What to do in the first two days after hail hits a north Houston roof

After hail in Tomball, The Woodlands, or Conroe, the first job is not a new roof. It is keeping water out, photographing what the storm did, and getting a written inspection before you sign a contract. A bruise in the granules can sit for months before it becomes a ceiling stain.

North of Houston, that sequence is local. Tomball sits on a hail and straight-line wind corridor along State Highway 249. The Woodlands mixes tile, architectural shingles, and custom metal under HOA rules. Conroe adds lake wind and newer construction around Grand Central Park. The failure on one of those roofs is not the failure on the next.

What hail does before the ceiling drips

Hail knocks granules off asphalt shingles, lifts ridge caps, and dents metal vents. On tile, the crack is often on the south or west slope, where the storm hits hardest. Core Four Roofing’s Woodlands page says pine shade keeps decks damp, and that tile cracks and granule loss show up first in Sterling Ridge and Creekside Park after a hail week. In Tomball, the company says spring storms bruise shingles and lift ridge caps in Lakewood and Wildwood.

None of that has to leak on day one. Water can travel under a shingle or along a valley and show up in a closet weeks later. That is why a dry ceiling the morning after a storm is not a clean bill of health.

Architectural shingles on a Houston-area house. A new field of shingles is what a replacement looks like. Hail damage on an older roof is usually granule loss, lifted tabs, and bruised vents, not a missing slope. Photo courtesy of Core Four Roofing.

The first day: photos, then a tarp if water is moving

Photograph every slope, the ridges, the pipe boots, the gutters, and any dented vents or skylight curbs. Photograph interior stains with a coin or tape measure in the frame so the size is obvious later. Do it from the ground or a safe window. A wet, steep roof after a storm is how people get hurt.

If water is already coming in, cover the opening. Most property policies expect you to limit further damage. Core Four’s emergency crew, based at 22955 State Highway 249, Suite 26 in Tomball, says it tarps residential and commercial roofs around the clock and that the tarp is meant to stop interior damage until a repair can be scoped. The company’s Houston homeowner storm checklist is a one-page list of what to photograph, when to tarp, and how to talk to an adjuster.

The deductible is yours to pay

Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707 makes it a crime for a contractor who is paid from a property-insurance claim to waive, absorb, or rebate the deductible without the insurer’s consent. The law, passed as House Bill 2102 and effective September 1, 2019, was aimed at roofers who advertised “we pay your deductible” and then inflated the bill or cheapened the work. The statute is Insurance Code Chapter 707. An insurer that owes replacement-cost holdback can also wait for proof the deductible was paid. A canceled check counts. So does a financing contract that requires the deductible to be paid over time.

Anyone offering to eat the deductible is offering something Texas law does not allow. Core Four’s insurance-claims page says the same thing, and says the company will meet an adjuster on site with photo documentation. That meeting is where missed vents and soft flashing get onto the estimate. It is not a promise that the carrier will buy a full replacement.

Three roofs, three counties’ worth of habits

In Tomball, the housing the company describes is ranch homes and 1990s-to-2010s subdivisions on architectural shingles, with more standing-seam and stone-coated steel going in along 249. Neighborhoods it already names: Lakewood, Wildwood, Tomball Town Center, and Creekside Estates, in ZIP codes 77375 and 77377. This is the shop’s home ZIP. The crew is not driving in from downtown.

In The Woodlands, about 20 minutes from that shop, the stock is HOA villages: concrete tile, architectural shingle, and custom metal, especially on 1990s and 2000s houses where underlayment fails before the tile looks finished. The company says it photographs the existing profile and works with the association when a full replacement is on the table. Named villages include Sterling Ridge, Creekside Park, Cochran’s Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, and College Park.

In Conroe, about 30 minutes north, lake wind drives rain under ridge and chimney flashing. Metal and tile on the water need different detailing than a tract house in 77304. The company lists Downtown Conroe, Grand Central Park, Lake Conroe, and April Sound.

A free inspection is the next concrete step

Core Four says a Tomball, Woodlands, or Conroe inspection starts with the address and a same-day call back, and that the visit is free. The phone is (281) 541-0027. The company lists GAF, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey, and DECRA certifications on its site, a BBB A+ rating, and more than 1,000 completed jobs. Those are the company’s claims. The useful test is simpler: does the written finding match the photos, and does it say repair when a repair will hold?

If the storm already opened the roof, start with emergency tarping. If it only bruised the field, start with photos and a documented inspection before anyone talks you into a tear-off.