When a new roof is installed, it can last you anywhere from 15 to 40 years of reliable service. Without any other factors, that roof would resist sunshine and keep out rain for decades on top of your home. However, here in Michigan, your roof has a little more to contend with.
When most people think of roof damage, they think about falling tree branches or the occasional bad storm. What most don’t realize is that the majority of annual damage to your roof is done by the wind. The wind is a formidable natural force that can go faster than any car, given the right conditions. There is no doubt that Michigan has those conditions.
Annual Wind Damage to Michigan Roofs
Residents of Canton, Michigan are well-familiar with wind damage and roof replacement. Our state is notorious for incredible seasonal storms more than topping the mere 32-54mph of a gale-force wind. In 1998, we experienced a storm that reached over 100mph wind-speeds and every year we see speeds upwards of 50mph. Our annual storms are the stuff of legends and no one forgets them after weathering just one year in our state.
Needless to say, the seasonal storms put your roof through its paces. Asphalt shingles, the most common for Michigan and US home building, are layered, flexible panels that are nailed together to form a waterproof layer. However, each individual panel is not immune to the pulling force of the wind. Every year, the wind peels more shingles off of Michigander rooftops and those shingles that don’t go completely will bend or cracks in the onslaught force.
Wind Damage: Roof Replacement or Yearly Repairs?
The big question is how to remedy the wind damage that happens every year to your roof. It is always a good idea to get an inspection after a recent storm to ensure that your roof is still integrous and in good condition. From there, you and your roofing team will need to decide if minor repairs or a complete roof replacement is necessary.
This article will help you understand the issues and the right choice for your Canton, MI home.
Types of Roof Wind Damage
The wind is a surprisingly destructive force when it comes to your roof. It’s important to understand the types of damage that wind can do and just how extensive it can be. The wind can damage your roof in four different ways:
- Curling
- Cracked
- Detached
- Smashed by Debris
Curling or Bent Shingles
When the wind blows past your roof, it catches on the corners of each shingle just like it might catch on your hair or clothes. Like your clothes, the shingle really isn’t going anywhere. Shingles are nailed and often adhered into place so they don’t fly away easily. So instead, the wind pushes on just one edge or corner as the wind slips past the rest of the shingle. It pushes and pushes on that edge, pulling it upward and away from the roof surface.
Eventually, the wind pulling on a shinge’s edge will bend that edge up so that it curls. If the wind is strong enough or lasts long enough, the curl will be permanent and that shingle will stop providing to the sealed rooftop surface.
Curled shingles create a rough, textured look from a distance and look like they are peeling up when seen more closely.
Cracked Shingles
When the corner of a bent shingle folds upward enough, the wind begins to catch the underside of it. If most of the shingle is still well-secured, the wind will pull just that bent corner forward. Eventually, a bent corner will snap and a piece of the shingle will break free. This leaves you warped and incomplete shingles.
Shingles that crack from this kind of wind damage are often more prone to wind damage in the future. Because the break happened as a result of upturned edges, it leaves an upturned and jagged edge behind. The next heavy bout of Michigan wind that blows through will snag on those broken pieces and rip further shingles away.
Detached Shingles
This leads to the next concern, shingles that are removed entirely. This can happen piece-by-piece or it can happen all at once. A wind upwards of 60mph is usually what is required to fully remove a shingle from your roof. This is the speed necessary to pry up the nails or rip a caught shingle free from the roof structure, leaving your roof with a dangerous gap in the layered system.
If the wind is strong enough to rip away singles, this is either an incredible storm or your shingles are no longer firmly secured.
Shingles Broken by Windblown Debris
The final type of wind damage is less direct but also the most devastating. The wind doesn’t just peel up, break, and remove roof shingles. It also breaks away tree branches and blows around other outdoor objects. If a heavy object is carried by the wind, it has a far more destructive potential than the wind itself. A weighty tree branch that falls onto your roof can smash dozens of tiles and even damage the underlayment and beams beneath. Even something small but sharp like a section of broken gutter can scrape along your shingles and damage many of them quite seriously.
Fallen and wind-blown debris are among the greatest danger for roof damage when the wind speed is high. Wind damage to your roof is most likely to cause extensive problems when heavy objects are dropped on or scraped across your shingles.
How to Fix Wind Damage to Your Roof
So the wind has damaged your roof. You can often recognize this damage by an uneven or textured apperance to your roof. If parts of your roof look “rough” from a distance but you can’t figure out what’s wrong, it is often a pattern of shingles damaged by the wind. If you see a section of shingles, especially along edges and ridges, that look roughened, this can also be wind damage. Impact wind damage is the most obvious from a distance, because you can often see the debris or the depression.
