A two-story home in Smyrna took hail in a spring storm. The roof did not leak the next morning, which is exactly why claims like this get missed — and why this one needed to be documented properly before the filing deadline ran out. American Commercial Roofing inspected the roof, built the damage file, worked the claim with the homeowner’s insurance carrier, and replaced the roof in a single day.
The problem
From the ground the roof looked fine. Up close it was not. The shingles were bruised — hail had knocked the granules loose and fractured the mat underneath, which is the layer that actually keeps water out. A bruised shingle does not leak on day one. It leaks in year two or three, after the exposed mat has taken a few hundred more freeze-and-thaw cycles and the bruise opens up.
That delay is the trap. By the time the ceiling stains show up, the storm date is often outside the carrier’s reporting window and the homeowner is paying for the whole roof themselves.
Documenting the claim
Insurance does not pay for a roof because it is old or because a contractor says it needs replacing. It pays when the damage can be tied to a covered event, and that takes evidence an adjuster can work from.
- A full roof inspection with the hail strikes located, chalked and photographed slope by slope.
- Test squares on each elevation, so the density of hits per square could be shown rather than argued.
- Soft-metal collateral — vents, gutters and flashing — photographed as corroborating evidence of the storm.
- The damage file assembled and submitted with the homeowner’s claim.
- An ACR representative on the roof with the adjuster at the inspection, so nothing got missed or written off in the field.
The homeowner made the phone call and signed the paperwork — that part is always theirs. Everything technical between the first inspection and the approved scope, ACR handled.
What we did
Once the scope was approved, the replacement itself was a one-day job. The setup took as long as the roofing.
- Tarps over the siding, windows, landscaping and hardscape before anything came off, with the dumpster staged on the drive.
- Complete tear-off down to bare decking — no layovers.
- Every sheet of decking walked and inspected for rot and soft spots, then re-nailed to current code.
- Ice-and-water membrane at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment over the full deck.
- Architectural asphalt shingles installed with a full manufacturer-specified nailing pattern, plus new pipe boots, drip edge and hip-and-ridge cap.
- Magnet sweep of the lawn, beds and driveway before the crew left.
The result
The roof came off and went back on in one day. The homeowner paid their deductible; the carrier covered the approved scope. The house went from a roof with a hidden three-year clock on it to a new system with the deck inspected, the flashings replaced and a manufacturer warranty behind the material.
If your roof took hail
How do I know if my roof has hail damage if it is not leaking?
You usually cannot tell from the ground, and a roof that is not leaking can still be totaled. Hail bruises the mat under the granules; the leak shows up years later. The only reliable answer is someone on the roof looking at test squares on each slope.
How long do I have to file a hail claim in Georgia?
Most policies require prompt notice and many carriers apply a filing window measured from the date of loss — commonly one to two years, but it varies by policy. Check your own declarations page, and do not wait on it. Once the window closes, the damage is yours.
Does using a contractor to help with the claim cost extra?
No. Inspecting the roof, documenting the damage and meeting your adjuster on site is part of how we work a storm job. What we cannot do — and what no contractor should offer — is negotiate your claim for you or absorb your deductible.
We work storm claims across metro Atlanta, including Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw and Acworth. If a storm has come through and you are not sure what it did to your roof, request a free inspection or read more about how roof insurance claims work.