Wind Damage Roof Repair in Edmonton: What to Do When Shingles Blow Off
When a windstorm tears shingles off your roof, the missing shingles are obvious. The bigger question is what you can’t see from the ground.
That matters.
We get some serious wind in Edmonton. When those gusts start ripping siding off houses, knocking down trees and sending shingles across neighbourhoods, your roof takes a beating. If you walk outside afterward and see shingles in the yard, don’t assume replacing those few pieces solves the problem.
At Alberta Skylights Elite Roofing, we approach wind damage differently. A proper wind damage roof repair in Edmonton starts by determining why the shingles came off and whether the rest of the roof remains secure.
Because fixing what blew off without checking what’s about to blow off isn’t really fixing the problem at all.
Why Do Shingles Blow Off a Roof?
Good shingles installed correctly shouldn’t regularly blow off your roof.
Yes, Edmonton gets powerful winds. But when we inspect roofs with repeated blowoffs, we often find installation problems underneath the damage.
Shingles may have been nailed too high. The installer may not have used enough nails. The wrong starter strip may have been installed. In other cases, the roof deck itself may not provide enough holding power.
Age matters too.
As asphalt shingles get older, the adhesive strip that bonds one shingle to another can deteriorate. Once that seal is compromised, wind can get underneath the shingle. Now the wind has something to grab.
That’s when shingles start lifting, flapping and eventually disappearing.
This is why replacing the three or four shingles lying in your yard isn’t enough. Those shingles are evidence of a problem. You still need to determine how large that problem actually is.
The National Research Council of Canada provides building and construction resources for Canadian conditions, but even good materials and standards depend on proper installation in the field.
A Wind Damage Roof Repair Should Include an Inspection
Suppose half a bundle of shingles blows off one corner of your house.
Replacing them may be straightforward. The damaged shingles can be removed, old nails pulled, the area prepared, and replacement shingles installed using existing colour and product or something very close to it.
But the contractor shouldn’t stop there.
The surrounding shingles need to be checked. In fact, the entire roof does.
If shingles beside the damaged area have already broken their seal and started lifting, they could be next. Spending another 15 or 20 minutes inspecting the roof and securing vulnerable areas could prevent another service call after the next storm.
This is also where homeowners need a contractor willing to tell them what’s actually happening.
Sometimes we get onto a roof that looks reasonable from the ground and find widespread installation issues or shingles that have lost their seal. At that point, the conversation changes from a small repair to whether investing more money into the existing roof makes sense.
That doesn’t automatically mean you need a new roof.
It means you need enough information to make a smart decision.
Learn more about our Edmonton roofing and skylight services and how we assess roofing problems before recommending a solution.
Should You Make an Insurance Claim for Blown-Off Shingles?
This is where homeowners need to do some math.
Your insurance policy may cover wind damage, but that doesn’t automatically mean making a claim is the best financial decision.
Two terms matter: replacement cost and actual cash value.
Replacement cost coverage generally considers the cost of replacing damaged property according to the policy terms. Actual cash value considers depreciation. If you have an older roof nearing the end of its expected lifespan, its depreciated value may be considerably lower.
Then there’s your deductible.
If a relatively small shingle repair costs less than or close to your deductible, making an insurance claim may not make sense. You also need to understand what filing the claim could mean for your policy.
The situation becomes different when substantial damage is involved.
If wind removes a large section of roofing and wind-driven rain enters the house, you may now be dealing with wet insulation, damaged drywall, paint, ceilings, flooring and other interior materials. That can turn a small exterior roofing problem into a much larger loss.
Before making assumptions, review your policy and speak directly with your insurance provider about your specific coverage.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada also provides information that can help homeowners better understand property insurance and severe-weather claims.
Repair, Hand Tab or Replace the Roof?
There are three broad options after wind damage: repair the affected area, manually reseal vulnerable shingles or replace the roof.
The right answer depends on what we find.
If a relatively young roof is in good condition and only a handful of shingles were damaged, a straightforward repair could be all you need.
Another option is hand tabbing.
Asphalt shingles typically have an adhesive strip that activates when heated and bonds neighbouring shingles. Sometimes that bond never forms properly. This can happen when a roof is installed during cold weather or when dust, snow or debris contaminates the adhesive.
Hand tabbing involves carefully lifting shingles and applying roofing cement to manually bond them.
It can extend the usable life of a roof that is otherwise in decent condition, but we don’t view it as the first solution for every roofing problem. Once shingles are manually cemented together, future repairs can become more difficult.
Think of it as a way of getting additional life from the right roof, not a substitute for proper installation.
If the roof has widespread installation problems, significant deterioration or repeated blowoffs, replacement may ultimately make more financial sense.
At Alberta Skylights Elite Roofing, we use GAF Timberline shingles with LayerLock technology on many of our roofing projects. GAF offers qualifying roofing systems with an unlimited wind-speed warranty when the system meets its warranty requirements. You can review GAF’s roofing and warranty information when comparing products.
But remember: buying a good shingle isn’t enough.
Installation matters.
The best roofing product in the world can still fail when the roof deck is compromised or the installer ignores the manufacturer’s requirements.
That’s why we look at the entire system.
If shingles have blown off your Edmonton home, don’t wait for the next storm to tell you whether more are loose.
Have the roof inspected.
We can determine whether you need several shingles replaced, vulnerable areas resealed or a conversation about replacing the roof. You’ll know the actual condition of your roof and what makes sense to do next.
Contact Alberta Skylights Elite Roofing to schedule a roof inspection. We’ll get on the roof, find the real cause of the wind damage and recommend the repair that makes sense for your home.