That said, mine did climb up there—no way I’d trust a driveway inspection after hail.
Yeah, I hear you. Driveway inspections after a storm are basically just a guessing game. I’ve seen adjusters miss cracked vents and even soft decking that you’d never spot from the ground. Out of curiosity, did your adjuster mention granule loss or just focus on the obvious stuff? Sometimes they’ll flag things like “thermal splitting” that homeowners don’t even know to look for... always makes me wonder how many roofs get written off as fine when there’s hidden damage.
That’s a good point about hidden damage. I’ve seen a lot of adjusters just focus on the obvious stuff—missing shingles, dents in the metal, maybe a cracked vent if it’s really clear. Granule loss often gets overlooked unless you specifically point it out, and thermal splitting is one of those things that’s easy to miss unless you’re right up there. I always tell folks, if you can get someone on the roof safely, it’s worth it. Driveway inspections just don’t cut it for hail, especially with older roofs or if you’ve got a lot of tree cover.
Yeah, driveway inspections are basically just a way to check the box for some adjusters. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone up there after “no damage found” and come down with a shingle full of granules in my hand. Granule loss is sneaky—doesn’t look like much from the ground, but it’s a big deal for the lifespan of the roof.
Tree cover makes it even trickier. I had a job last fall where the adjuster missed almost half the hail hits because the canopy hid them from view—had to actually show him with a flashlight and chalk. Not every adjuster wants to get on a steep roof, which I get, but you just can’t see what you need to from the sidewalk.
Thermal splitting’s another one that gets missed a lot, especially on older 3-tabs. It’s easy to write off as “wear and tear” if you’re not looking for it. I always say, if you’re not getting dirty, you’re probably missing something up there...
That’s exactly what happened with my place—adjuster did a “visual” from the driveway and said everything looked fine. I ended up crawling up there myself after a rainstorm and found a handful of granules in the gutter. It’s wild how much gets missed if you don’t actually get up close. Tree cover makes it even worse, too. Glad you stuck with it and got your policy sorted out... it’s a headache, but worth it in the long run.
Yeah, I’ve seen the same thing—driveway “inspection” and they call it good. If you’ve got trees hanging over, you’re almost guaranteed to have hidden issues. I always check after heavy rain or wind. Insurance folks miss a lot unless you push back.
