How Long Does a Roof Repair Take After a Hurricane?
Florida has a long history of hurricanes. The season for storms in the Atlantic Ocean starts from June and ends in November each year. Historically, September, August, and October are the typical months when hurricanes make landfall on US soil.
For residents, the trauma of 2018 is still fresh, with Hurricane Michael, the strongest catastrophe to hit Florida in years, claimed more than 40 lives in the state. Nine of them directly died from the onslaught. Michael was categorized as a Category 5 hurricane as it packed wind speeds of 155 miles per hour.
Aside from the tragic loss of lives, the strong winds will also flatten anything in their path, from the residential, commercial, and industrial structure. The aftermath will see house owners and business owners scrambling for contractors for professional roof repair.
How Long Does it Take to Repair Your Roof?
The process will depend on the type of roof you have and the extent of the damage.
Shingle Roof — When you go around Florida, you will realize that most houses feature roof shingles. You are looking at 2-3 days or as long as three weeks, especially if your entire roof was blown off by the hurricane.
Tile Roof — Typically, the tile roof is very durable. It lasts on average 20-30 years, although some have been known to exceed 50 years without any problem. If your roof was blown off, it takes about three days to repair a 2,000-square-foot tile roof.
Flat roof — Commercial and industrial buildings are designed using flat roofs. However, you can see it more and more on modern residential houses. It takes about 1-2 days, using a three-person crew, to repair this type. With that said, flat roofs are extremely resistant to hurricanes.
Commercial roofing — Commercial roofs can be manufactured from PVC, modified bitumen, built-up roofing, garden roofing, or EPDM. They are not immune to hurricanes. The period of repair depends on the extent of damage and scope of work. For context, it takes about a month to install commercial roofing solutions due to the sheer size of the building.
What to Do After a Hurricane Damages Your Roof?
The first thing you need to do is contact your insurer so that you can claim the homeowner’s insurance to pay for roof repair.
The Florida Law Statute (627.70132) stipulates that the owner has three years to file a claim. If you exceed the period, your insurance company has the right to refuse your application. However, your insurer might also have its own policy on the prescription. It is the primary reason why you should contact them immediately.
The next step is to contact a professional who will handle the roof repair. They will first assess the damage. Every portion of your roof, even the underbone, will be inspected. After that, they will give you a written report.
The report will contain the extent of the damage, the expected repair or replacement to be done, and the estimated cost. However, the operative word here is “estimate.” You might pay less, or you might pay more, depending on what the contractor finds while doing the job. Some issues might arise that were not spotted during the initial inspection.
