How to Document Roof Damage for an Insurance Claim in Texas

Ground-Level Photography First

Before anyone goes on the roof, get ground-level photos of every slope visible from the property. These establish the pre-repair condition and the extent of visible damage. Walk the full perimeter. Get wide shots of each slope and close-ups of any damage visible from the ground — missing shingles, lifted sections, debris impact points. Most modern smartphones have GPS metadata embedded in photos — leave that enabled. The metadata records the date, time, and location, which becomes part of your claim record. Back everything up to the cloud before you do anything else.

Document Soft Metals Thoroughly

Soft metals are the most objective evidence of a hail event. After a storm, photograph: aluminum HVAC fins on the outdoor unit (hail impact craters are unmistakable), all gutters and downspouts, roof vents and caps, any metal flashing visible from the ground, the mailbox, and the garage door if it's a solid panel design. Dent density, shape, and size in soft metals help establish the hail event independently of shingle condition. An adjuster who tries to characterize shingle damage as wear and tear has a harder case when the same storm left documented dent patterns across multiple soft metals throughout the property.

Interior Damage Documentation

If any water intrusion has occurred, document interior damage before moving anything or starting cleanup. Photograph ceiling stains, wet drywall, affected flooring, and any personal property damaged by water. If you have pre-existing inspection reports for the interior, pull them — they establish what didn't exist before the storm. Check the attic within 24 hours and photograph any wet insulation, water trails on the decking, or daylight visible through damaged areas. This interior documentation is part of your claim even if you're only replacing the roof — it demonstrates the progression from roof damage to interior impact.

Third-Party Storm Data

Independent storm event documentation strengthens your claim. The NOAA Storm Events Database is a free resource that catalogs storm events by county, date, and hail size. For DFW hailstorms, NOAA records typically include spotter-reported hail sizes and locations. Commercial hail data from Verisk (formerly CoreLogic) provides detailed hail trajectory maps — these are used by insurance carriers themselves. Your contractor can pull these data reports as part of building a claim file. When your contractor's roof inspection findings, NOAA storm data, and your photo documentation all align on the same event, the claim is much harder to dispute. Call JRH at (469) 888-6903and we'll build a complete claim package for you.