Austin Roofing Company, a Central Texas roofing contractor serving homeowners since 2008, today published a winter guide that tells Austin homeowners what a freeze or ice storm actually does to a roof, what to check once the ice melts, and how to tell a roof leak from a burst pipe before calling the wrong trade. The central point is one many homeowners get backward: ice rarely breaks a sound roof by itself. The damage comes secondhand, from limbs that snap under the weight of ice, gutters dragged off the house, and frozen plumbing that leaks into the same ceilings a roof leak would.
The guide, Austin Roofing Company’s guide to roof damage after a Texas freeze, draws on the two storms most Austin homeowners remember, and shows how differently they did their damage. Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 was a long freeze: the National Weather Service recorded eight days of winter weather from February 10 to 18, with a quarter to half an inch of freezing rain across the Austin metro followed by 3 to 8 inches of snow along Interstate 35. The cold lasted long enough to burst water pipes statewide, so much of the ceiling water that week came from plumbing, not roofs. The January 30 to February 2, 2023 event was an ice storm. The Weather Service received numerous reports of half an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice from the Hill Country into the Austin metro, trees gave way onto cars, houses and power lines, and more than 200,000 customers in the Austin area lost power. By February 16, close to 35,000 tons of storm debris had been collected in the metro.
“A long freeze tests your plumbing, and an ice storm tests your trees,” said an Austin Roofing Company spokesperson. “Either way the roof usually takes its damage secondhand, and that changes what homeowners should look for. Freeze damage doesn’t look like hail. A roof can come through an ice storm with most of its shingles untouched and still need a real repair right where the limb landed.”
The guide starts with safety: wait until the ice is gone, stay off the roof, keep clear of ice-loaded trees, and treat any downed line near the house as live and a call for the electric utility first. From the ground, homeowners are told to photograph limbs on or leaning against the roof, split or hanging branches overhead, any dip in the roofline that could mean broken decking or rafters, shingles in the yard, and sagging gutters with bent hangers or gaps behind the fascia. Limbs should be left for a crew, because pulling one off can tear the shingles and decking it rests on.
Inside, the guide offers a simple test for the question that comes up after every Texas freeze. A burst pipe often lets go during the freeze or the first hours of the thaw, keeps running no matter what the roof is doing, and slows when the main water valve is shut. A roof leak shows up as ice and snow melt, usually under a spot where a limb hit or near the eaves, and stops once the roof dries out. A flashlight from the attic hatch tells homeowners much of the rest: a wet trail running down the roof deck points to the roof, while water around a pipe or fitting points to plumbing. If water keeps coming while the roof is still frozen, the first move is to shut off the main water valve and call a plumber.
The guide also addresses insurance. Because freeze damage is concentrated in one broken section, one run of gutter or one wet corner, it has to be tied to the storm that caused it on the date it happened. Homeowners are urged to photograph everything with the date before anything is moved or repaired, and to treat any older hail or wind damage an inspection uncovers as a separate date of loss. The company advises against knocking ice off shingles or gutters, which cracks cold, brittle shingles and is how people get hurt on ladders.
Austin Roofing Company responds the same day to active leaks and storm damage, including boarding and temporary tarping when a limb has gone through the roof. Its inspections and written estimates are free, and its storm damage team documents the damage, writes estimates in a format insurers accept, and meets adjusters on site across Austin, Round Rock, Buda, Dripping Springs and the surrounding metro.
About Austin Roofing Company
Austin Roofing Company, formerly known as Altair Austin Roofing Company, is a Central Texas roofing contractor that has served homeowners since 2008. Featured on KXAN’s Studio 512, the BBB-accredited company provides roof repair, storm damage repair, replacement, installation, inspections and commercial roofing, with 24/7 emergency service. It is headquartered at 807 Brazos Street #403 in Austin.
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For more information about Austin Roofing Company, LLC, contact the company here:
Austin Roofing Company
Johnny Zeze
(512) 640-2658
support@austinroofingcompany.com
807 Brazos Street #403
Austin, TX 78701
