Vancouver, WA fallen tree roof damage repair

Tree damage is structural before it is cosmetic. A heavy fir limb can crack rafters, break trusses, punch through decking and tear flashing, all from one impact. The shingles are the last thing to worry about. Our first job is to make sure the area is safe, keep water out, and figure out how far the damage goes below the surface.

Once the tree or limb is off the roof, we inspect the framing from the attic, replace or reinforce damaged rafters and truss members, install new decking and underlayment, and rebuild the roof surface to match. If the damage is near a chimney, skylight or wall, we rebuild the flashing too. We work alongside your tree service and insurance adjuster so each step happens in the right order.

Why tree damage goes deeper than it looks

When a limb hits a roof, the shingles and decking take the first blow, but the force travels into the framing. Rafters crack along the grain. Truss webs snap or pull loose at the metal plates. Ceiling joists below can crack too, which is why some tree hits leave a sag in an interior ceiling. From the outside, a small hole in the shingles can hide a broken rafter that no longer carries its share of the roof load.

Even a limb that bounced off and left only a dent can do damage. It may have cracked a single sheet of decking, crushed a section of shingles enough to break their mats, or bent flashing at a nearby wall. These problems show up later as leaks or soft spots. That is why we check the attic below every impact point, not just the obvious hole. Catching it now avoids a second repair later.

The order of work after a tree hits

Tree damage repair follows a set sequence. A tree service removes the tree or limb first, since cutting a heavy fir on a damaged roof is specialized work. Then we cover the opening to keep rain out. After that, we assess the framing, make structural repairs, and rebuild the roof. Your insurance adjuster usually wants to see the damage before permanent repairs, so we coordinate timing with them. We keep you posted at each step.

• Tree service removes the tree or limb
• We tarp or board the opening right away
• Framing inspection from the attic
• Rafter, truss and decking repairs
• New underlayment, shingles and flashing

Rebuilding framing and decking

Cracked rafters can often be repaired by sistering, which means fastening a new full-length board alongside the damaged one so they carry the load together. Broken truss members need a repair plan that follows how the truss was designed, and on bigger breaks that may involve an engineer's guidance. We tell you when that is needed. Decking is replaced in full sheets, cut back to the nearest rafters so the new wood is properly supported.

Once the structure is sound, we lay new underlayment that overlaps the surrounding roof correctly, then rebuild the surface. On composition roofs, we weave new shingles into the existing courses so the patch sheds water like the rest. On metal or cedar shake roofs, we match the profile and fastening pattern. If the area is large or the old roof is near the end of its life, we discuss replacing the affected slope.

Insurance and tree damage claims

A tree falling on a house in a storm is one of the most common covered roof claims. Policies vary, and some treat a tree from a neighbor's yard differently from one on your own property, so check with your insurer. We provide photos from before the tree is removed through each repair stage, plus an itemized list of framing, decking and roofing work. Many adjusters want to see the framing before we close it up, and we plan around that.