Roof Inspection in Converse, TX: What Happens and What It Should Cost
After the September 11, 2026 hailstorm, a lot of Converse homeowners are being offered a "free roof inspection." Some of those are genuine inspections. Some are sales visits with a ladder.
This page sets out what a real roof inspection includes, what you should receive at the end of it, what it should cost, and how to tell the difference before you let someone on your roof.
The short version: a proper storm inspection produces marked test squares, slope-by-slope photographs and a written report with a reasoned recommendation. If you get a verbal verdict and a contract, that was not an inspection.
| 1 | What it should cost |
| 2 | What a real inspection covers |
| 3 | Test squares, and why they decide everything |
| 4 | What you should receive |
| 5 | When to get one |
| 6 | Inspection or sales visit? |
| 7 | Frequently asked questions |
What a Roof Inspection Should Cost in Converse
| Type | Typical cost | When it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor inspection | Free from Driftwood, and from most reputable local roofers | Storm damage, suspected leak, age assessment, estimate |
| Independent inspector | Paid | You want an opinion from someone with nothing to sell |
| Engineer’s report | Paid, highest | A disputed claim, structural questions, litigation |
| Home inspection (as part of a sale) | Included in the home inspection | Buying or selling; usually a visual overview only |
Free contractor inspections are normal and not in themselves a red flag. The company expects some proportion of inspections to turn into work; that is the business model, and it is a reasonable one. What matters is whether the inspection is real when the answer is "no work needed."
Worth knowing: an independent paid inspector or engineer carries more weight in a disputed claim precisely because they are not the party that would do the repair. If you and your carrier are far apart, that is often money well spent. If you simply want to know the condition of your roof, a competent contractor inspection is sufficient.
What Does a Roof Inspection Really Tell You? 3 Things Homeowners Need to Know | Austin Roofing: the three things a roof inspection should actually tell you.
What a Real Inspection Covers
Roof covering is where people expect the attention, and it is where the least of the useful information usually is. A complete inspection works through:
- Each slope separately. Condition, granule coverage, shingle flexibility, and damage counted per slope rather than as a single overall impression.
- Flashing everywhere. Chimneys, walls, skylights, pipe penetrations, valleys, step and counter flashing. Most leaks are flashing failures rather than shingle failures, which is why flashing deserves more attention than it gets.
- Pipe boots. Rubber boots crack and fail long before shingles do, and cause leaks that get blamed on the roof.
- Ridge, hip and drip edge.
- Gutters and downspouts. Both as drainage and as hail evidence.
- Soft metal. Vent caps, gutter faces, downspouts, window screens, AC condenser fins. Soft metal dents before shingles show visible damage, so it is the most reliable early indicator, and it is what ground-level checks rely on.
- Attic and decking where accessible: daylight through the deck, staining, damp insulation, and ventilation.
- Ventilation. Under-ventilated attics shorten roof life substantially in Central Texas heat, and it is one of the few things a homeowner can actually fix.
What Happens During a Professional Roof Inspection? Austin, TX Roofer Shows the Full Process: a full professional roof inspection, start to finish, on a real roof.
Test Squares, and Why They Decide Everything
For a hail inspection, this is the part that matters and the part most commonly skipped.
A test square is a marked 10-by-10 foot area on a slope. The inspector counts impacts inside it. Adjusters use the same method, because it converts a subjective impression into a density that can be compared slope to slope and against a threshold.
What a proper set of test squares establishes:
- Whether damage is distributed or isolated, which is the whole repair-versus-replacement question. See repair vs replacement in Converse.
- Which slopes were hit. Damage on the north and west but not the south indicates storm direction, and it should agree with the soft metal on those same elevations.
- Whether the pattern is storm-consistent rather than random marks accumulated over twenty years.
This matters more in Converse than in a newer suburb. The median home here was built in 2003, so most roofs already show granule loss and weathering from age alone. On a roof like that, "there is hail damage" is not a finding. "Eight impacts in a test square on the north slope, two on the south, with fresh fracture surfaces" is a finding. If a claim follows, the documented version is what survives an adjuster's scrutiny.
What a Marked-Up Converse Roof Looks Like
That is the theory. This is the same thing photographed on Converse roofs, and it is worth knowing what to look for before someone shows you their own version of it.
What You Should Receive
At the end, you should have a document, not just a conversation. It should contain:
- Photographs, enough to show what was found, with something for scale next to impacts.
- Findings by slope, not a single overall verdict.
- Test square locations and counts, for a storm inspection.
- Collateral damage noted on gutters, screens, vents and siding, because that is part of the same loss. See windows and siding.
- Attic and ventilation notes where accessible.
- A recommendation with reasons: no action, monitor, repair, or replace, and why.
- An estimate, if work is recommended, itemised rather than a single number. Our Converse cost page explains what the line items should be.
On the insurance side, be clear what a contractor can and cannot do. We can inspect, photograph, document, prepare a scope and estimate, and meet your adjuster on site to point out the conditions we recorded. We cannot interpret your policy, determine coverage, represent you, or negotiate your claim. Texas Insurance Code section 4102.163 reserves that to you and to licensed public adjusters, and a contractor doing the work cannot be your public adjuster. More on that in does insurance cover hail damage in Converse.
When to Get One
- After a significant hail or wind event. The September 11, 2026 storm produced reports around Converse from 1 inch up to an estimated 2.5 inches, and roughly 1 inch is where bruising begins on asphalt.
- Annually, as a baseline in this climate.
- Before buying or selling. A roof at the end of its life is a negotiating point either way, and permit records can tell you when it was last replaced. See Converse roofing permits.
