Clear scope. Clean execution.
The 2023 hail events that tracked through the Stone Oak and Boerne corridor left visible spatter bruising on TPO membranes, granule loss on modified bitumen surfaces, and impact dents on metal copings across dozens of commercial buildings from the US-281 corridor out to IH-10 West. What they left that you could not see from the ground was fractured polyiso cover boards, compromised seam integrity at impact sites, and crushed insulation cells under otherwise intact membrane surfaces - damage that produces leaks six months or a year after the storm, not the day after.
I inspect San Antonio commercial roofs after hail events with one priority: document what the hail did and what was already there before the storm arrived. The two categories matter enormously for insurance purposes, and conflating them is the fastest way to create an adversarial claim process. My inspection delivers a photo log keyed to a roof zone diagram, a written narrative that distinguishes event damage from pre-existing wear, and a repair scope detailed enough for your adjuster or public adjuster to work from without a second site visit.
Our office is at 300 Convent St, Suite 1500, downtown San Antonio. Our project managers cover Bexar County and the surrounding Hill Country suburbs - including the Stone Oak US-281 corridor, the IH-10 West Boerne belt, and the Loop 1604 suburban commercial ring - where San Antonio's worst hail events have concentrated in recent years.
What Hail Actually Does to a Commercial Flat Roof
Hail damage on a commercial flat roof is not always the obvious puncture most building owners expect to find. On TPO and EPDM single-ply membranes, hail impacts in the 1-inch to 2-inch range produce membrane bruising and cover board fracture without puncturing the membrane. The functional damage is to the insulation layer underneath - polyiso cover boards crack at impact, which breaks the thermal continuity of the insulation package and can create moisture pathways that work inward over months, not days. We probe suspect areas and document cover board condition with impact pulls in addition to the surface membrane inspection.
On modified bitumen and BUR (built-up roofing) surfaces, hail strips granules. Granule loss accelerates UV degradation of the cap sheet - a hail-stripped modified bitumen roof that was 10 years into a 20-year service life may now have 5 years of useful life remaining if the granule loss is not addressed. We document granule loss pattern, cross-reference it against the storm's hail size and duration from NWS San Antonio records, and provide a service-life projection.
Metal copings, parapet caps, and rooftop equipment housings take cosmetic damage that is visible and documentable with standard photography. These elements are often the primary photographic evidence in insurance claims because they show directional impact patterns that correspond to the storm's track. We photograph and map every dented coping and equipment housing on the roof - and we correlate the impact directions to the NWS storm report to establish the event connection.
How Our Hail Inspection Report Is Structured
Roof zone diagram: Every roof is divided into labeled zones - typically 10,000 to 20,000 sq ft sections depending on the roof's total area and complexity. Every photo in the inspection report carries a zone label and a position reference keyed to the diagram. An adjuster reviewing the report can locate every documented damage point on the roof without a second site visit.
Event vs. pre-existing distinction: Pre-existing wear - cracked flashings, dried lap adhesive, aged granule loss - is documented as pre-existing with its own photograph and notation. Event-related damage - fresh impact bruising, new membrane tears, coping dents with bright metal at the impact center - is documented separately. The written narrative explains the basis for each classification. We do not pad the event-related column and we do not bury pre-existing conditions.
NWS storm record reference: We pull the NWS San Antonio storm event report for the relevant date and reference the reported hail size, duration, and storm track in the inspection narrative. This anchors the inspection to a specific event and provides the adjuster with the meteorological record they need for coverage determination.
Repair scope: We provide a line-item repair scope with quantities and scope descriptions - not a lump-sum number - so the owner's adjuster, PA, or attorney can evaluate the scope against the damage documentation independently.
Hail Repair Methods We Use on San Antonio Commercial Roofs
Membrane patch and seam restoration: Impact sites on TPO and EPDM membranes that have not fully punctured get heat-welded patches oversized by 6 inches in every direction from the impact site. Seams at or near impact zones are re-welded and probe-tested before closeout. We do not use lap-seal or butyl tape as a primary repair on commercial roofs - those are temporary measures that fail within one to three years.
Cover board replacement at impact fields: In areas with concentrated impact patterns and documented cover board fracture, we open the membrane at the impact field, replace the fractured cover board sections, and install new membrane over the repair area. This is the only way to restore the insulation performance and moisture protection at high-impact zones.
Modified bitumen granule surface restoration: Stripped modified bitumen surfaces receive a granule-embedded fibered roof coating - not a clear coating - that restores UV protection and extends the service-life projection. We document the coating system, its reflectivity, and its compatibility with the existing membrane in the closeout package.
Metal coping and cap replacement: Dented or displaced metal copings are replaced with new metal from the same gauge and profile. Coping replacement also gives us access to the parapet flashing detail underneath - a location where hail-event water infiltration commonly tracks into the building before showing up as a ceiling stain.
Frequently asked questions
Does hail always cause immediate leaks on a commercial flat roof?
No - and that is the critical point for San Antonio building owners to understand. Hail impacts can fracture cover boards and compromise membrane integrity without producing a visible leak for months. The 2023 Stone Oak and Boerne hail belt events produced numerous buildings that showed no active leaks immediately after the storm but started leaking six to twelve months later as the compromised insulation layers absorbed moisture. Documenting hail damage quickly - before the follow-on moisture infiltration develops - is essential for maintaining the connection between the damage and the event for insurance purposes.
Do you represent me to my insurance company?
No. We provide inspection documentation - the photo log, zone diagram, written narrative, and repair scope - that your adjuster, public adjuster, or attorney can work from. We do not represent insureds, do not negotiate coverage, and do not act as a public adjuster. Our role is to produce accurate, defensible documentation of what the hail did to the roof.
How quickly can you inspect after a hail event in San Antonio?
For commercial roofs in Bexar County, we schedule hail inspections within two to five business days of a confirmed event - sooner for buildings on our maintenance contract roster. The faster a post-event inspection is completed, the stronger the documentation is for claim purposes. Call 210-985-8160 or reach our office at 300 Convent St, Suite 1500 to schedule.
Need a hail damage inspection for a San Antonio commercial building?
We document what the hail did and what was already there - a photo-keyed report your adjuster can work from without a second site visit.
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