Why Hail Damage Is Easy to Miss
Ellisville, Wildwood, and St. Charles sit in one of the most active hail corridors in the country. The frustrating part is that fresh hail bruising rarely looks dramatic from the driveway — there are no missing shingles and no water in the living room. The granules that protect the asphalt get knocked loose, the mat underneath bruises, and the shingle quietly starts aging years faster than it should.
Most homeowners only find out when a leak appears two or three seasons later, long after the insurance claim window has closed. That is why we recommend a documented inspection after any storm that drops pea-sized hail or larger on your neighborhood.
Signs You Can Check From the Ground
Start with the soft metal on your property. Dents in gutters, downspouts, window wrap, the air-conditioning condenser fins, mailbox, and grill lid all tell you how hard the hail hit and which direction it came from. If the metal took dents, the roof took hits too.
Next, look at the ground along the drip line for piles of dark granules that washed out of the shingles, and check painted siding and trim for chipped spots. On the roof itself, look for shiny black spots where granules are gone, split shingles, and bent or lifted ridge caps.
What Our Drone Inspection Documents
We fly the roof and photograph every slope, valley, vent, and flashing detail in high resolution. Each hit is marked in a test square so an adjuster can count impacts per hundred square feet — the standard measure insurance carriers use to approve a replacement.
You get the full photo set whether or not you file a claim. If the roof is fine, you have dated proof it survived the storm, which matters the next time a storm chaser knocks on your door.
Timing Your Insurance Claim
Most Missouri policies require the claim to be filed within one year of the date of loss, and some are shorter. Waiting past that window means paying for storm damage out of pocket, so an inspection soon after the storm is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
We meet your adjuster on-site in Ellisville, St. Charles, Wentzville, and across St. Louis County, walk them through the drone photos, and make sure gutters, vents, and flashing are documented — not just the shingles.
Have a question about your roof?
We serve Ellisville, St. Charles, and Greater St. Louis County. Call us or request a free drone inspection.