Hail and Roof Leaks in DFW: What to Do About the Water Inside

Why does hail damage show up inside weeks after the storm?

Hail can bruise shingles, crack their mat and knock off protective granules without opening a hole. The roof sheds water until the next hard rain finds the weak spot. Water then runs through the underlayment into insulation, so the first sign is often a ceiling stain days or weeks after the hail.

Hail does not always punch a hole. Stones can bruise a shingle, fracture the layer beneath it and strip away the granules that shield the asphalt from sun and rain. The roof looks intact from the ground, and it holds up through a light shower.

The failure comes later. A heavier rain pushes water into the damaged spot, past the underlayment and into the attic. Insulation soaks it up like a sponge, so nothing drips at first. Days later the water spreads to the ceiling drywall, which stains and sags.

That delay is why the stain feels unrelated to the storm. A homeowner sees a brown patch in April and has forgotten the hail from March. The connection matters, because it tells you what to tell a roofer and your insurer.

What hail has been reported near Lewisville?

Reports aggregated from the National Weather Service include 1.75-inch (golf-ball) hail about two miles from Lewisville on March 23, 2016, quarter-to-dime-size hail in Flower Mound on May 19, 2023, and 1.75-inch hail near Flower Mound on April 8, 2024. Reports are points, not a map of damage.

Hail reports are point observations. Someone saw stones of a certain size at a certain place and time, and the report was logged. They do not map which roofs were damaged, and a roof a few streets away may have taken different stones or none.

Still, the pattern is useful. Stones of 1.75 inches can damage many roofs, and they were reported close to Lewisville and Flower Mound in more than one year. Spring is typically the main season, with storms starting in March and peaking from April into early summer.

A hail report gives you something concrete to note. If your ceiling stains, write down the date you first saw it and compare it with a nearby report. That is a note for your records, not proof of cause, and an insurer or roofer will want to see the roof itself.

What should you do inside when a ceiling stains after a storm?

Move belongings out from under the stain, set a bucket under any drip and photograph the ceiling, including a ruler for scale. Do not walk on wet ceiling drywall from the attic side, and keep people out from under any bowed section, because water-loaded drywall can drop without warning.

Start with safety. Water-loaded drywall is heavy and can drop without warning, so keep people out from under a bowed section. If light fixtures or fans are in the wet area, turn off the power to that circuit at the panel only if you can reach it on dry ground.

Next, limit the spread. Lift furniture clear, cover what cannot move and place a container under any drip. Mark the edge of the stain with a pencil and write the date beside it, so you can tell whether it is growing.

Then call. A roofer is needed for the roof, and a restoration crew is needed for the wet insulation and drywall. If a lot of water came through, call (833) 490-5225, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free.

• Move furniture and electronics away from the wet area.
• Set a bucket under any drip and empty it as needed.
• Photograph the stain and mark its edge with the date.
• Keep people out from under any bowed drywall.
• Call your insurer and a roofer, and ask a restoration crew about drying.

How do you document hail water damage for an insurance claim?

Take dated photographs of the roof from the ground, the ceiling stain and any wet attic insulation, and keep receipts for anything you buy or have done. Moisture readings and a list of removed materials from the drying crew add to the record. The insurer, not the crew, decides what is covered.

A claim runs on records. Photographs taken before anything is moved are worth more than a description later. Shoot wide, then close, and include the date on your phone or a note.

The Texas Department of Insurance publishes consumer guidance on roofing and insurance, and it is worth reading before you sign anything. Call your insurer early, and ask your agent what your policy says about hail and about the deductible that applies.

The drying crew adds to the file. It records moisture readings, takes photographs and lists what was removed, and gives you copies. That is documentation, not a promise of any outcome, because the insurer decides.

Why can't a roofer or restoration company waive your deductible in Texas?

Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707, effective September 1, 2019, requires a policyholder to pay the deductible and makes it illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate, absorb, credit or offset it. Contracts of $1,000 or more tied to an insurance settlement must carry a notice saying so.

The rule closes the door on free-after-insurance offers. Chapter 707 treats the deductible as the policyholder's to pay, and an insurer may ask for proof that you did.

An insurer also may not waive a deductible in exchange for your using its preferred contractor. If a contractor offers to cover your deductible, or says the work will be free after insurance, that is a red flag.

Complaints can be reported to the Texas Attorney General, and the Texas Department of Insurance explains the law on its roofing page. We do not claim to arrange or negotiate claims. We document the damage, and you decide what to do with it.

Where is the line between roof repair and interior drying?

The roofer repairs or replaces shingles, flashing and decking. The restoration crew removes water, pulls wet insulation and drywall, dries the framing and can tarp or board up an opening as an emergency step. Drywall, texture and paint afterward are repair work, quoted separately from the drying.

Think of it as outside and inside. Nothing stops the next leak until the roof is fixed, and nothing stops mold until the building is dry. Both jobs matter, and they use different trades.

If a roofer cannot come right away, an emergency tarp can buy time. Our roof leak water damage page covers emergency tarping and interior drying, and it does not cover roof replacement. A bigger storm may fall under storm damage restoration, which covers interior water, tarping and board-up after wind and hail.

Once the building is dry, repairs start. Drywall is hung, taped, textured and painted, and insulation is replaced. That work is quoted after drying, and the order matters, because closing a wall over damp framing invites mold.

What does it cost to dry out after a hail leak?

A ceiling-only job commonly falls between a few hundred dollars and the low thousands, and the number rises with the amount of wet insulation, the rooms involved and the days of drying. These are working estimates for Lewisville and Denton County, confirmed on site before work starts. Roof repair and replacement are a roofer's quote.

Price follows how much is wet, not how big the hail was. A single stained ceiling is cheaper than a leak that ran through a wall and a floor, and a small tarp is cheaper than a large board-up.

The figures below are our own working estimates, built for planning. They are not a price list, and they leave out the roofer and the plumber. Your crew confirms the number on site and explains the emergency-stage price before any work starts.