We've stood in a lot of West Michigan attics the morning after a storm, watching a homeowner realize the water spreading across their ceiling started as a shingle in the neighbor's yard. The good news: most storm damage is fixable, and what it ends up costing you often comes down to the choices you make in the first 24 hours.
Move too slow and a small breach becomes rotted decking, ruined insulation, and mold. Move too fast, signing with the first storm-chaser who knocks, and you can end up with a botched roof and a mess of a claim. Here's the calm, in-order checklist we walk homeowners through, so you protect your family, your home, and your wallet, in that order.
Six Steps to Take Right Away
Work through these in order. The first few keep you safe and limit the damage; the last few set up a repair, and a claim decision, that actually go smoothly.
- Step 1
Make Sure Everyone Is Safe
Before you think about the roof, think about the people under it. If you smell gas, see sagging ceilings, or spot downed power lines in the yard, get everyone out and call 911 or Consumers Energy. Never touch a wire tangled in a fallen limb, and keep kids and pets away from water pooling near outlets.
- Step 2
Check for Interior Damage and Catch the Water
Once it's safe, walk the top floor and attic with a flashlight. Look for spreading ceiling stains, drips around light fixtures, damp insulation, or daylight through the roof deck. Move furniture and electronics out from under any active drip and set buckets to catch water. This is the mitigation you can do safely from inside, and it matters: nearly every homeowners policy expects you to take reasonable steps to limit further damage after a loss.
- Step 3
Document Everything From the Ground
Photograph every angle of the house from the yard: dented gutters and downspouts, shingles in the flower beds, dings in siding and window trim, cracked skylights, and every interior stain and drip. Add wide shots of the whole roof, and don't throw away torn shingles or fallen debris before it's photographed. Note the date and time. This evidence is the backbone of any claim you might file, and more photos are always better than fewer.
- Step 4
Do Not Tarp It Yourself
We'll be blunt on this one, because it saves people money and hospital visits. A wet, storm-battered roof is one of the most dangerous places you can stand, and a tarp installed wrong often does more harm than the storm did: it catches wind like a sail and tears off more shingles, the fasteners punch new holes through good roofing, and pooled water on a loose tarp soaks exactly what you were protecting. Worse, damage you cause yourself may not be covered the way the storm damage is. Your safe moves are the interior steps above. Ours is the roof: we inspect it, tarp or stabilize what's open, document everything for the file, and the emergency visit is credited toward the permanent repair. If you need us on site within 24 hours, that's our emergency response and it carries a premium, typically starting around $850, because it means rescheduling other work. If the situation can hold, standard scheduling gets a tarp on in a couple of days at most, at normal rates. Call or text (616) 840-1927 either way; the phone is watched around the clock.
- Step 5
Call Your Roofer Before You Decide Anything
Not to sell you. To tell you what's actually up there. Real storm damage is often invisible from the ground, and hail damage in particular usually can't be seen from the driveway at all; it's found by hand, shingle by shingle. An honest inspection tells you three things before you commit to anything: what the storm actually did, what wear was already there, and whether filing a claim is genuinely in your best interest, because sometimes the damage lands near your deductible and a straightforward repair is the smarter move. That's a math conversation, and we'll have it with you honestly. If it's a repair, we say repair.
- Step 6
If You File, Choose Your Roofer Like It Matters. It Does
Here's the part nobody explains until you're in it: a storm claim is a project, and the company that starts it should be the company that finishes your roof. When Stellar Roofing Company takes on a claim job, we inspect and photograph everything, write the full scope of work, submit the documentation, meet your adjuster on the roof to walk them through what's there, and handle the follow-up paperwork when the first approval misses items. On a contested claim that can run up to 40 hours of our time, and we'll be honest: we don't make most of that time back. It's part of doing the roof. Our Haag certification matters here too, because it's the same damage-assessment methodology adjusters are trained on, so our documentation speaks their language and tends to keep things moving. What we can't do is pour those hours in for a homeowner who then hands the approved scope to the cheapest bidder, so pick the company you'd trust with the roof before you pick the company that starts the claim. Keep every receipt: tarps, emergency work, even a hotel if the house isn't livable.
What to Do, and What to Avoid
Do This
- Wait until the storm has fully passed before going outside
- Photograph damage from the ground before anything is moved or cleaned up
- Cover interior valuables and catch drips right away
- Get a real inspection from a licensed local roofer before deciding on a claim
- Keep every receipt tied to the storm and the emergency work
- Report a claim promptly if you file; policies set notice requirements
Avoid This
- Climbing a wet, steep, or damaged roof for any reason, including to tarp it
- Signing with a storm-chaser knocking door to door
- Throwing away damaged shingles or debris before photographing them
- Starting permanent repairs before the adjuster has seen the roof
- Paying a large deposit to a company you found an hour ago
- Assuming a roof with no visible leak is undamaged after hail
That storm-chaser warning deserves repeating. After every big West Michigan storm, out-of-state crews flood the area, sell hard, and leave. Whoever roofs your house should be someone who'll still answer the phone next winter, because the warranty on a roof is only as real as the company behind it. We've been here since 2012, and we're the ones repairing the storm-chasers' work.
How West Michigan Storms Hurt Roofs
Not all storm damage looks the same, and a lot of it hides in plain sight. Knowing what each kind of storm does helps you describe the problem accurately, to us and to your insurer.
