The wind howled most of the night, and this morning there are shingles on the lawn and a strip of something black flapping at the edge of the roof. Or maybe nothing came off at all, and you’re still not sure the roof made it through okay. You need wind damage roof repair in Sanford from someone who’ll check the parts of the roof you can’t see from the ground and fix what the storm actually did.
Wind damage is tricky because so much of it hides. A roof can look fine for weeks and then start losing shingles in an ordinary thunderstorm. You deserve a clear answer now, while the damage is fresh and easy to document.
APC Roofing is a GAF Certified roofing contractor, licensed in Florida (CCC1337030) and insured, and your inspection is free. Call 407-270-1129 to have a roofer come take a look.
How wind damages a roof
Wind doesn’t push evenly across a roof. It speeds up and swirls at the edges, so the eaves, the rakes along the gable ends, the corners and the ridge take far more uplift than the middle of a slope. That’s why wind damage almost always starts at the edges and works inward.
Each asphalt shingle is held by nails and by a factory seal strip that bonds it to the shingle below. That seal does a lot of the work. When a strong gust gets under a shingle edge, it can break the seal without tearing the shingle off. The shingle drops back down and looks normal, but now only the nails are holding it. The next storm lifts it further, and eventually it creases or blows away.
Wind also lifts and bends ridge caps, peels back the metal drip edge at the roof edge, and loosens flashing where the roof meets a wall. On tile roofs, wind can loosen or slide tiles out of place, especially along the edges and ridge.
Signs of wind damage on a Sanford roof
From the yard, look for:
- Missing shingles, or dark patches where the underlayment is showing
- Shingles that look lifted, wavy or out of line with the rows around them
- Ridge caps that are cracked, lifted or missing
- Metal drip edge or flashing that’s bent or hanging loose
- Shingle or tile pieces in the yard, especially along the side the wind came from
Inside, check ceilings near outside walls and, if you can safely get into the attic, look for daylight through the roof deck or wet wood. Hurricane winds also drive rain sideways under shingle edges and through vents, so a roof with nothing missing can still leak during the storm itself.
What the shingle wind rating does and doesn’t mean
Shingle packages list a wind rating, and it’s natural to assume your roof can handle any storm below that number. The rating comes from testing new shingles that have fully sealed and been installed exactly to the manufacturer’s instructions. A roof that’s 12 years old, with sun-dried shingles, some broken seals or nails placed too high, may not perform anywhere near that number. That’s why a storm that sounds mild on the news can still do real damage to an older roof.
How wind damage gets repaired
A good wind damage repair addresses what’s loose as well as what’s missing. The crew replaces torn and creased shingles, then checks the shingles around them and re-secures or replaces any whose seal has broken. Ridge caps get replaced as a run where needed so the ridge sheds water properly. Drip edge and flashing are re-fastened or replaced. If the deck took water or an impact, the damaged wood is replaced before new shingles go on.
Nail placement matters on every repair. Shingles nailed outside the manufacturer’s nailing zone lose much of their resistance to uplift, and in Seminole County that’s the difference between a repair that lasts and one that blows off in the next storm.
When wind damage is spread across most of the roof, or the shingles are too brittle to work loose without breaking, replacement may be the better use of your money. Our page on storm damage roofing in Sanford explains what that involves. For smaller fixes on a healthy roof, see shingle roof repair in Sanford.
Documenting wind damage for your insurance
Wind damage is easiest to document soon after the storm, before more rain and wind change what’s there. If you file a claim, you file it yourself and you pay your own deductible. APC Roofing photographs and measures the damage on every slope, provides a written estimate and works with your adjuster.
After a big storm, out-of-town crews often knock on doors. Take your time, check that any contractor is licensed in Florida, and get everything in writing.
How it works
- Book your free inspection. Call 407-270-1129 or request a free online estimate.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. We check the edges, ridge, flashing and attic, photograph what we find and explain whether it’s a repair or a replacement.
- The repair gets done and the site gets cleaned up. Loose debris and old shingles are hauled away before the crew leaves.
Wind damage left alone usually grows. Each storm lifts loose shingles a little more, and water that gets in soaks the decking and insulation well before it shows on a ceiling.
Questions about wind damage roof repair in Sanford
Can wind damage a roof without any shingles coming off?
Yes. Wind often breaks the seal strips under shingles without tearing them loose. Those shingles look fine but are much easier for the next storm to lift.
Do you repair hail and storm damage too?
Yes. Hail is less common in Central Florida than wind damage, but strong thunderstorms can bring it. We inspect for both and document everything. See our Sanford storm damage page for the full post-storm checklist.
Can you just patch the damaged area?
Often, yes, if the rest of the roof is in good shape. If the damage is widespread or the shingles are brittle, a patch may not hold, and you’ll see the evidence.
How soon should I have my roof checked after a windstorm?
As soon as it’s safe. Fresh damage is easier to spot and document, and loose shingles are much easier to fix before the next storm.
Ready for the next windy afternoon
The goal is a roof that’s sealed down tight, a dry house and no surprise bill, so the next summer storm or hurricane season doesn’t keep you up at night. Call 407-270-1129 to book your free wind damage inspection in Sanford, or see all our Sanford roofing services.
