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Roof-care advice and help finding roofers across Ireland

After the Storm: Ground-Level Roof Checklist

A homeowner uses binoculars from a wet back garden to inspect slipped slates on an Irish rendered house after a storm.
AI-generated editorial image showing a safe ground-level check after storm weather. Not a named property or contractor project.

The storm has moved off, the rain has eased, and now you are standing in the garden staring up at the roof. That instinct is right. What is not right is the ladder. Everything in this checklist is done from the ground, from a window, or inside the house. If something needs a closer look, that closer look belongs to a roofer.

Irish roofs take their real punishment between October and March, when Atlantic storms arrive one after another and a weakness created on Monday night gets tested again on Friday. A ten-minute check after each big blow catches small problems while they are still small.

The ten-minute ground check

Walk slowly around the house and look up at each slope in turn. Binoculars turn this from a squint into an inspection.

  1. Slates or tiles out of place. Look for a darker patch, a line that no longer runs straight, or a single slate sitting proud of its neighbours. One slipped slate is an entry point for the next storm's rain.
  2. Ridge tiles along the top. These take the full force of the wind. A ridge tile that has shifted, cracked or disappeared entirely is one of the most common storm repairs in Ireland.
  3. The chimney. Check the pot is still straight, the flashing (the metal skirt where the chimney meets the roof) is flat, and nothing is leaning that was vertical last week.
  4. Gutters and downpipes. A gutter sagging under debris, a bracket pulled away from the fascia, or a downpipe disconnected at a joint. Check the ground below for what came down: slate fragments, ridge mortar, pieces of tile.
  5. Flat roofs and extensions. Look for felt or membrane lifted at the edges, and for standing water that was not there before.
  6. Fascia and soffit boards. Fresh gaps, hanging sections, or boards that have come away from the roofline.
  7. Next door's view. If you can see your roof from a neighbour's upstairs window or a nearby lane, use it. Different angles reveal different damage.

Photograph everything, from the ground

Before any tidying up, photograph what you find: the roof area, the debris on the ground, and a wide shot showing where on the house it happened. Dated ground-level photos can help a roofer understand the damage and may help if your insurer asks for evidence. Keep the original files and note when the damage was first seen. Our guide to storm damage and home insurance walks through the claim itself.

Inside the house: the other half of the check

Storm damage does not always show outside first. Check:

  • The attic (only if it is boarded and safe to enter; if it is not, skip this entirely): torchlight on the underside of the felt for pinholes of daylight, damp timber, or fresh drips
  • Ceilings in upstairs rooms for new stains, bubbling paint or a faint brown ring
  • Around roof windows and chimney breasts for fresh damp patches

What counts as urgent

Treat it as urgent if water is coming in, a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, or a chimney or ridge looks unstable. In that case: move valuables, catch water in containers, and read our emergency tarpaulin guide - then call a roofer, because emergency weatherproofing is professional work done in dangerous conditions.

Not urgent but not to be ignored: a single slipped slate, a sagging gutter, or debris on the lawn. Book the repair within days, because later wind and rain can make a small defect worse.

Getting it fixed

For anything beyond a garden-shed-scale job, get the work priced properly. Our guide to choosing a roofer covers what to ask for, and you can Request quotes from roofers in your county.

Related questions

Should I climb up for a closer look?

No. A storm-loosened roof is the worst possible time to go up: slates that look seated can slide, and wet surfaces are lethal. Roofers work at height with the right equipment and insurance. Your inspection ends at ground level.

The storm is tonight, not yesterday. What now?

Move valuables away from known weak spots, place containers under any existing drips, and stay out of the attic if the roof is taking a battering. Do not attempt anything outside until the wind has genuinely dropped.

Will my insurance cover storm damage?

Most Irish home policies cover storm damage, but definitions and excesses vary, and wear-and-tear is usually excluded. The detail is in our storm and insurance guide.

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