Straight-Line and Thunderstorm Wind
Summer squalls off Lake Michigan regularly hit 50 to 70 mph. Wind lifts and creases shingles, tears ridge caps, and peels flashing, damage that looks minor from the ground but leaves the roof open to the next rain. A creased shingle is broken even when it lies back down.
Hail
Here's the truth about hail that most storm-chasers won't tell you: real hail damage is usually invisible from the ground. Functional damage means the hail fractured the shingle's mat, a soft bruise you find by hand, shingle by shingle, using the test-square method our Haag-certified inspectors are trained in, and a fractured roof often doesn't leak for months. Meanwhile, granule loss alone is not hail damage; shingles shed granules as they age, which is exactly the line Haag Engineering's field research draws. The reliable ground-level clue is the soft metal: dings on gutters, downspouts, and vents mean hail hit hard enough to warrant a real inspection.
Heavy Snow and Ice Dams
Lake-effect snow load stresses the structure, and ice dams at the eaves force meltwater up under the shingles. Remember what a dam is: heat escaping the attic melting snow that refreezes at the cold edge. The storm gets the blame, but the attic wrote the invitation, and winter storm calls are some of the most common emergencies we run.
Fallen Limbs and Debris
Our mature tree canopy is beautiful until a saturated maple drops a branch through the deck. Impact punctures need fast tarping and structural repair before water reaches framing and drywall, and this is the clearest case for the 24-hour emergency response.
Getting the Claim Decision Right
A storm claim lives or dies on documentation. Clear dated photos plus a professional inspection and written scope give your insurer the full picture, and give you an honest basis for deciding whether to file at all. Wind and hail are typically covered perils on Michigan homeowners policies, subject to your deductible, but every policy is different, and we're roofers, not your insurance company: we document what's on the roof and what caused it, and your policy and agent determine coverage. What we'll never do is inflate wear into storm damage; that helps nobody and it's not who we are.
Keep this paperwork together in one folder:
- Dated photos of every angle of the roof, gutters, and interior
- Your roofer's written inspection report and scope of work
- Receipts for tarps, emergency work, and temporary lodging
- Your policy number, claim number, and adjuster's contact
- A local weather report or news clip confirming the storm date
Want the full walkthrough? Read our guide to insurance roof claims, or see how we handle storm damage roof repair from first inspection through final shingle.
Storm Hit Your Roof? Get a Free Inspection
Before you file a claim or trust a stranger's estimate, get an honest read from a West Michigan roofer who'll still be here next winter. We'll get on the roof, document what we find, and tell you plainly whether it's a claim, a repair, or nothing to worry about. No pressure either way.
Schedule InspectionStorm & Emergency Resources
Storm Damage Roof Repair
Haag-certified documentation and repair from inspection to final shingle.
Learn MoreEmergency Roof Repair
Active leak or open roof? The phone is watched around the clock.
Learn MoreInsurance Roof Claims
How the claim process actually works, step by step.
Learn MoreRoof Inspection
A free, honest inspection with photos and a written report.
Learn MoreAfter the Storm: Common Questions
Should I file an insurance claim or just pay for the repair?
It truly depends, and anyone who answers before inspecting your roof is guessing. If the storm's damage is limited, the repair cost may land near your deductible, and filing gains you little. If the damage is real and widespread, especially hail fractures across the field, a claim is exactly what your policy is for. Our inspection separates storm damage from wear, prices the repair path honestly, and gives you what you need to make the call. The decision is always yours; we just make sure it's an informed one.
Should I put a tarp on my roof myself?
We don't recommend it, and not just for safety. A tarp installed wrong catches wind and tears off more shingles, punches new fastener holes through good roofing, and pools water on the very area you're protecting, and damage you cause yourself may not be covered like the storm damage is. Do the safe interior mitigation, buckets, moving valuables, photos, and let us handle the roof. A professionally installed, documented tarp protects the house and the claim at the same time.
How fast can you get here after a storm?
If the roof is open and can't wait, our emergency response has us on site usually within 24 hours, weather and safety permitting, and it carries a premium, typically starting around $850, because it means pulling from scheduled work. If the damage can hold, standard scheduling gets a tarp or repair out in a couple of days at most at normal rates. Either way, call or text (616) 840-1927 any hour; the phone is watched around the clock, and crews go up when it's safe and light enough to work properly.
Can hail damage a roof without any visible signs?
Yes, and this is the most misunderstood thing in storm roofing. Functional hail damage is a fracture in the shingle's mat, a bruise you find by pressing by hand, not something you spot from the driveway, and a hail-fractured roof often doesn't leak for months. The ground-level clue is dented soft metal on gutters, downspouts, and vents. Granule loss alone, on the other hand, is not hail damage, it's aging. Our Haag-certified inspectors document the difference with test squares and photos, which is exactly the standard adjusters are trained to.
Why does it matter which roofer I use for the claim?
Because the claim work is real work. Documenting the full scope, writing it up, submitting it, meeting the adjuster on the roof, and following up on missed items can take up to 40 hours of our time on a contested claim, and we don't make most of that back; it's part of doing your roof. Our Haag certification means that documentation is in the methodology insurers recognize, which is what keeps a legitimate claim moving. So choose the company you want on the roof before anyone starts the paperwork, and make sure they'll still be in town when the warranty matters.
Do I have to use the contractor my insurance company suggests?
No. In Michigan, the choice of contractor is yours. Your insurer determines coverage and scope under the policy; who performs the work, and stands behind it, is your decision. Choose a local, licensed company with real credentials and a track record you can verify, because the insurer's involvement ends at the check, and the roof's performance is between you and whoever built it for the next few decades.