Storm damage on a Skaneateles roof: what the wind did and what it did not

Since 1996, NOAA has listed 343 thunderstorm wind events in Onondaga County, falling on 125 separate days. That is a county figure. For hail, the record at Skaneateles reaches 1.25 inches in June 2008, with three reports of one inch or more in all.

What it does tell you is that damaging wind is not rare in the county. A storm can lift or strip shingles on one roof and leave the next one alone, so the first job is finding out what happened to yours.

Walk the yard and look up at the gutters and metal edges from the ground. Keep dated photos for the roofer.

Over half of the village's houses were built in 1939 or before. On a roof that old, wear can look like storm damage and storm damage can hide behind wear. A few lifted tabs is a repair. A slope of bruised or missing shingles is a larger job.

Have the roofer mark in the estimate which damage came from the storm and which from age. If they cannot tell, they should say so. A roofer who admits uncertainty is a better sign than one who says replace at once.

When a salesperson at the door says your storm-hit roof must be replaced, take a day first. Ask for a written estimate and compare it with another. A contract must give you three business days to cancel.

New York's insurance regulator explains that a roof claim can be paid at actual cash value, which deducts depreciation, or at replacement cost, depending on the policy and on how much of the home's value it covers. Read the roof wording in your own policy before you call anyone.

Claims and adjusters are between you and your insurer, and we stay out of both. The roofer's written estimate describes the work; it does not set what the policy pays.

If the house is in the village's historic district, ask the code office whether a roof covering change needs a certificate from the Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission before you accept a start date.