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Storm damage & insurance claims

Storm and wind damage roof repair in Murfreesboro

Rutherford County's storm season runs March through May and comes back in November. Most years it is straight-line wind off a squall line; some years it is a tornado. Here is what to do in the first 48 hours, what a claim covers, and how to keep a storm chaser off your roof.

Storm damage help

(629) 218-3276

Mon–Sat 7am–7pm
Serving Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

What storm damage looks like here

Storm damage roof repair Murfreesboro homeowners need sorts into four kinds:

Lifted and creased shingles. Wind gets under the leading edge of a shingle, folds it back, and the crease breaks the mat even when the shingle lies back down. From the driveway the roof looks fine; up close every creased shingle is a leak next year. On the four-nail builder roofs that cover most of the city this is the most common claim, and it is the one adjusters miss from the ground.

Missing shingles and torn underlayment. Obvious and urgent. The exposed deck needs a tarp or a patch before the next rain, which in April is usually two days away.

Tree and limb strikes. Hackberries and Bradford pears come apart in 50 mph wind, and the big oaks along Stones River drop limbs when the ground is saturated. A limb through the decking is an emergency.

Hail. Middle Tennessee gets hail a few times a spring, usually under an inch. Hail damage roof repair Murfreesboro crews see is mostly bruised shingles on a roof that was already soft; a real hail total is rare but it happens. We check for it after any storm that dropped stones.

Tornadoes are their own category. The Good Friday tornado in 2009 crossed the Blackman area and the north side of the city. If your roof is partly gone, the first call is to make the house safe and dry, and the claim comes after.

The first 48 hours

  1. Stay off the roof. Wet shingles on a two-story are how homeowners end up in the emergency room after a storm.
  2. Photograph from the ground — shingles in the yard, the slope they came from, water inside. Time-stamped.
  3. Call us. We tarp exposed decking ($300–$700 for most tarps), photograph the damage from the roof, and write a scope.
  4. Call your insurer with the photos. Get the claim number and the adjuster's name.
  5. Do not sign anything on your doorstep. More on that below.

The storm damage checklist covers the morning-after walk-around in detail.

How the claim works

Your policy covers sudden wind and hail damage at either actual cash value (depreciated) or replacement cost, minus the deductible. Many Tennessee policies now carry a separate wind and hail deductible of 1–2% of the dwelling coverage, which on a $400,000 house in Blackman is $4,000–$8,000. Read your declarations page before you assume a claim makes sense; on a small repair it often does not.

What we do: measure and photograph the damage from the roof, chalk the creased shingles so the adjuster can see them, write a line-item scope, and meet the adjuster on site if you want us there. If their estimate misses a slope, we document it and you request a re-inspection. Our post on inspections after a storm explains what is free and what is not.

What we will not do: waive or "absorb" your deductible. An invoice inflated to cover it is insurance fraud, and it can get the claim denied and the roofer's license pulled.

Storm chasers

Within a week of any significant storm, out-of-state crews with magnetic door signs work the subdivisions off Blackman Road, Veterans Parkway and Sam Ridley Parkway. Some are fine. Many hold no Tennessee license at all, and the roof they install will have nobody to call in two years. Before you sign a contingency agreement or an assignment of benefits, check the contractor on the state license lookup and read our post on questions to ask a Murfreesboro roofing contractor. Any Rutherford County roofing company that has been through a few springs here has a local address and a license to show you.

After the claim

If the roof is 14 years old and one slope is creased, insurers often pay for that slope. We will tell you honestly whether it makes sense to put the payout toward a full replacement instead, because on a builder-grade roof it usually does.

Other roofing services

Roof Repair

Leaks at boots, flashing and valleys, wind-lifted shingles, soft decking — found from the attic, priced in writing, fixed in one visit.

Roof Repair →

Roof Replacement

Full tear-off, decking check, synthetic underlayment, six-nail architectural shingles. One day on most homes, $9,000–$22,000.

Roof Replacement →

Roof Inspection

A walked inspection with photos and a written report — for a home you're buying, a storm you're not sure about, or a 2012 roof that should not be leaking yet.

Roof Inspection →

Metal Roofing

Standing-seam and exposed-fastener metal for homeowners who want the roof that rides out the next thirty springs and never sheds a shingle.

Metal Roofing →

Questions we get asked

Should I file a claim for a few missing shingles?

Usually not. A $400 repair against a $2,000-plus deductible is a loss, and a claim goes on your record for years. File when the damage is widespread — a creased slope, a tree strike, water inside. We give you a repair price first so you can compare it to the deductible.

How long do I have to file a storm claim in Tennessee?

Policies require prompt notice, and the practical deadline is the next storm. Document the damage and get a roofer's inspection within a week or two. Waiting months makes it hard to prove which storm did it, and Tennessee gets several a spring.

Can you tarp my roof tonight?

After a major storm we run tarp crews from first light until dark, prioritized by how much water is getting in. Tarps are $300–$700 depending on size and pitch, and the cost is typically covered by the claim as emergency mitigation. Keep the receipt.

What if the adjuster says it's wear and tear?

Sometimes they are right — a bald 20-year-old roof is not a storm loss. But creased shingles and broken seal strips on a 10-year-old roof are wind damage, and we can document the difference with photos from the roof. Ask for a re-inspection with our report in hand.

Need roof work in Murfreesboro?

Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.

Call (629) 218-3276
Call (629) 218-3276