After a hail or wind event in Fort Worth, someone will offer to “get on the roof and take care of it.” Slow down. Before you agree to repair or replace, you need a clear record of what the storm did to the covering, the attic, and any rooms below.
This is a homeowner inspection and documentation guide — not a sales pitch for a free roof. Roofing and storm damage restoration both start cleaner when the file shows the path of damage, not just a verbal “it got hit.”
Repair vs replace starts with what you can prove
Repair makes sense when damage is limited and the rest of the system is sound. Replace enters the conversation when the covering is broadly compromised, when penetrations and flashing failed, or when water already moved into the attic and living space.
You cannot settle that argument from the curb. You settle it with photos, attic notes, and — if rooms got wet — a drying plan that matches what the meters show. Guesswork is how thin scopes get signed and how the same leak shows up again after the next storm.
Do not invent hail “macros,” density maps, or storm labels you cannot verify. Stick to what you can see and photograph on this house.
Photo packet: roof → attic → rooms below
Build one packet in that order. Wide shots first, then detail.
Roof (from safe access or a licensed crew — do not walk a steep or damaged roof yourself):
- Full slopes from the ground or ladder if safe: each face, ridge, and hip.
- Close-ups of bruised or fractured shingles, missing tabs, and granule loss in gutters or valleys — without claiming a storm ID you do not have.
- Flashings: chimneys, skylights, pipe boots, wall transitions, drip edge.
- Soft spots, lifted edges, and any opening where daylight or wet decking shows.
Attic:
- Same day if possible. Wet insulation, stained decking, drip marks on rafters, and damp sheathing under the hit slope.
- Note which rooms sit under that slope. Label photos by bay or area.
Rooms below:
- Ceiling stains, blistered paint, wet pad or baseboard, and any contents moved out of the wet zone.
- Wide room shots plus close-ups of the stain pattern. Timestamped phone photos are fine.
Upload the packet when you can. A contractor who never asks for attic and interior photos is estimating the covering alone — not the house.
What to look for on the covering (without inventing “macros”)
Hail and wind leave different marks. You are looking for impact bruises, fractured mats, missing pieces, and failed flashings — not a weather-service essay.
- Granules in gutters or downspouts after a storm are a clue, not a verdict by themselves.
- Soft or spongy decking underfoot (crew only) means the problem is past cosmetics.
- Wind can lift edges and open valleys even when hail bruises are light. Document both if both are present.
If water already entered, treat the envelope failure and the wet rooms as one file. Storm damage restoration covers more than shingles; roofing still owns the covering decision. Keep them linked in the photos.
Attic and rooms below — the water path
A ceiling stain after hail is not a paint problem. It is a path from roof to attic to finish materials.
Map it:
- Which slope took the hit.
- Whether insulation is wet or compressed under that slope.
- Whether HVAC boots or chase walls are in the wet zone — note it; do not tear out on a guess.
If living space got wet, stop the source if you can do it safely, then dry to a standard — not to “it feels dry.” Trade guidance for water damage restoration lives under standards such as IICRC S500. Structural drying with logged moisture readings belongs in the same file as the roof photos.
For general flood and water-safety context when storm water is involved, see NWS flood safety. Your contractor still owns the building-specific plan.
Soft insurance — coverage follows the policy
Documenting hail roof damage does not settle a claim. Coverage still follows the policy. Soft language only — no promises about what a carrier “always” pays.
In Texas you generally choose the contractor. A carrier preferred or program contractors list is optional, not a requirement that you use their vendor. The Texas Department of Insurance publishes consumer guidance on getting your insurance claim paid — start there for official framing, then hire for the roof and attic you actually have.
PRC documents the property and discusses the work with the adjuster. We do not settle the claim. We are not a public adjuster.
If you already have a thin roof estimate missing attic notes, flashings, or wet rooms below, a technical estimate review checks what is absent — it is not claim negotiation.
When to call
If the covering is open, water is still moving, or you need a documented inspection before you agree to repair vs replace, call 817-632-2522. Roof, attic, and rooms below — one file. Fort Worth and DFW.
PRC — The Public Restoration Company — Protect. Reveal. Construct. You choose the contractor.
Photograph the path. Then decide repair or replace from what the house shows — not from a curb-side promise.