A storm just hit
Hail, high wind, or a named storm rolled through your neighborhood and you're wondering if your roof took damage — or water is already coming in.
Go to the after-storm checklist →
Independent homeowner guide · Greater Houston
Your roof vs. Gulf weather. Know your side of it.
Hail in the spring, hurricanes in the fall, and heat that cooks shingles the rest of the year. This guide covers what to do after a storm, what a roof really costs around Houston, how insurance claims work, and how to hire a roofer without getting burned.
Jun 1 – Nov 30Atlantic hurricane season
15–25 yrsTypical life of an architectural shingle roof in Houston heat
No licenseTexas does not license roofers — vetting is on you
Start where you are
Most Houston roof problems fall into one of three buckets. Pick yours — and if you want a second set of eyes on your roof, you can request a roof check with the form at the bottom.
Your roof is just old
The roof is 15+ years old, shingles are curling or shedding granules, or a home inspector flagged it. Time to plan a replacement before it plans one for you.
See replacement costs →You're hiring a roofer
You have quotes — or a knock on the door — and the numbers are all over the place. Learn how claims work and what separates a real local roofer from a storm chaser.
Learn how to vet a roofer →After a storm: the first 72 hours
Hail damage is mostly invisible from the ground, and the clock on your insurance claim starts the day of the storm. Do these in order.
Leaking right now? Skip the checklist order — get a tarp or emergency temporary repair first, keep the receipt, and photograph everything before and after. Reasonable temporary repairs are normally part of a covered claim; a ceiling that collapses waiting is a bigger fight.
- Walk the yard, not the roofFrom the ground, look for shingles in the yard, dented gutters and downspouts, cracked window screens, and dents in AC units and metal vents. Soft-metal damage is the easiest proof hail was big enough to matter.
- Photograph and date everythingHail next to a coin for scale, every slope you can see from the ground, and any interior stains. Texas claims live and die on documentation of the storm date.
- Check the atticLook for daylight through the decking, wet insulation, and fresh water stains after the next rain. Many hail claims first show up as a slow leak months later.
- Get an inspection before you fileA local roofer can tell you whether the damage is claim-worthy before a claim is on your record. A denied claim for cosmetic wear still counts as a claim.
- Note the exact storm dateYour policy covers a specific event. Write down when it hit your address — your insurer will check it against weather records.
- Don't sign anything at the doorAfter big storms, out-of-state crews flood Houston neighborhoods. Never sign an assignment of benefits or a contract on a doorstep. See the vetting section below.
What a roof costs in the Houston area
Ballpark installed ranges for a full replacement, tear-off included. Steep pitches, multiple layers, and decking repairs push numbers up; these are for sanity-checking quotes, not a substitute for one.
Rough guide: a 2,000 sq ft one-story home has about a 2,200–2,400 sq ft roof. Two-story homes have smaller roofs than their living area.
Class 4 impact-resistant shingles can earn a discount on the wind/hail portion of your premium with many Texas insurers — ask yours.
Steep roofs cost more: more safety equipment, slower work, more material waste.
Ballpark replacement range
$9,900 – $16,500
For a 2,200 sq ft architectural shingle roof at standard pitch. Most Houston homeowners land mid-range once underlayment, ventilation, and flashing are done right.
Estimates use typical Houston-area installed price bands per square foot and are educational only. Repairs are a different scale: most single leak repairs run a few hundred to about $1,500 depending on access and what's rotted underneath.
Architectural shingles
What's on most Houston homes, for good reason: lowest installed cost, fast install, easy repairs. The trade-off is Houston heat and UV — expect the shorter end of the rated lifespan here.
Installed cost$4.50–$7.50 / sq ft
Realistic life in Houston15–25 years
Wind ratingUp to 130 mph on quality lines
Best forMost homes; budget-first replacements
Standing-seam metal
The "last roof you'll buy" option. Handles Gulf wind and hail better than shingles, shrugs off heat, and can trim cooling costs. Costs roughly double shingles up front — the math works if you're staying put.
Installed cost$10–$16 / sq ft
Realistic life in Houston40–60 years
Wind ratingExcellent; a top hurricane choice
Best forLong-term owners; coastal exposure
Also on Houston roofs
Impact-resistant (Class 4) shingles — shingles engineered to survive hail impacts that crack standard ones: about $5.50–$9.00 / sq ft installed. Between Houston hail and possible premium discounts, they're the upgrade most worth pricing.
