What does a nor'easter do to a roof that a hurricane does not?
It holds its wind for longer on one bearing, so the same slopes take the load for hours, and along the shore it can bring water to the building from the side.
A nor'easter's wind comes steadily from one direction for a long period. The slopes that face into it take the load for hours, and the damage often sits on one side of the roof more than the other. Along the shore, the water can reach the walls and the lower parts of the building, which a hurricane's rain does not always do.
The record should therefore show both the wind side and the water side, and say which damage belongs to which.
- Steady wind on the facing slopes
- Water reaching the lower walls near the shore
- A record that separates wind and water damage
How is water damage from the flood told apart from leaks?
By where the water stopped. Flood water leaves a line on the walls and debris in the gutters; a leak leaves a stain under a joint.
Flood water rises and falls, and it leaves a clear line on walls and debris in the gutters and downpipes. A leak comes in at a joint and leaves a stain below it, often away from the wall line. A roofer checks both, and the record notes which is which.
Where the two overlap, the record says so rather than deciding for the homeowner.
- Flood leaves a line and debris
- A leak leaves a stain below a joint
- The record notes where the two overlap
What can the record not settle?
Whether the damage is covered, how much a flood cost the building, or whether the roof will last through the next storm.
An inspection describes the roof on the day it is done. It does not decide what a policy pays, what a flood cost the building or how long a bruised covering will last. Those belong to the policy, the insurer and the owner, and the Bureau of Insurance takes complaints about how a claim is handled.
The record names the areas it did not reach, so the homeowner knows what is still to be checked.
- It does not decide the claim
- It does not price the flood's damage
- Unreached areas are named
Keeping this part of the record current
The record for this part of the roof is updated at each visit, with the date and the result, so the history stays accurate.
A homeowner who keeps this section with the roof file can compare it with the next season's check, and the change between the two is the most useful thing the record can show.
The roofer confirms each point on the day and writes the result down before leaving, so the record reflects the roof as it was found rather than as it was remembered later.
