If a hail storm just rolled through Plano, here’s the short version: stay inside until the cell passes, photograph everything within the first 60 minutes, file your insurance claim within 48 to 72 hours, and do not sign anything a door knocker hands you that same afternoon. That sequence protects your claim, your roof, and your wallet, in that order. I’m Mahmoud Abu Saad, co-owner of Roof Raiders. Sara and I have walked Plano homeowners through the aftermath of the May 28, 2023 storm, the April 9, 2024 cell that hammered Legacy West, and the June 17, 2024 hail that flattened insurance reserves across Collin County. This checklist is the same one I give my neighbors on Parker Road.
hour 0 to hour 1. stay safe and stop the bleeding.
The first hour is about safety, not strategy. Hail storms in Plano often travel with straight-line winds in the 60 to 80 mph range, and the May 28, 2023 supercell pushed gusts past 90 mph near Preston Meadow. Stay away from windows. Don’t go up on the roof, ever, even after it stops. We pull people off roofs every spring with broken ankles because wet asphalt with bruised granules is a slip hazard most homeowners underestimate.
What you can do safely from the ground in the first 60 minutes:
- Move cars into the garage if the storm is still building. Most Plano homeowners insurance covers comprehensive auto, but a $500 deductible on a hailed roof of a 2022 Tahoe still stings.
- Check for active leaks in the attic with a flashlight. If you see water tracking down a rafter, place a 5-gallon bucket and a towel underneath. Don’t poke the drywall yet.
- Photograph the ground. Hail size matters more than almost any other variable for your claim. Lay a quarter, a golf ball, or a tape measure next to the largest stones you can find in the yard before they melt. In June 2024 we had clients whose claims got rejected because the only hail evidence was a phone video with no scale reference.
- Note the time the storm started and ended. Insurance carriers cross-reference NOAA radar data, and a 12-minute discrepancy can push a claim into a different storm date with a different deductible.
Hailstones on a driveway with a quarter placed next to them for scale.
hour 1 to hour 4. document, don’t decide.
Once the cell has cleared and the radar is quiet, you have a few hours of useful daylight. Spend them documenting. Do not call a roofer yet. Do not file insurance yet. Get your evidence first.
Walk the perimeter of the house with your phone and shoot the following:
- Gutters and downspouts. Dented aluminum gutters are one of the strongest signals an adjuster uses to confirm hail impact. A bent downspout elbow on the north side is worth 50 verbal claims.
- Window screens and sills. Punched screens tell the story of stone size and angle.
- AC condenser fins. Bent condenser fins on the outdoor unit are claimable under most HO-3 policies in Texas. Don’t forget this one. Average condenser fin straightening in Plano runs $180 to $340 and most homeowners eat that cost because they never photographed it.
- Patio furniture, grills, fence boards, garage doors. Wide shots and close-ups of each.
- Soft metal vents on the roof, shot from the ground with zoom. The lead boots around plumbing stacks bruise visibly and are a tell-tale sign for adjusters.
If you have a doorbell camera or a Tesla parked outside with sentry mode, save the storm-time footage to a USB drive immediately. Ring and Nest default retention is short, and we’ve watched evidence vanish in 7 days while a claim was still open. If you’re not sure whether what you’re photographing counts as damage, our guide to telling if hail damaged your roof walks through the 10 signs adjusters look for.
A dented aluminum gutter on a two-story home, one of the most useful photos to take after hail.
hour 4 to hour 24. get a real roof inspection.
This is where most Plano homeowners get hurt. Within an hour of a hail event, the trucks roll in. Out-of-state plates, magnetic door signs, no permanent address. They knock, they offer “free inspection,” they climb on your roof in muddy boots, and they hand you a contingency contract that locks you into using them if insurance approves a claim.
Don’t sign. Ever. Even if they’re nice. Even if your neighbor signed.
What you want instead is a free, no-pressure roof inspection from a roofer with a permanent Plano or DFW address, current general liability and workers’ comp certificates, manufacturer credentials, and a physical office you can drive to. At Roof Raiders our shop is in Plano, we’re CertainTeed ShingleMaster (top 3% of all U.S. installers), rated 5.0 stars on Google, and Sara answers the phone most mornings.