Concrete and clay tile — common in Mediterranean-style subdivisions: about $12–$20 / sq ft installed, 40+ year life, but heavy. Your structure has to be built or reinforced for it, and individual tile repairs after storms add up.
How a storm insurance claim actually works
A roof claim is a process, not a phone call. Knowing the order keeps you from the two classic mistakes: filing when there's no real damage, and signing your claim over to a contractor.
- Confirm real damage firstGet an inspection from a local roofer and photos of functional damage — bruised or cracked shingles, not just marks. Filing a claim that gets denied for wear-and-tear still goes on your record.
- File with your storm dateReport the specific date of loss. Most Texas policies give you a window (often one year) from the storm to file, but sooner is always cleaner.
- Meet the adjuster — with your roofer thereHave your roofer present at the adjuster inspection to point out damage and compare notes on scope. Adjusters miss damage on steep and complex roofs; a second set of eyes is normal and allowed.
- Read the scope, not just the checkThe first payment is usually ACV (depreciated value). The rest — recoverable depreciation — is released after the work is done and invoiced. The line-item scope is the document that matters.
- Know your deductible — it's percentage-based for wind/hailMany Texas policies carry a separate wind/hail deductible of 1–2% of the home's insured value, not a flat dollar amount. On a $400,000 policy, 1% is $4,000 out of pocket before insurance pays anything.
- Pay your deductible. Always.Since 2019, Texas law requires homeowners to pay their deductible, and a contractor who offers to "eat it" or waive it is breaking the law — and usually making it up by cutting corners somewhere you can't see.
Denied or lowballed? You can ask for a reinspection with a different adjuster, submit your roofer's documented scope, and — if you're still stuck — file a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance. Appraisal clauses in most policies are another route before lawyers.
Hiring a roofer in Texas
Texas is one of the few states with no state license and no state registration for roofing contractors. Anyone with a truck and a ladder can call themselves a roofing company — which makes your checklist the only license that matters.
Signs of a keeper
- A real local address they've had for years — not a PO box, not a hotel after a storm
- Proof of general liability insurance, and they'll send the certificate without a fight
- A written contract naming materials, brand, and shingle line — not just "new roof"
- Payment tied to progress: little or nothing down, balance when the work passes inspection
- They tell you to pay your full deductible, in writing, in the contract
- Local references from jobs done a year or more ago, not just last week
Walk away if you hear
- "We'll take care of your deductible" — illegal in Texas since 2019
- "Sign this so we can talk to your insurance company" — that's likely an assignment of benefits
- Full payment up front, or cash-only pressure to "lock in today"
- Out-of-state plates and a story about "helping out after the storm"
- No written contract, or a quote that's just a number on a business card
- They knocked on your door within days of a storm and found "major damage" on every roof on the street
The 3-quote rule: get three written quotes with the same scope — material line, underlayment type, ventilation, flashing, tear-off, and warranty (both manufacturer and workmanship). Quotes that differ by thousands usually differ in scope, not greed. The cheapest roof is the one you only buy once.
Guides
The four questions Houston homeowners ask most, answered in plain English. Tap a guide to read it right here.
Hail damage: what it looks like and what to do next
Why you can't see it from the driveway, and the order to do things in.
Hail damage: what it looks like and what to do next
Why you can't see it from the driveway, and the order to do things in.
Why hail damage hides. A hailstone doesn't have to punch a hole to kill a shingle. It fractures the fiberglass mat under the surface and knocks off the protective granules. The shingle looks "marked" but keeps shedding water — for a while. Months later the bruised spot wears through, and what was a claimable storm event becomes a leak you're paying for yourself.
What actually counts as damage
- Random bruises and cracks across a slope — soft spots that feel spongy under pressure, with granule loss in the impact point
- Dented soft metals — gutters, downspouts, vent caps, flashing, and AC fins. These are your corroborating evidence
- Damage on multiple slopes, worst on the side that faced the storm
What usually doesn't
- Uniform granule loss across the whole roof (that's age)
- Blistering, curling, and exposed fiberglass (heat and wear)
- Marks in a neat pattern or only where someone could reach from a ladder (mechanical damage)
The order that protects you: ground-level photos within days of the storm → professional inspection → file the claim with the storm date if damage is functional → meet the adjuster with your roofer present. Filing first and inspecting later puts a claim on your record before you know whether there was anything to claim.
