Monsoon & storm damage
Storm damage roof repair in Scottsdale: monsoon wind, rain and hail
Scottsdale's storms come in July, August and September, and they come sideways. Microburst wind lifts tile, drives rain under it, and dumps a season of debris in the valleys. We document, tarp, and repair — and we do the claim paperwork straight.
What monsoon storms do to Scottsdale roofs
A monsoon microburst is a column of cold air hitting the ground and spreading out at 60–80 mph. It is brief, it is local — one side of Shea can get hammered while the other gets a sprinkle — and it does four things to a roof:
Lifts and displaces tile. Wind gets under the eave and rake tiles first. Tiles that were never nailed or clipped (common on 1990s production homes north of the 101) slide, stack up or land in the yard. The underlayment they were covering is now in direct sun and direct rain.
Drives rain under the tile. Rain at 70 mph goes uphill. On a roof with sound underlayment that is fine. On a roof with 20-year-old felt it is a leak, usually the first one the house has ever had.
Chokes valleys, crickets and scuppers. The wind strips palo verde, mesquite and eucalyptus and puts it in the valleys. On flat and foam roofs it blocks the scuppers, water ponds, and it finds the parapet crack it has been waiting for.
Breaks tile with hail and debris. Hail damage roof repair Scottsdale-wide is not a yearly event like it is in Denver, but the storms that do produce it — the October 2010 hailstorm is the one everyone remembers — crack concrete tile by the hundreds, punch skylight domes and bruise shingles.
Dust storms add a fifth: a haboob loads a roof with fine dust that turns to mud in the rain that follows and ends up in every gutter and scupper.
What we do after a storm
- Stop the water. Tarp displaced tile areas, clear valleys and scuppers, temporary-seal flashing that has opened up. This is the emergency visit and it is scheduled ahead of everything else during monsoon season. Emergency roof tarping explains what a tarp costs and what it does and does not buy you.
- Document from the roof. Photos of every damaged area before anything is moved, a count of broken and displaced tile, and photos of the underlayment condition. This is what your adjuster needs and what most homeowners do not have.
- Write the scope. A line-item repair scope: tile replaced, underlayment area, flashings, labor. If the damage is wind-driven rain through failed underlayment, we say so honestly, because most policies treat wear differently from storm damage and a claim built on the wrong story falls apart at the adjuster meeting.
- Repair. Reset and re-secure tile, replace what is broken, rebuild valleys with new underlayment, replace shingles, recoat foam where the coating tore. The repair page has prices by job type.
Insurance, honestly
Storm damage roof repair Scottsdale-wide sits in a gray area for most policies. Sudden wind and hail damage is generally covered; underlayment that wore out over 20 years generally is not, even if the storm is what finally pushed water through it. What we do:
- Photograph and measure so the covered damage is fully documented
- Meet the adjuster on the roof if you want us there
- Give you an honest opinion about what is storm damage and what is age, before you file — an unnecessary claim on your record costs you at renewal
- Never waive or "absorb" a deductible, which is insurance fraud in Arizona and gets both of us in trouble
Roof age matters more every year. Several carriers now write actual-cash-value roof coverage on tile roofs past a certain age, which means a claim pays the depreciated value of the underlayment, not the replacement cost. Check your declarations page before a storm, not after. The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions has a plain-language guide to claims at difi.az.gov.
Storm chasers
After a big monsoon event, trucks with out-of-state plates work the neighborhoods from Grayhawk to Scottsdale Ranch offering free inspections. Some are fine. The ones to avoid say the whole roof needs replacing before they have lifted a tile, ask you to sign an assignment of benefits or a contingency agreement on the spot, or cannot show an Arizona ROC license. Look the number up at azroc.gov. Our hiring questions post has the full list.
Before the season
The cheapest storm repair is the one you do in June. Clear the valleys and scuppers, re-secure loose eave tile, replace cracked tile, and get a look at the underlayment condition so you know what you are dealing with. A roof inspection in May or June costs less than the first monsoon leak and tells you whether this is the year for the underlayment. The monsoon damage checklist is the after-storm version.
Other roofing services
Roof Repair
Monsoon leaks, slipped and cracked tile, failed pipe jacks and valley flashing, foam blisters and recoating — found from the roof, priced in writing.
Roof Repair →Roof Replacement
Full tear-off and new tile, shingle, foam or metal — with a permit, HOA submittal handled, and a price that lists the underlayment and flashings.
Roof Replacement →Roof Inspection
A walked inspection with lifted tile, attic check, photos and a written report — for buying a house, planning a claim or deciding whether the underlayment has five more years.
Roof Inspection →Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement
Lift and stack your tile, tear off the dead felt, install modern underlayment and flashings, relay the tile. $8,000–$15,000 and the roof looks the same from the street.
Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement →Questions we get asked
Does homeowners insurance cover monsoon roof damage in Arizona?
Sudden wind and hail damage usually is covered, subject to your deductible. Wear — underlayment that failed from age and let the rain through — usually is not, even if a storm is when you noticed. We document both honestly so you know what to file before you file it. Check whether your roof is on replacement-cost or actual-cash-value terms.
Should I file a claim for a few broken tiles?
Usually no. Replacing a dozen tiles and re-securing the eave is a $400–$800 repair, often less than your deductible, and a claim on your record can raise your premium. File when the damage is real and above the deductible by a clear margin: a section of roof stripped, hail across the whole slope, a skylight punched through.
How soon after a storm should the roof be checked?
Within a few days if you saw tile on the ground, water inside, or the storm was severe enough to make the news. Sooner if a scupper is blocked and water is standing on a flat roof. An exposed underlayment area does not leak on a dry day, but it is degrading in the sun and it will leak in the next storm.
Do you work with public adjusters?
We will work alongside one if you have hired one, and we do not recommend one for a routine claim; on a small residential loss the fee usually exceeds the difference. Where they earn it is a large disputed loss. Either way our documentation is the same: photos from the roof, a tile count, and a line-item scope.
Need roof work in Scottsdale?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.