A real inspection takes 45 to 90 minutes and produces:
- A written scope of damage with photos
- Hail strike count per slope (north, south, east, west)
- Soft metal damage assessment (vents, valleys, flashings)
- Granule loss measurement
- Recommendation: repair, partial replacement, or full replacement
If a contractor tells you “you definitely have damage, sign here” without going up on the roof for at least 30 minutes, that is your signal to thank them and close the door.
day 1 to day 3. file the claim correctly.
You have up to a year to file a hail claim in Texas, but you don’t want to wait. File within 48 to 72 hours of the storm for three reasons. First, fresh damage is easier to document. Second, adjuster schedules fill up fast after a major event. After June 17, 2024 the wait for State Farm field adjusters in Collin County stretched to 19 days. Third, your policy may have a “prompt notice” clause that gives the carrier grounds to deny if you delay.
When you call your carrier, here’s what to say and what not to say.
| Do say | Don’t say |
|---|---|
| ”I had a hail storm at my property on [date] and want to file a claim." | "My roof is destroyed, I need a new one." |
| "I have photographs of hail with size reference." | "A roofer told me I have damage." |
| "Please send a field adjuster, not a virtual inspection." | "Can you just send me a check?” |
| Your policy number, address, and storm date | Anything about deductibles or coverage limits |
You will get a claim number. Write it down. Save the email. The adjuster will be assigned within 3 to 10 business days in normal conditions, 14 to 25 days after a major DFW event.
An example roof inspection scope showing hail strike counts marked per slope.
day 3 to day 14. the adjuster meeting.
The adjuster meeting is the single most important hour of your entire claim. Have your roofer there. I cannot stress this enough. We’ve seen Plano homeowners lose $14,000 to $22,000 in covered scope because no one was on the roof with the adjuster pointing out hits on the back slope, the soft metals, the detached gutters, the bruised ridge cap.
A few specifics for DFW homes:
- Architectural shingle replacement in Plano runs $4.85 to $7.20 per square foot installed in 2026, depending on shingle line. CertainTeed Landmark Pro, GAF Timberline HDZ, and Owens Corning Duration are the common SKUs adjusters expect to see.
- Full replacement on a 2,800 sq ft Plano single-story with a 6/12 pitch typically scopes between $18,400 and $26,800 before any code upgrades.
- Two-story west Plano homes with 32 squares and synthetic underlayment code requirements push $28,000 to $42,000.
After the adjuster leaves, you’ll get a scope of loss. Read it. Compare it line by line to your roofer’s scope. Anything missing becomes a supplement, which is a request for additional payment from the carrier. Common Plano supplements include drip edge (now code), ice and water shield, ridge vent replacement, satellite dish detach/reset, and decking replacement at 10 to 15% of plywood sheets.
Your first check will likely be the ACV (Actual Cash Value), which is the depreciated value of your roof minus your deductible. Once the work is complete and the carrier receives the certificate of completion, they release the depreciation check, getting you to RCV (Replacement Cost Value). The gap between ACV and RCV on a 15-year-old Plano roof can be $6,000 to $11,000, so don’t cash the first check and walk away.
day 14 to day 30. tarp, schedule, and choose.
If you have active leaks while you wait for the adjuster, you need a temporary tarp. Don’t climb. Call for emergency roof repair and get a professional tarp installed. We charge $385 to $640 for a standard tarp in Plano, and most carriers reimburse that as part of mitigation under your policy’s “duty to protect property” clause. Save the receipt.
Once the claim is approved, you choose your contractor. Not your insurance company. Not the storm chaser from Oklahoma. You. Texas Insurance Code 4102 makes that clear, and any contractor who suggests otherwise is hoping you don’t know your rights.
Things to verify before signing a contract:
- Permanent local address you can drive to. Ours is in Plano.
- Texas roofing contractor RCAT registration or manufacturer certification. We’re CertainTeed ShingleMaster.
- General liability and workers comp certificates of insurance with your name as additional insured.
- Written warranty on workmanship (we offer a non-prorated lifetime workmanship warranty on full replacements).
- No upfront payment beyond the ACV check from your carrier. If they want money before materials are on the driveway, walk away.