Houston roof costs: what a replacement actually runs
Where the money goes on a real invoice, and where quotes quietly differ.
Houston roof costs: what a replacement actually runs
Where the money goes on a real invoice, and where quotes quietly differ.
For a typical Houston home with a 2,000–2,500 sq ft roof, a full architectural shingle replacement usually lands between roughly $10,000 and $18,000 all-in. Simpler roofs come in under that; steep, cut-up roofs with multiple layers to tear off run over it. Standing-seam metal on the same house is more like $22,000–$38,000.
What's inside the number
- Materials — shingles are only part of it: underlayment, drip edge, flashing, ridge vent, and starter strip all add up
- Tear-off and disposal — removing the old roof (and a second layer costs more), plus dump fees
- Decking repairs — Houston humidity rots decking, especially around vents and valleys; priced per sheet once the old roof is off
- Labor and access — steep pitch, two stories, and tight lots all slow a crew down
Where cheap quotes cut: reusing old flashing, skipping drip edge, felt instead of synthetic underlayment, no ventilation upgrade, and "shingle-over" instead of tear-off. None of that shows from the street — all of it shows in year six. Compare scopes, not totals.
Insurance claims after a storm, step by step
ACV vs. RCV, percentage deductibles, and the deductible law — decoded.
Insurance claims after a storm, step by step
ACV vs. RCV, percentage deductibles, and the deductible law — decoded.
The two checks. Most Texas homeowner policies pay a roof claim in two parts. The first check is the ACV — actual cash value, meaning the roof's value after depreciation for age. The second check, the recoverable depreciation, comes after the replacement is complete and invoiced. If you pocket the first check and don't do the work, the second check never comes.
The deductible math nobody explains
Wind and hail claims on many Texas policies carry a percentage deductible — commonly 1% or 2% of the dwelling coverage, not of the claim. On a home insured for $400,000, a 1% deductible is $4,000. Check your declarations page before a storm, not after: it's listed separately from your standard deductible.
Three rules that keep you out of trouble
- Pay your deductible. Texas law (in effect since September 2019) makes it illegal for a contractor to waive, absorb, or rebate it — and requires contracts over $1,000 to state that you'll pay it.
- Don't assign your benefits. An assignment of benefits (AOB) hands your claim — and your right to dispute it — to the contractor. You don't need one to get a roof.
- Keep every document. Photos, the adjuster's scope, invoices, and proof of deductible payment. If the claim is ever questioned, the paper wins.
Shingle vs. metal in Gulf heat and humidity
The honest trade-offs for Houston's climate, not a sales pitch for either.
Shingle vs. metal in Gulf heat and humidity
The honest trade-offs for Houston's climate, not a sales pitch for either.
Houston is hard on roofs in three specific ways: UV and heat that age asphalt from the top down, humidity and algae that stain and rot, and wind and hail that test whatever's up there several times a decade.
Where shingles win
- Roughly half the installed cost of metal, and repairs are cheap and simple
- Class 4 impact-resistant lines close much of the hail gap
- If you'll sell within 10 years, you'll rarely recoup metal's premium
Where metal wins
- 40–60 year lifespan — two to three shingle roofs' worth
- Standing-seam systems are among the best performers in hurricane-force wind
- Reflective finishes can cut attic heat load; no granules to shed, no algae streaks
- Noise in rain is a myth on a solid deck with underlayment — it sounds like any other roof
The Houston verdict: staying 15+ years or exposed to open Gulf wind — price metal seriously. Moving sooner, or the budget has to cover other work — architectural or Class 4 shingles, installed well, are the rational buy. In both cases, ventilation and underlayment matter as much as the surface: a hot attic shortens any roof's life.
Covering Greater Houston
The advice in this guide is written for the whole metro — from the Gulf Coast up through Montgomery County — because the weather, the housing stock, and the insurance rules are the same fight everywhere in between.
Request a roof check
Tell us what's going on with your roof. Submit the form below and your request is sent in for a roof check — having it written out makes the first call faster and the quotes easier to compare.
What a roof check covers: all slopes, flashing, vents, and the attic side where accessible — with photos you keep either way, whether you hire anyone or not. Ask any roofer you're talking to for exactly that, in writing.
And hold any roofer to the vetting list above: if an inspection finds no real damage, a good one will tell you that too.