Most common cause of wind damage – improper install.

I recently met an insurance adjuster to look at wind damage on a home.  During the inspection, he was asking about our company. I mentioned to him Advantage Roofing is one of the very few companies in the Cincinnati area that insist on hand nailing all our shingles. I further explained to him how I think using an air gun to install shingles usually leads to nails being over driven, leading to shingle blow offs. His comments back to me were eye opening. Not only did he agree, hand nailing was by far the best way to install shingles, but he also said the majority of his wind damaged claims were the result of installer error. When using air guns to nail on the shingles, installers usually overdrive the nails, sometimes to the point of the nail being driven completely through the shingles.  Over time (usually 10-12 years) the shingles crack around the overdriven nail heads and the shingles become very susceptible to wind lift, resulting in wind damaged roofs.

Insurance adjusters sometimes look at 3-4 roof claims a day and over their career see thousands of homes with roof damage. To share with me that the most common factor associated with wind damage is improperly installed shingles was surprising.

I share this story with you to hopefully drive home the fact that hand nailing your roof on is the best technique. Even if you choose someone other than Advantage to install your new roof, insist they hand nail your shingles.