A roofing crew installing CertainTeed Landmark Pro shingles on a suburban home.
the storm chaser problem in plano specifically.
I have to say this plainly because it’s the #1 thing that costs Plano homeowners money. After every major hail event, our city sees a wave of out-of-state contractors flood Preston Road and Coit. They knock, they pressure, and they push you to sign paperwork before your insurance adjuster has even seen the roof.
Red flags I’ve seen on Plano doorsteps in 2024 and 2025:
- Magnetic truck signs, not painted
- Phone numbers with non-DFW area codes that ring to voicemail at 5pm
- “We’re already working on your neighbor’s house, can we just inspect yours?”
- Asking for your insurance policy number before quoting
- A contingency contract longer than 2 pages with assignment-of-benefits language
- No street-view-able office on Google Maps
Plano homeowners in Plano, Frisco, and McKinney consistently get more aggressive door-knocking than Dallas or Fort Worth. Higher home values, higher density of intact roofs, faster claim approvals. That’s why we built our business here. Sara handles every intake call personally, and you’ll never get pressured by a sales rep working off a commission split.
what your claim actually looks like, by storm.
For homeowners who weren’t sure if their damage was from the most recent storm or an earlier one, here’s a quick reference for the four major Plano hail events we’ve worked through:
| Storm date | Hail size (Plano) | Typical claim range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2023 | 1.75 to 2.75 inch | $14,000 to $36,000 | Heaviest in west Plano, Legacy area |
| April 9, 2024 | 1.5 to 2.25 inch | $11,000 to $28,000 | Concentrated near Preston Hollow |
| May 23, 2024 | 1.25 to 2.0 inch | $9,000 to $22,000 | Lighter, but extensive wind damage |
| June 17, 2024 | 2.0 to 3.5 inch | $18,000 to $48,000 | Largest claims, longest adjuster waits |
If you’re still uncertain whether your roof took a hit from a storm in this window, run the numbers on our free roof cost calculator and book an inspection. We don’t charge for the visit, and we don’t pressure-sell on the porch.
For homes that took repeated hits across two or more of these storms, you may qualify for a storm damage roof repair supplement on an older claim. Texas allows reopening claims under specific conditions, and we’ve successfully reopened 11 claims in Plano alone since January 2025.
frequently asked questions.
How long do I have to file a hail claim in Texas? You typically have one year from the date of the storm to file under most Texas homeowner policies, though some carriers have shortened this to 180 days. Check your declarations page. We recommend filing within 72 hours regardless, because evidence fades fast and adjuster queues fill up after major DFW events.
Will filing a hail claim raise my insurance rates in Plano? Hail claims are classified as “act of God” claims and in most cases do not directly raise your individual premium. However, widespread DFW hail seasons absolutely raise base rates across all Texas homeowners, whether you filed or not. There’s no penalty to filing a legitimate claim.
What if my roof is 15+ years old? You can still file, and you should. Older roofs are eligible for ACV payouts. The catch is that depreciation on a 15-year-old roof is substantial, so you may end up with a smaller check. Talk to a hail damage roof repair contractor before assuming your roof isn’t claimable. We’ve gotten full replacements approved on 22-year-old Plano roofs in 2025.
Can I do a partial roof replacement to save money? Sometimes, yes. Single-slope replacement runs $4,200 to $9,800 in Plano on a typical home. The challenge is matching shingle color on a partial replacement, especially with CertainTeed Landmark discontinued color runs. Most adjusters will approve full replacement when matching isn’t feasible, citing Texas matching statutes.
What if my insurance denies the claim? Get a second opinion from a different insured roofer, request a re-inspection in writing, and consider hiring a public adjuster if the denial seems wrong. We’ve helped Plano homeowners overturn 4 denials in 2025 through proper documentation and supplement requests. Don’t give up on the first “no.”
Hail season in Plano runs March through June, and we’re already booking inspections for spring 2026. If a storm just hit your neighborhood and you want a real conversation with a real Plano roofer, call us at (214) 326-3106 or learn more about our family and how Sara and I built this company from our living room in 2022. No pressure, no contingency contracts, no out-of-state plates in your driveway.
