Wisconsin storms can move fast, and hail damage doesn’t always announce itself. No water dripping from the ceiling, no obvious sign that anything went wrong. It’s easy to assume everything is fine and move on. That assumption is one of the more expensive mistakes a homeowner can make.
If your area was hit by a hailstorm, here’s what to do.
Wait for the storm to pass, then take a look outside
Once it’s safe to be outside, walk your property. You’re not looking to get on the roof. You’re looking for early indicators that something worth investigating landed up there.
Check for:
- Dents or dings on gutters, downspouts, or metal flashing
- Cracked or broken window screens
- Damage to siding, trim, or painted wood surfaces
- Hail accumulation in the yard (size matters: golf ball-sized hail causes far more damage than pea-sized)
What you find on the ground and the sides of your house often reflects what happened on your roof. Document everything with photos before anything gets cleaned up.
Don’t go on the roof yourself
This one is worth saying plainly. After a hailstorm, a roof can be slick, and hail damage isn’t always visible without knowing what to look for. Bruised or cracked shingles, damaged flashing, and compromised seals are easy to miss if you don’t work with roofing day in and day out.
A professional inspection is a safer and more reliable way to understand what you’re dealing with, and it gives you documentation you can actually use if an insurance claim becomes part of the picture.
Don’t wait to find out if it was “bad enough”
Here’s where a lot of homeowners get into trouble. Because there’s no active leak, they assume the roof came through fine. But hail damage often works on a delay. Compromised shingles can let moisture in slowly, and by the time a leak shows up inside the house, the underlying damage is more extensive than it would have been.
The time to get an inspection is shortly after the storm, not months later when the problem has had time to grow.
Call a contractor before you call your insurance company
This is important. Before you file a claim, it’s worth having a contractor assess the damage first. A professional can tell you whether the damage is significant enough to warrant a claim, help you understand what you’re looking at, and document it properly. Filing a claim for minor damage isn’t always in your best interest, and going in without documentation puts you at a disadvantage.
A contractor with experience in storm damage and the insurance process can be a real asset here, not just for the repair work, but for helping you navigate what comes next.
What to look for in a contractor
After a significant storm, contractors show up. Some are local and accountable. Some are not. A few things worth checking:
- Are they based in your area, or did they follow the storm in from out of state, frequently known as “storm chasers”?
- Can they provide references?
- Are they licensed and insured for work in Wisconsin?
- Do they have manufacturer certifications that speak to the quality of their installation work?
These questions matter. The company that fixes your roof after a hailstorm is doing work that directly affects the long-term performance of your home.
We’ve been handling storm damage in the Waukesha County and the surrounding area for decades
Wolf Exteriors has been working with Wisconsin homeowners since 1975. We’re based in Oconomowoc, and storm damage inspection and repair is a significant part of what we do. We can assess your roof, walk you through what we find, and help you understand your options, including how to approach the insurance process if that’s the direction you need to go.
If your home was in the path of a recent storm and you want a professional set of eyes on it, get in touch with our team.