- When the roof passes 15 years. Most Converse roofs are there already, given the 2003 median build year.
- At the first sign of a leak, including a stain that appears and dries.
- When neighbours are having roofs replaced, as a prompt rather than as proof.
One timing caution specific to this storm: there is no prize for being first, but there is a cost to waiting months. Your policy may require prompt notice of loss, and an unrepaired breach gets steadily worse. A few weeks is fine. A year is not.
Should I Get My Roof Inspected After Every Storm? | Austin, TX Roofing Tips: whether you really need an inspection after every storm.
Inspection or Sales Visit? How to Tell
| Real inspection | Sales visit with a ladder |
|---|---|
| Test squares marked and counted | "There is definitely hail damage" after five minutes |
| Photographs by slope, shown to you | A few phone photos, or none |
| Written report | Verbal verdict and a contract |
| Sometimes concludes no action needed | Always concludes replacement |
| Explains what it cannot do on your claim | Offers to "handle the insurance" |
| No pressure to sign today | Discount if you sign now |
| Pulls the permit in its own name | Asks you to pull the permit |
| Local address, registered with the city | Out-of-area plates, PO box |
The two rows to weigh most heavily are the insurance one and the permit one. A company offering to handle your insurance claim is describing something Texas does not permit a roofer to do. A company asking you to pull the permit is usually not registered with the City of Converse, and that is a single phone call to verify: 210.658.5356.
Driftwood has been roofing Central Texas since 2005 and is a GAF Master Elite contractor. Inspections in Converse and northeast Bexar County are free and come with photographs and a written report, including when the report says the roof is fine. Request an inspection, or read more on our Converse roofing page.
Watch: Not Every Chalk Circle Is Hail Damage
This is the section above, happening. On this Converse roof Nick found eight hail hits inside a single 10-by-10 test square. He also walks through the marks a previous contractor had left on the same roof while the homeowner was away, and finds that only about half of them stand up as genuine hail damage. Chalk on a roof is not evidence by itself. It is a claim someone is making, and it can be checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a roof inspection cost in Converse, TX?
Driftwood provides free written roof inspections in Converse and across northeast Bexar County, including photographs. Paid inspections exist in the market, typically from independent inspectors or engineers, and those are worth paying for when you need an opinion from someone with no interest in selling you a roof.
How soon should I get a roof inspected after hail?
Within a few weeks is sensible. There is no need to rush it in the first 48 hours, but do not leave it for months: your own policy may require prompt notice of a loss, and an unrepaired breach gets worse through a wet season. The reports from September 11, 2026 are on the record, so the storm date is not in dispute.
What does a roof inspection actually include?
A proper inspection covers the roof covering slope by slope, the flashing at every penetration and wall intersection, valleys, ridge and hip, drip edge, gutters and downspouts, vents and their caps, the soft metal on the property, and where accessible the attic and decking. After a storm it should also include marked test squares.
What is a test square?
A marked 10-by-10 foot area on a slope where impacts are counted. It is the standard method adjusters use, because it turns "there is hail damage" into a density measurement that can be compared across slopes. A storm inspection without test squares is an opinion rather than a finding.
Will a roofer tell me my roof is fine?
A good one will, and you should judge a company by whether it ever does. If the recommendation is always replacement, that tells you about the company rather than about the roofs. We regularly inspect roofs in this area and report no action needed.
Do I need to be home for the inspection?
Not strictly for the roof itself, but it is better if you are. Attic access usually needs you there, and the most useful part is normally the conversation at the end where you see the photographs and ask questions.
Can a roof be inspected from the ground?
Partly. A great deal is visible from the ground with binoculars, especially collateral damage on gutters, downspouts, screens and vent caps. What cannot be done from the ground is test squares and assessing shingle flexibility, and those are what decide a storm claim.
Do you use drones for roof inspections?
Where it helps. Drones are useful on steep or fragile roofs and for overall documentation, though close physical inspection is still needed to feel for bruising and check flexibility. A photograph cannot tell you whether a shingle mat is soft.
What should I get at the end of an inspection?
A written report with photographs, findings slope by slope, test square results if it is a storm inspection, and a clear recommendation with reasons. If it is a verbal recommendation and a price, you have had a sales visit rather than an inspection.
Does an inspection help with an insurance claim?
It gives you documented evidence of the physical conditions before you decide whether to file, which is useful either way. A contractor can inspect, photograph, document, estimate and attend the adjuster’s inspection. It cannot interpret your policy, determine coverage or negotiate your claim, which Texas law reserves to you and to licensed public adjusters.
How long does a roof inspection take?
Typically 45 minutes to 90 minutes for a single-family home, longer for a storm inspection with test squares on several slopes or where attic access is awkward.
Should I get an inspection if my neighbours are getting new roofs?
Yes, but treat it as a prompt rather than as evidence. Hail falls in narrow swaths, so a neighbour two streets away may have been hit when you were not. It also cuts the other way in Converse: whole subdivisions were built at once, so streets reach roof replacement age together for reasons that have nothing to do with a storm.
Sources
Storm data: National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio, Local Storm Reports and Severe Thunderstorm Warning 0170, September 11 to 12, 2026. Reports near Converse ranged from 1.00 inch to an estimated 2.50 inches, with a measured 1.75 inches in the Paloma subdivision.
Housing data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 five-year estimates for Converse city, Texas (median year built 2003).
Claim-handling limits: Texas Insurance Code §4102.163; Texas Department of Insurance, Public adjusters: What to know before you hire one.
Permit and contractor registration: City of Converse Building Department, 406 S. Seguin, Converse, TX 78109, 210.658.5356.
This page is general information and not insurance or legal advice.