The key is knowing how to ensure your roof is still whole and prevent more extensive damage in the future.
Get an Inspection
Canton homeowners often make a habit of getting an annual roof inspection. With the kind of weather our roofs withstand, it makes good sense to ensure your roof is in good condition after each storm season and ready before the next one hits. If a storm was particularly vicious or if you have seen some signs of damage to your roof, the best move is to call for an inspection.
Roof inspections are fast and affordable. It is very little trouble for a professional roofer to take a look at your roof and confirm whether storm damage has occurred. An inspection can tell you if your roof is wearing down, needs repairs, or if it’s time for a wind damage roof replacement.
Repair Scattered Damage
Often, wind damaged roofs show signs of scattered damage. a few shingles per section may show signs of damage and some may need to be replaced. This kind of repair is easy to do and can be taken care of quickly. If the wind damage to your roof is apparent but only to a few shingles throughout, then repairs are the right answer for shoring up your roof against the next storm.
Repair Localized Damage
Localized damage is when a cluster of shingles need repair, all in the same area. Localized damage can be light, like a group of shingles that all curled in the wind. It can also be severe, like a heavy branch that smashed clear through the underlayment. The good news about localized damage is that it can be repaired without deep reinstallation of the whole roof.
Replace an Old or Extensively Damaged Roof
However, if your roof is already well-aged or extensively wind-damaged, roof replacement is your best option. When most of your shingles are peeling away or when repairs would be adding much newer shingles to an old roof, it’s smart to install an entirely new roof as your long-term solution.
Modern roofing materials and methods provide for a much sturdier roof than previous decades could provide. Between better asphalt mix and architectural-style shingles, you can make your home’s roof much more durable, needing fewer repairs between storms overall.
Repairing Minor Wind Damage
Talk to your inspector to discover if your roof needs repairs for minor damage. A roof that is less than halfway through it’s predicted lifespan and otherwise in good condition can benefit greatly from spot-repairs. Wind damage is a common source of surface-level damage. A few peeled shingles can be quickly fixed by replacing them with fresh shingles.
Your roofer will advise on whether light repairs or roof replacement is necessary after wind damage occurs. Wind damage repairs will take less than a day of careful shingle replacement and quality-checking so your roof is ready to weather the next Michigan storm.
Wind Damage Roof Replacement
Often, the most practical choice for extensive wind damage is roof replacement. When the wind has done a real number on your roof with peeled shingles or impact damage, it’s important to know when a full roof reinstallation is appropriate. Older roofs are more ready to be replaced than roofs installed recently, and the amount of damage wreaked by the weather will matter as well. Not just the wind damage, but also cumulative damage from things like pelting hail and melting snow.
If new sections of roof would be significantly more integrous than old sections, then it’s time for a new roof.
The Extent of the Wind Damage
Start by considering just how damaged your roof is, and how widespread that damage occurs. Hail, for example, has a way of prematurely aging asphalt shingles. Each pelting piece of rock creates a softened ‘bruise’ in the asphalt and knocks away a few protective granules. Wind washes those granules away, and even the activity of small animals can contribute the damage of your roof.
Wind damage is extensive if it is widespread across your roof or if it bites deeply into the roof layers. In eithe rcase, you will want to consider fully reinstalling the layers of your roof for a more modern and durable way to combat roof wind damage.
The Age of Your Roof
The second important factor is how old your roof is right now. If it is older than 15-20 years, then it’s already time to start thinking about a new roof. As a roof reaches its natural lifespan, the shingles weaken and can become loose enough to be easily wind-damaged. An older roof is both more at-risk of being wind damaged and also the most likely to be fully replaced when wind damage occurs.
For any homeowner already contemplating or planning for an upcomming roof replacement, extensive wind damage can be the perfect trigger set the date. Roofs that need replacing can be rebuilt stronger while simultaneously wiping out all previous damage done to the old shingles.
Roof Wind Damage and Your Canton, MI Home
For homeowners who live in Canton, Michigan and the surrounding area, you have several options when it comes to repairing roof damage caused by wind. Seasonal storms are killer for your home exterior, but it all works out if you have a plan. Stay in touch with your roofers and begin your tradition of annual or post-storm inspections.
Ask your roofers to help you determine the age of your roof if you’re not certain. Then plan out the right window for roof replacement. If extensive wind damage occurs or is discovered inside this window, then you have every reason to remedy your wind damage troubles with an immediate roof repair.
Here in Canton, MI, wind damage roof replacement is a common need for local homeowners. We are proud to be available for all your local roofing needs. Contact us to learn more about how to repair roof damage or when to rebuild your roof from the underlayment.
