "thin" 3-Tab shingles fare much worse with hail and wind than the better 30+ year shingles and architectural shingles. Not sure why but the architectural shingles tend not to have a 20, 30 year etc rating like 3-Tab, they have a prorated "Life-Time" warranty.

most of the wind damaged shingles were recent installations, in cold weather and the mastic hadn't had a chance to adhere yet.

[Cooler]

Steel roofs last 3 or 4 times as long as asphalt based roofing and are largely hail resistant (depending upon the thickness of the steel).  Other metals may not be as resistant.  

They make steel roof shingles that mimic asphalt shingles, but I like the standing seam type better.  

The steel roof costs more and lasts longer.  

https://www.bridgersteel.com/weather/hai...stant-roof

[R Clark]

I kind of always wanted a steel roof, but just haven't had the opportunity to really go for it.

They will show the effects of a hail storm, even though they will be more likely to maintain their integrity in a storm.

The question is more about questions regarding cosmetic damage on hail-resistant roofs and how it's viewed by home inspectors when trying to resell a house.

[Cooler]

I kind of always wanted a steel roof, but just haven't had the opportunity to really go for it.

They will show the effects of a hail storm, even though they will be more likely to maintain their integrity in a storm.

The question is more about questions regarding cosmetic damage on hail-resistant roofs and how it's viewed by home inspectors when trying to resell a house.

The corrugated roofs (vs. lock seam) are said to not show hail damage nearly as much.  

There are steel shingles that mimic asphalt shingles and I would imagine they don't show the hail damage as much as lock seam:

https://www.edcoproducts.com/products/st...ofing.html

[Robert Adams]

The corrugated roofs (vs. lock seam) are said to not show hail damage nearly as much.  

There are steel shingles that mimic asphalt shingles and I would imagine they don't show the hail damage as much as lock seam:

https://www.edcoproducts.com/products/st...ofing.html

I remember those aluminum roofs that tried to look like cedar shakes. They were horrible. There were a couple houses nearby with them and they always had leaks to be fixed. 

      Standing seam or similar is the way to go. Not too hard to install on a simple roof but lots of cuts on hip roofs. Also some need a crimper for install. 

       The more popular material is r panel or other styles. It comes in 3' X however long you want. It does have exposed fasteners though. R panel can be had for as little as $1 a linear foot depending on where you are and how lucky you are but it's usually under $1 sqft. It's extremely durable and it takes decent size hail to damage it because it's not only roofing but somewhat structural. 
         We live in the hail damage capital of the country (county by insurance payouts) and metal roofs are really the best to do. One hail storm can easily damage an asphalt roof and it may look fine but have tiny dents that will deteriorate. IMO many adjusters tend to be a little too eager to replace those as they will still last many years without an issue.

         Here there are two different roof insurance policy's on metal roofs. The expensive one will replace the roof if it gets cosmetic hail damage one time. The cheaper one won't cover cosmetic damage but will cover structural damage to the roof.

        The only issue to metal roofs is that they do get dirty if you have tree branches overhanging the roof. Basically requires a cleaning every few years. I clean the shop roof with a car wash brush on the pressure washer. It has spinning brushes and built in soap dispenser. After about 8 years there is a dark area under the tree that looks bad and absorbs heat in the summer . 

     Metal roofs are much more efficient in hot climates than asphalt.

[Snipe Hunter]

I remember those aluminum roofs that tried to look like cedar shakes. They were horrible. There were a couple houses nearby with them and they always had leaks to be fixed. 

      Standing seam or similar is the way to go. Not too hard to install on a simple roof but lots of cuts on hip roofs. Also some need a crimper for install. 

       The more popular material is r panel or other styles. It comes in 3' X however long you want. It does have exposed fasteners though. R panel can be had for as little as $1 a linear foot depending on where you are and how lucky you are but it's usually under $1 sqft. It's extremely durable and it takes decent size hail to damage it because it's not only roofing but somewhat structural. 
         We live in the hail damage capital of the country (county by insurance payouts) and metal roofs are really the best to do. One hail storm can easily damage an asphalt roof and it may look fine but have tiny dents that will deteriorate. IMO many adjusters tend to be a little too eager to replace those as they will still last many years without an issue.

         Here there are two different roof insurance policy's on metal roofs. The expensive one will replace the roof if it gets cosmetic hail damage one time. The cheaper one won't cover cosmetic damage but will cover structural damage to the roof.

        The only issue to metal roofs is that they do get dirty if you have tree branches overhanging the roof. Basically requires a cleaning every few years. I clean the shop roof with a car wash brush on the pressure washer. It has spinning brushes and built in soap dispenser. After about 8 years there is a dark area under the tree that looks bad and absorbs heat in the summer . 

     Metal roofs are much more efficient in hot climates than asphalt.

Our house is surrounded by large trees. We've taken out 9 of them but there's still some to be concerned about. It still gets hit by branches in wind storms. I'd really like a metal roof... for a couple reasons. I think they look good and I could also do it myself. The materials cost about what a new asphalt roof costs installed. It's just those pesky trees. I'd hate to install it and have it look like crap in a couple years. At least I can repair damaged shingles fairly easily.

[whatline]

Class 4 is the nomenclature for hail resistant shingles. You will pay not only a premuim for the shingles but to be covered
1. Top tier certfied installer
2. You need to install an entire system meaning syntheric underlayment, starter strip, weather barrier, prevmanf. Hips and ridges, and proper ventilation.
Even after all that ive never seen a shingle manufactuuer stand good for more than a couple hundred bucks or a couple sq. of shingles. Your roofer is spot on.
Metal roofs are all the rage right now. Yes concealed cleat standing seam are much better than exposed fastener. As far as actual watertightness vs. weather protection goes shingles don't rely on seam tapes and tubes of sealant to keep water out. They will show dents even if on a solid substrate. I do think they look nicer than shingles but not on every type home. Metal shingles have had a bad history of finish failure. Ive seen but never installed a new system where shingle hand off sort of battens.

[messmaker]

If you are OK with the look. Get ma metal roof. Be careful walking on them. A bit of dirt and get it wet and you might as well be on ice.